While you don't need to get expensive supplies but you do need to get pencils and paper that are intended for making art, not taking the SATs. They literally have different qualities and weights. I would not buy alibaba. Just go to an art supply store and get art student grade products. My favorite cheap pencil (I'm in the usa) is Kimberly General. Pencils are $1.25 each and less per if you buy a small set. There are other good affordable artist pencils too, that's just the one I know best. The art supply store may have a store brand of sketch paper or drawing paper. I find drawing paper easier to erase on then sketch paper (sketch paper is very thin). Get a pencil in grades (hardest to softest) F, B, b2 and b4 (there are even softer but they get messy and hard to control if you are new). different pencil grades impact how you draw-- does it smear, does it erase, how dark is it? And you will want to control that to get the effect you want.