I have a pack of Faber Polychromos, they're oil based and resist water very well, they have nice depth of colour and hold a good point.

I use Seawhite, hardback bound A4. It lays fairly flat if you squash the pages out and I keep Scotch tape so if I need a heavy paper or toned paper (I keep aquarelle, marker paper and Canson toned around for that), I can attach a sheet inside my sketchbook. I also keep an A5 for field sketching and an A6 that lives in my bag all the time. They are less used but hoping to use them more as I gain confidence. As I gain more experience, I may change my mind but as a beginner, this system suits me fine at the moment. I also keep a couple of A3 watercolour and sketchbooks around for those times I want bigger sheets.

Like you, being here on the Forums has meant I'm sketching a lot more. I can't wait to start my subscription (two weeks and counting!)

Thank you everyone for all your replies. Since I posted my original question, I've had a chance to draw from a photo and from life. I've thought less about what I'm drawing and more about comparing the two and what I get from them. I understand a great deal better the importance of live observation.

But, I've also discovered photos can give you time to work when you need it and tracing over a 2D image can show you where you're going wrong when translating from life to paper. I've added "build my own photo/video reference library" to my list of not-drawing jobs. I will be working on improving my observation-to-paper skills so I can use either life or photos as a reference when it's appropriate. Thanks again.

Thanks for your answers. I only have so much time outside of kids, work, etc, so I wanted to know if it was a good skill to spend time on. So far, it appears to be well worth it, so planning on working it into my first phase of study. Am still interested in further answers though if anyone else has an opinion.

I can draw from photos or pictures a whole lot better than I can draw from real objects in life, including landscapes. Is this going to be a huge impediment if I want to illustrate or animate? I assume this skill will not only get better with practice, but will also improve as I practice my drawing skills in general. And I do want to improve and plan to work on it, but is working from reference photos and pictures okay? Or is it a whole world away from being able to draw from life?

Thank you for any replies and your time.

I know this was aired back last year, but I wanted to say how helpful I found this podcast. I used to do lab work, been a stay at home parent for a few years (I'm 40 now) and now I'm looking for a job, my kids are in school and everything's a bit more predictable with less sleep-interruptions... So I thought this was a good time to really make a go of studying illustration. I've wanted to for years, I sometimes pick up a pencil and sketch but it can be months inbetween sessions.

Since January I've really tried to focus more and I have to say the podcasts have been really helpful, and this one especially was spot on for me. Out of this podcast, I've drawn myself up a basic learning outline and I'm going to be going through all the sites I have bookmarked, and all the books accessible at home and in the library to put together a syllabus I can follow. I need structure to push myself forward.

Anyway, my point is, thank you guys for putting out that podcast, I'm working my way through them and sketching whilst I listen now, stopping to take notes along the way. I look forward to listening to the rest and when I'm confident I have that regular study time put aside and can get the most out of it, I plan to subscribe and join a class.