Pencil Drawing: From Theory to Practice

Tips to Keep in Mind When Drawing

After the basics you learned in the previous post, here are a few tips and improvements to make practicing drawing easier:

• Mark the light and dark areas. I find it helpful to lightly outline the light and dark areas with a pencil. This can help if you happen to make a mistake. Then you can gradually build up the shading in the darker areas, making them as dark as you like.

• Line weight matters. Line weight can help distinguish the surface or material of the object you are drawing. Think about when to use a thick, dark line and when to use a thin, delicate one. In areas with very dark shadows, feel free to use a thicker line. In areas with almost no dark spots, use the opposite: a thin line.

• Don't be afraid to experiment! Combining several techniques helps you create an original look and emphasize certain parts of your drawing. For example, use delicate hatching on part of the face and the scribble technique on the hair.

• My tip for realistic shading: Build up layers of pencil shading gradually to create a realistic drawing. Start by very lightly shading the area you want to shade (I mean a truly light, faint base layer, for example, over the entire face). Then gradually darken the areas in shadow one shade at a time, and blend or shade their edges out so they fade into the surrounding shade. Add layers only where the darkest areas are. This creates a soft, subtle transition that gives the drawing a realistic effect.

I hope this series of posts about drawing has helped you at least a little and that you learned something new.

Do you have any tried-and-true tips of your own? Share them with us in the comments.

Drawing is one of the most fundamental techniques every artist should master. So don’t hesitate, pick up your pencils and get started!

Wishing you many creative moments, Sabína.