Basic art techniques

The craft of a good draftsman is based on 2 basic things: the ability to control your hand and correct vision. If you want to create or design websites, then you can’t do without special training.

The next 6 sections of the article are essentially the first step in in this direction— you will learn how to learn to draw and where to start. Immediately after this, proceed to the second part of the topic and go through some more.

This is a translation of a note from Medium by Ralph Ammer (all the graphics are his).

Advice. For the next 6 tasks, use one type of pen and one type of paper (for example, A5).

Dexterity of hands - two trainings

The first two techniques are about controlling your hand. You should train your hand, and also learn to coordinate the vigilance of the eye and the movement of the hand. Mechanical practices are great for beginners. You can use them later to try out new tools. They also allow you to relax and take a break from mental or physical work. So, how to start drawing correctly.

1. Many, many circles

Fill a piece of paper with circles different sizes. Try not to let the circles intersect.

Learning to draw circles is not as easy as you might think. Note that the more circles there are on the paper, the more difficult it is to add the next one. Draw them in two directions and as many as possible.

Advice. Shake your hand when it starts to cramp, do this after each approach.

2. Hatching - creating a structure

Fill a sheet of paper with parallel lines.

Diagonal lines are the easiest for us, as they correspond to the movement of our wrist. Note that left-handed people prefer opposite direction strokes than a right-hander. Take a look at your favorite artist (in my case, Leonardo da Vinci) and try to guess which hand he wrote with?

Try different stroke directions. Enjoy the shading process. Combine different strokes and enjoy how the paper is covered with different shadow spots.

Advice. Do not rotate the paper. It is very important to train your hand in different directions.

So, after we trained our arms, we need to do some exercises for our eyes!

Perception - learning to see

Drawing is primarily about vision and understanding what you see. People often assume that everyone sees the same thing, but this is actually not the case. You can always improve and improve the quality of your vision. The more you draw, the more you see. The following four techniques will force you to expand your view of familiar objects. This is exactly where they start learning to draw in different courses.

3. Outline - show me your hands!

Do you see these different fascinating contours of your hand? Draw them on a piece of paper. Don't try to recreate everything, just pick a few of the most interesting ones.

Whether you're drawing a person, a plant, or your favorite animal, you're creating an outline of what you see. Contours define a body or object and make it possible to recognize a pattern. The goal is not to immediately display all existing distinctive features, but to learn to see them!

Even if you know the shape of an object, it's still worth taking a closer look and re-examining it.

4. Chiaroscuro - adding light and shadow

Draw a piece of fabric. Start with outlines, and then use your shading skills to find the light and shade transitions.

This exercise will help you learn how to convey light and shadow on paper. I must admit that this is not the easiest way for beginners. Keep in mind that you don't have to make perfect light and shade transitions. The fabric provides a playing field to practice the skills learned in previous lessons. Plus, you'll also understand how to learn how to paint chiaroscuro using just your hand.

Advice. You can do curved shading to create shape and cross shading to achieve deeper shadows that resemble fabric texture.

Advice. Close your eyes slightly when looking at the fabric. You will see a blurred image of the fabric and increased contrast between light and shadow.

5. Perspective - cubes in three-dimensional space

Let's draw some cubes! Follow simple steps.

Perspective drawing is a projection of a 3D object into 2D space (your sheet of paper).

Building a perspective is a separate science that cannot be fully considered in one article. However, we can have a little fun within the confines of a simple technique that gives us an intuitive sense of the magic of drawing in perspective.

Step 1: Draw a horizontal line. This will be the horizon.

Step 2. Place two points on the edges of the line - two invisible vanishing points.

Step 3. Draw a vertical line anywhere.

Step 4: Connect the ends of the vertical line to the vanishing points.

Step 5: Add two more vertical lines as shown below.

Step 6: Connect them to the vanishing points.

Step 7: Now use a black pencil or pen to trace the cube.

Repeat steps 3 to 7 as many times as desired. Enjoy the build! Have fun drawing, then you will succeed. You can shade the sides of the cube.

Advice. When you draw cross lines, it is better to slightly overlap one line over the other, this will make the shape easier to see.

Mastering perspective drawings will help you create the illusion of depth. And most importantly, you will teach your brain to see and recognize three-dimensional space. This is a great practice on how to start drawing from scratch without any skills.

Even if you decide to ignore the rules of perspective and make “flat drawings,” this knowledge will never be superfluous, but on the contrary, it will help expand your horizons and sharpen your visual receptor.

6. Construction of the composition - why here?

Make 5 different designs one object. Position the item differently each time.

As you create various options placement of your subject on paper, try to trace how this changes its connotation - meaning.

Author Ralph Ammer has several more interesting articles, but this is the one you need to watch first in order to understand where to start drawing with a pencil and more. In the comments I would like to see your opinion about the pros and cons of the presented methodology. Which exercises really gave you pleasure and which ones didn't? What else do you want to know on the topic or perhaps you have your own ideas on how to learn to draw from scratch - write it all below.

P.S. Free and complete SEO analysis of a website page - sitechecker.pro. In promotion it is important not only external factors, but the web project itself must be good.

