The paper you use is so important. Sketch books are great for, well, sketches of course and practice drawings. They are also a useful record of your improving drawing skills. I'm drawing the meerkat in my sketch book, so although I will finish it, I will probably have another attempt at it on better paper.
For your main drawings you should buy the best paper you can afford. It needs to be wood free, acid free and archival so that it doesn't turn yellow or brown with age. I have used Saunders Waterford, 300gsm, 140lb Hot Press watercolour paper mainly so far, but although it is good quality heavy paper, it is a watercolour paper, so it's not as smooth as I would like and it's quite difficult to get details and smoothness of tone. I find I have to lay down several layers of 4H or 5H pencil first to smooth down the fibres as they are a bit powdery. I did find it was ok for the drawings of Max and the wolf, though.
I have now invested in a few different, smooth drawing papers. I prefer a bit of weight to my paper, so I'll list the papers I already have in my possession with the details of each. I will add my own personal impression of them here, as I use them.
Fabriano 4, 200gsm, Liscia (smooth) - I actually bought a 60" x 10 metre roll. Which will last me a lifetime, lol.
Daler Rowney Bristol Board A3 Pad, 250gsm.
Canson Bristol Graphic A3 Pad, 250gsm.
Mellotex Ultra White, 290gsm. (Only available from http://www.sibleyfineart.com/ )
Your drawings are only as good as the equipment you use, so you owe it to yourself to buy, again, the best you can afford. There are many good brands of pencils on the market, which cover the range of pencil grades 9H (hard) to 9B (soft). When drawing you don't really need the whole range of grades as you can control the depth of colour of each pencil with the amount of pressure you use.
I normally use mechanical pencils and clutch pencils as I prefer the constant weight of the pencil, whereas wood cased pencils get smaller and the weight changes as you sharpen them.
Mechanical pencils come in a range of grades and also with a range of lead (graphite) thicknesses, 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, 0.9mm and 1mm. The thinner the lead the easier it breaks, but they are excellent for drawing and honing tiny details.
Clutch pencils have 2mm or 3mm leads which can cover a large area quicker than the thinner mechanicals, especially when you use the side of the lead to draw with. They can also be sharpened for more detailed drawing.
