Sketching And Drawing Bible

Marylin Scott

• Publisher: Chartwell Books
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781610583756
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

A complete guide to drawing media, from pencils and charcoal to pastels and colored inks. Learn how to achieve exciting and unusual effects by combining two or more drawing media. Over 100 step-by-step demonstrations show ways of tackling tricky subjects. Includes tips on how to professionally present your work and get it into the marketplace.

Pencils and graphite

Pencil “leads” are made from graphite, a soft crystalline form of carbon, which is mixed with clay and fired in a kiln. The greater the clay content the paler and harder the lead, while more graphite gives a softer, blacker mark. The lead is encased in wood, usually cedar, which is marked on the side with a number and letter classification. “B” is for black, with more graphite; and “H” is for hard, with more clay. The higher the number the softer or harder the pencil, so the highest number, 9B, is extremely soft.

Graphite sticks are shaped like thick pencils without the covering of wood, and are also graded: 2B is a useful average. Some sticks are lacquered for clean use, so scrape them down if you wish to make broad marks, and wrap uncoated sticks in tinfoil. Graded leads are made for some technical, or propelling, pencils. Office pencils are usually graded HB or B, and ones that make black marks can be used for drawing. Use a sharp craft knife to sharpen your pencils.

SEE ALSO

Using pencils and graphite, page 12

Pencils

Good-quality pencils have properly defined grades and even-grained wood casing.

Mechanical pencils

These pencils are designed for technical use, and so make a standard-width mark.

Graphite sticks

These graphite sticks are coated in lacquer. Thicker, uncoated sticks give fast sideways use.

Ungraded pencils

Soft, black, ungraded pencils have large diameters and thick leads, and are useful for broader work.

Paper stumps

You can soften pencil marks with a finger, but a paper stump, or torchon, is better as fingers are always slightly greasy. Small stumps are rolled to have long points, and don’t obscure your view. Larger stumps are double-ended.

Erasers

The best erasers are the flexible, white plastic erasers that remove marks without abrading the paper.

Craft knives

The blades of craft knives should always be kept sharp for sharpening and cutting.

Craft knife blades

The detachable blades on the large knives can be taken out for honing on a stone.

ARTIST’S TIP

Pencil drawings are easily smudged, so if you want to make changes or add extra tone or detail at the top of a drawing, lay a clean sheet over the bottom part to rest your hand on while you work.

Using pencils and graphite

When you have tried the different grades of pencil, look at all the marks together: a soft, dark mark reduces the silvery tone of a harder grade almost to insignificance when they are placed together. These different effects can broaden your creative horizons, but mixing grades may sometimes lead to problems with light and shade. Choose the right grade of pencil for your purpose and you will need only one—because the medium is so subtle and responsive.

Your first consideration should be the size of your drawing. Large works are usually viewed from a distance, and may lack impact unless a very soft grade is used—and still may not have the drama of charcoal (see page 16) which is ideal for large drawings. Soft pencils can be used for work of any size, but hard ones should be reserved for small drawings where the paler marks will be seen from close up. Time is another factor: because pencil is a linear medium it takes a while to build up density. Hard grades are slow to work with, soft pencils are quicker, and graphite sticks even more so—especially when used on their sides.

Building up tone

Tone is built up using several methods that can...