Paper

Recommended: Arches Watercolor Paper, Cold Pressed (fine grain), 185 gsm | Blick

Alternatives:

• Fabriano Artistico Cold Pressed 200 gsm
• Canson Héritage Cold Pressed
• Saunders Waterford Cold Pressed 190 gsm
• Hahnemühle Cornwall/Britannia CP

Sandpaper for sharpening charcoal

Recommended: Nitram Sharpening Block (wooden paddle with replaceable sandpaper pads; refill pads sold separately)

Alternatives: any generic artist's sandpaper block/paddle (e.g., Jakar, Derwent, or hardware-store fine sandpaper ~180–320 grit glued to a wooden block)

Charcoal (main technique)

Recommended: Nitram Académie Fusains, grades H, HB and B

Alternatives: Conté à Paris compressed charcoal (2B/HB) · General's Compressed Charcoal · Cretacolor charcoal sticks · Faber-Castell Pitt compressed charcoal

Willow charcoal

Recommended: Willow charcoal sticks, assorted thicknesses
Brands: Coates (England) · Winsor & Newton · Jackson's · Nitram vine/willow equivalent

India ink

Recommended: Winsor & Newton Black Indian Ink
Alternatives: Talens (Royal Talens) India Ink · Speedball Super Black · Sennelier Indian Ink · Kuretake Sumi ink

Brushes for ink

Recommended: Escoda Barroco (Toray Gold synthetic) — flat/mottler, and a flat wash brush (paletina) in gold Toray synthetic fiber
Alternatives: Escoda Perla (white Toray) · da Vinci Cosmotop/Fit Synthetics · Princeton Snap! or Velvetouch flats · honestly, any soft synthetic flat or wash brush works fine

White chalk

Recommended: Conté à Paris White chalk stick (2B)
Alternatives: · General's White Charcoal · Cretacolor White Chalk (soft/medium/hard) · Faber-Castell Pitt Monochrome white Rembrandt soft pastel, White (100.5)

Graphite pencils (for details) — grades H, HB, B

• Faber-Castell 9000
• Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100
• Tombow Mono 100
• Caran d'Ache Grafwood

Masking tape