The Pencil

Paul Calle, Chris Calle

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780486838649
• eBook ISBN: 9780486846330
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

A showcase of pencil works by a master of the medium, this volume explains Paul Calle's process and provides a fantastic gallery of demonstrations and inspiration for artists at intermediate to advanced levels. Calle — whose clients have included NASA, the National Park Service, Ladies' Home Journal, and the U.S. Postal Service — explores pencil drawing as a serious medium rather than just a preliminary to painting.
Starting with a brief history of the development of the pencil and its use by celebrated artists of the past, Calle discusses tools and materials before introducing a series of demonstrations. Lavishly illustrated chapters examine form, figure drawing, sketching, drawing from nature, perspective, and more, including tips on doing trial renderings of key sections of a picture, making corrections, handling perspective and composition, and using photography and other drawing aids.
This new edition brings The Pencil, Calle's most defining book on working in graphite, back in to circulation after 25 years. It features revisions and updates by the author's son Chris Calle, who is also an accomplished artist and illustrator. Students and teachers as well as serious beginners who want to draw in a realistic style will appreciate this opportunity to sharpen their pencil techniques.

CHAPTER 1
MATERIALS

PENCILS

Pencils come in a wide variety of brand names and in the degrees of softness and hardness of the graphite. The leads range from an extremely hard 9H to a very soft 6B grade. I have also found that the graphite itself varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. An HB pencil made by one company is very different from the same designated HB pencil produced by another company. Only through much experimentation will you be able to find that with which you are most comfortable.

I prefer an HB pencil for most of my work, but occasionally use a 2H or 4H lead for the lighter areas. However, this is my personal preference and should not deter you from trying a whole range of pencils until you find those which are best suited to your own temperament. Naturally, the softer the pencil, the darker the tone.

In addition to the above-mentioned round-leaded forms, there is a varied assortment of other drawing pencils. There are the sketching and carpenter pencils with flat leads that many artists favor. These pencils, too, come in a variety of leads ranging from the very soft 6B to the harder H's. Graphite can also be obtained in round or flat sticks.

Then there are carbon pencils and charcoal pencils that many people prefer for their blacker blacks. Also, there are Conté pencils and Lithograph pencils. Although I personally no longer use them in my current work, I have used all kinds at one time or another.

Traditionally, several pencils have been recommended for doing studies . . . a 5B or 6B for the dark areas; HB for middle value areas and a 2H or 4H for the more finely detailed, lighter areas. I have found that I can get the same range of value and texture by employing just one or, at the most, two pencils. I can go from very dark to quite fine light detail with the HB. Only if I want to put things into the distance and still have great detail in them, will I then use a 2H or 4H pencil. Rather than changing pencils, I vary the pressure that I exert upon the point. Applying slight pressure will produce fine light lines whereas heavy pressure will produce thicker, blacker strokes in the areas you desire them. Combine this pressure change with all the variety of pencil leads, and you can see the tremendous range of values that pencil drawing offers you.

HB pencil on Bristol board plate finish surface (smooth).

Same stroke on Bristol board kid finish surface (slightly rough).

HB pencil stroke on linen texture paper.

HB pencil on a Cameo surface paper. Razor blade utilized to etch into surface.

HB pencil on scratchboard surface. Razor blade etched into surface.

One of many Coquille board texture surfaces.

HB pencil on eggshell mat board.

PAPERS

Papers, like pencils, are made in an endless variety of sizes, weights and finishes. They come in sheet form, in pads, and mounted on cardboard backing as illustration board. The paper comes labeled for specific usage. Kid finish Bristol board is designed for pencil drawing, plate finish papers for pen and ink, watercolor paper for watercolors, hot pressed illustration board — smooth, and cold pressed illustration board — rough, are multi-media surfaces. You can get information from your local art supply dealer as to a specific manufacturer's brand name. You will also get advice from friends who may favor this paper and that finish. However, again, we come to the fact that what surface is most comfortable to one is not necessarily right for another. Only through personal experimentation will you arrive at the combination of paper, surface and pencils that is most desirable for you. I can only tell you what works for me.

