Pencil Drawing Lesson

By Darren WK Chow

The first question you should be asking yourself is, "What is it that you are going to draw". Choosing and deciding on the subject can make or break your pencil drawing.

I suggest choosing something that you're comfortable drawing (that means taking your skill level into consideration) and the subject should be something that you're interested in drawing. Also take into consideration the amount of time that you're going to spend on your drawing.

If you don't have the time, try not to choose a subject that's too ambitious. Two things may happen here. You'll either get bored with the drawing due to lack of interest, or you run out of time and so the drawing is left unfinished.

Try to avoid these mistakes.

Once you have decided on your subject, it's time to start your drawing. Prepare the following tools: (1) a range of pencils from 2B - 8B, (2) ordinary drawing paper, and (3) kneaded eraser.

You need a range of pencils because that will help you in achieving the many different tones of shades that's so crucial to your drawing. In a monochrome drawing, that's the only thing that'll help you describe shapes, contours, dimension and depth.

And if you're wondering if the paper matters in a pencil drawing, the answer is yes. If you're more particular about the surface that you're going to draw on, note that there's two types of drawing paper that you'll commonly come across.

The first type is cold pressed drawing paper (also commonly known as NOT paper). This type of paper has a textured surface and is commonly used with watercolors. However, you can use it for any drawing or painting if you feel it's appropriate.

The second type of paper is hot pressed drawing paper. This is the opposite of NOT paper. Its surface is smooth, making it the ideal drawing surface for pencil drawings. That's because it's easier to blend on a smooth surface. Experiment with both types of paper to see which type you prefer. I would recommend smooth surface drawing paper.

The kneaded eraser is a soft eraser that you can pinch and mold into any shape. It's dust free and commonly used to aid in creating highlights in a drawing by using it to pick up lead on the paper. 

And there's one more tool that will help you but it's optional. It's called a paper stump or a tortillion. A tortillion is used for blending and spreading lead around on the paper. It creates a more consistently blend than fingers.

Yes, you can use your fingers if you want but I like to keep mine clean. Besides, tortillions are very affordable. 

Once you have these tools ready, you're set to go.

Darren Chow is the founder and developer of MyArtPassion.com an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources.

For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com [http://www.myartpassion.com] for free online drawing lessons [http://www.myartpassion.com]

Article Source: Pencil Drawing Lesson

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