I will draw on pretty much anything if the urge strikes. For sketching, I like plain old lined paper, as well as moderately rough, slightly yellowish sketchbook paper. Colored pencils work well on printer paper or nicely textured paper, depending on the feel I want for the piece. Colored paper is my best bet for pastels. Medium-texture cold press aquarelle paper is freakishly expensive, but I use it anyway for watercolor and gouache (so much stretching required, it's silly!). As far as canvas go, I don't like stretcher bars. Give me canvas on a carboard or wooden backing. None of that hanging loose in the middle stuff. +__+;;;

The Pencils

I don't use pencils a lot. The sketchy lines blur together, they smear too easily, and you don't even have any color to show at the end. But I do have to use them for sketching basic outlines, I'm afraid. In those cases, I use a soft mechanical pencil which erases easily. I tend to go for 3B, .5mm lead. And you don't have to sharpen it, woohoo.

The Colored Pencils

Another medium which I don't use much of nowadays. I resort to it mostly when I have to draw fine lines, such as in the Lemming picture in the color section, when I'm coloring anime pics, or else when I'm sketching and want to do it with more color than just a black pen. Sketching with colored pencils can be fun at times, because they don't smear as easily as plain pencils. ^^v Unfortunately, I have to use cheap Crayola pencils, 'cuz the wondrous Prismacolors are too expensive. *weeps*

The Pen/Ink

I adore pen and ink. I absolutely adore it. It allows me to sketch away and have that dynamic quality to the skeches, because the lines don't blur together. Woo-ness. I prefer medium-thickiness black ballpoint pens, and I'm in love with my Sheaffer fountain pen and colored inks. A light water wash can be added to those ink lines for a wonderful effect similar to watercolor. Which brings me to the next supply...

The Watercolors

Watercolors are quite an amazing medium. They're so light, so transparent, and so amazingly hard to use. They also lend themselves well to wonderful effects such as salt and saran-wrap textures. In school I've been using Prang watercolors, which are pretty nice considering the low price. At home I use a box of Yarka. It has only 8 colors. ^^;;; But I like it anyway. My next step is gonna be buying a Reeves 18 color set. As soon as I get some extra money on my hands...

The Gouache

I use gouache together with watercolors, mostly to cover up mistakes. Gouache is one of my personal favorites, because it has that kind of chalky look to it, and is easier to use that watercolor, but not as massive as oils or acrylics. I'm in love with my 12 color Reeves set. I've used up almost all the greens, though, and barely touched the reds. Ehehe.

The Acrylics

One word: Liquitex. Another word: expensive. So, I don't use them often, only when I get my hand on them at school. But they're oh-so-wonderful! Definitely a must for my impressionistic paintings.

Last, but not least, the Pastels

Believe it or not, I used to hate pastels. They were so messy, so dusty, so easily smeared. I hated them all through freshman year, but then got so into my self-portrait my sophomore year, that I fell in love with this amazing medium. It's really very expressive, because you don't have a brush or a layer of wood separating your fingers from the color. I prefer soft pastels to hard pastels, and forget the name of the brand that I use. *big sweatdrop*