At this stage of my artistic career, I have narrowed my paper down to three surfaces. On occasion, I use the kid finish Bristol board traditionally recommended for pencil drawings. However, the plate finish Bristol board recommended for pen and ink drawings is my favorite surface, and I use it most often for pencil drawings, both in my commercial and fine art commissions. And, on many occasions, I find that satin finish watercolor paper is an appropriate surface to work on. Again, you will find differences in papers made by the various manufacturers, and a product labeled kid finish Bristol board or plate finish Bristol board will vary considerably from company to company. While there are many other good papers on the market, I prefer the Strathmore or Grumbacher 4-ply kid finish or plate finish Bristol boards and D'Arches Satiné 180 lb. watercolor paper to all others.

I never make pencil drawings on illustration boards although many artists are very partial to these boards, which also come in a variety of surfaces. Some of the rough surfaced papers are effectively used by artists, as well as Coquille boards and eggshell mat boards. There are textured papers that are very effective when employed with imagination. Grumbacher produces a Cameo paper that takes a pencil stroke effectively with the added dimension in its surface, providing one with the ability to etch out or into areas with a knife or razor edge producing a very interesting effect.

One should always remember that the proper paper employed is as much a tool as the pencil. I encourage you to experiment and discover.

VALUES AND TEXTURES

Closely related to paper surfaces and the natural variety of strokes produced by them are the multitude of strokes which can be devised to indicate textures of various objects, such as grass, stone, leaves, water, etc. These are limited only by the creativity of the artist and their appropriateness to the subject being depicted.

To the left, I have demonstrated only a few of the limitless possibilities. I personally minimize them, but some artists make extensive use of such textural strokes. It is up to the reader to be governed by his own requirements.

While the painter, who has a palette with a complete spectrum of color, is aware of the importance of the value relationships in his work, the etcher or the graphic artist with his limited palette of black and white more acutely realizes and fully appreciates the importance of tonal relationships. The artist who chooses to express himself by a black and white pencil drawing, whether as a preliminary to a painting or as a finished piece of work in itself, is intimately concerned with the control of those value relationships in his composition. The successful exploitation and control of values can set and control the mood of the composition together with the rhythm and design patterns which I will describe later.

In addition to the variety of values and textures obtained by using different paper surfaces, various tonal effects are possible by utilizing different grades of pencils. The grade of pencil employed controls to a great degree the tonal range from the very black to light gray. You will never be able to achieve a dense black using a 9H pencil ! A simple guide to remember is the H or hard lead pencils are best suited for the light tones and fine strokes, while the B series is best for the blackest values. 9H, the hardest graphite, produces the lightest grays while 6B, the softest, gives the deepest black. Further variations in tone and texture are achieved through the use of lines, dots, crosshatch and a variety of decorative patterns.

My basic pencil is an HB with a 2H used on occasion for background areas. I achieve my value differences by varying the pressure exerted upon the pencil and by controlling the thickness of the line. While this works for me, I urge you to experiment in order to find that which is most suited to your temperament.

ERASERS AND ACCESSORIES

Erasers come in a variety of forms, textures and shapes. They run the gamut from the gritty sand erasers to the gum erasers. In the past, I used, and quickly abandoned, the gum eraser. There were too many eraser "crumbs" left on the drawing, and removing these crumbs would cause additional smears as I brushed them off the drawing. Through trial and error, I found that, for me, the kneaded eraser is an invaluable tool. It leaves no crumbs when erasing large areas and yet it can be kneaded into a variety of shapes and sizes. Kneading it into a very sharp point enables me to erase in small and difficult areas without destroying the surrounding drawing.

In very small and tightly confined areas, I find the employment of a masking shield to be an invaluable asset. It enables you to control the sweep of the erasure and protects and maintains the areas of the drawing you want to remain intact. The masking shield can be purchased at any well-equipped art supply or stationery store and should be part of your material supplies.

In areas where I have pressed particularly hard and deep into the paper, I find it very difficult to remove the blackness of the pencil stroke. The procedure for removing this unwanted area, or to change it, is to first rub off as much graphite as possible with the kneaded eraser. However, you will find it impossible to remove all the blackness of a heavy black stroke with the kneaded eraser alone. A gray area remains. With the aid of the masking shield, I then very carefully use a sand eraser, rubbing gently to avoid damaging the paper surface. When I remove the unwanted area, I then use a medium rubber eraser and finish off with my f...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Foreword
• Chapter 1 — Materials
• Chapter 2 — Form
• Chapter 3 — Drawing the Figure
• Chapter 4 — Gathering Information
• Chapter 5 — Composition
• Chapter 6 — Problem Solving
• Chapter 7 — Creating a Style
• Chapter 8 — Portfolio of Current Work