Each of us made our first sketches as children. During the drawing lessons, not everyone tried to do the work well and did not think about acquiring skills. In adulthood, many people feel the need to create something beautiful, but how to learn to draw with a pencil? After all, any drawing technique is based on the ability to hold the stylus correctly, make basic sketches, and create images. In this article you will find useful tips for learning to draw, as in art school, and independently.

Pencil Drawing Basics

Experts say that anyone, regardless of age, can learn how to draw correctly with a pencil. Learning to paint always begins with getting to know the materials that a beginning artist needs:

• a sheet of white paper, any format;
• eraser, also known as a rubber grater;
• simple pencils.

The first steps in drawing begin with a pencil sketch. With the help of meager lines, the general outlines of the object being copied, various poses, and moments of movement are conveyed. The sketch is the most quick way put on paper your first thoughts and impressions of what you are drawing. While sketching, you don’t need to pay attention to unnecessary details; it is recommended to draw it for no more than 10 minutes.

How to learn to draw from scratch

Scientific psychologists have proven that during the process of creating a drawing, both hemispheres of the brain are actively working in a person, and the imagination is activated. It’s not for nothing that there is a technique for calming nerves called art therapy - this is drawing for adults and children. Many people want to be able to, but do not know how to learn to draw with a pencil. Learning to draw from scratch is not at all difficult, because the technique of drawing with a pencil is accessible to children and adults.

Art school

How can a child learn to draw with a pencil? The best solution is to send him to an art school. It is designed for teaching children school age from 6 to 17 years old. Upon admission to this institution, the level of knowledge and skills in the fine arts is determined. Depending on the child’s skills, they are assigned to the appropriate group of students.

Education at the art school is free and government funded. I visit this place after main school lessons three times a week. The course of study ranges from two to seven years. After graduating from school, the graduate receives a diploma, which opens the door to an artistic future: admission to a college or higher institution in his specialty.

Courses

How can adults learn to draw with a pencil? You can learn the art of drawing through art courses. They are paid. The course of study ranges from several weeks to four years. During this time, the art studio will teach you the following skills:

• How to draw correctly in step-by-step technique.
• Learn to use a pencil and brush. Teachers in the art studio teach not only the ability to hold instruments correctly, but also how to choose and distinguish high-quality from low-grade ones.
• Learn how to draw children with a pencil.
• Learn many drawing techniques.
• Learn how to learn to draw various items.
• Learn to draw from life, landscapes, still lifes, people, animals, etc.
• Learn coloristics - choosing and combining colors correctly.
• Learn how to draw a cat with a pencil and other animals.
• They will tell you how to learn to draw portraits.

Online lessons

If you don’t have free time and you don’t know how to learn to draw with a pencil, then take advantage of online courses. They are suitable for those who are unable to attend a stationary studio. An approximate plan for completing classes in this format for beginning artists:

• The teacher provides basic knowledge of drawing in the form of examples of work and pictures.
• The selected topic of the drawing lesson is discussed in detail.
• At the end of the lesson the teacher gives homework, which you complete and mail to your teacher for review.
• At the next lesson, the student, together with the teacher, analyzes the homework in detail, and together they correct errors in the drawing, if any.

Online lessons, as an option, in order to learn how to draw professionally, are not the only way out. If you do not have the financial and territorial capabilities, but have a great and irresistible desire to learn how to draw well, then you can do it yourself with the help of:

• textbooks and drawing aids;
• tutorials;
• drawing instructions;
• training videos.

Step-by-step drawing technique

A beginner needs to practice drawing by creating sketches. In order for the drawing to be meaningful, the sketch must be created according to the rules that form the plan:

1. First, choose an object that you will draw, such as a teapot or vase.
2. Examine it from all sides, determine its shape, its texture, how the shadows fall on this object.
3. Determine the composition of the drawing, i.e. how it will be placed on paper, in what format.
4. After the contours are drawn, draw the details and apply shadows.

Human

In order to draw a person, you need to decide on the composition. This means that you need to analyze the boundaries of the location from head to toe. Once you have a figure in your mind, start composing the body parts. You need to draw a person from a sketch of the contours of the head, going lower. In the image of a person, it is very important to immediately find the image; you should determine the number of details necessary for the finished drawing.

Face

When drawing a person, much attention is paid to the face. To draw it correctly, you need to follow the steps:

1. Decide how the face will be positioned on the paper. To do this, mentally draw an axis of symmetry; it should pass through the center of the sheet.
2. Draw with a pencil on paper the outline of the face in the form of an oval (shape chicken egg).
3. Build the shape of the face, starting from the jawline, moving to the most convex part - the cheekbone area, then to the narrowest - the temporal area.
4. Align the drawn lines with an eraser; this will noticeably “lighten” the outline of the oval.
5. Divide the resulting oval into three equal parts using light, barely noticeable lines. The very first line, located closer to the chin, marks the tip of the nose.
6. Draw the nose, starting from the tip. It always protrudes forward, so it has a round, square, or pointed shape. Then we draw the wings of the nose and the bridge of the nose.
7. We draw the mouth, starting from the upper bend of the lip, which is located in the middle of the nostrils of the nose.

Eyes

In a portrait of a person, the eyes occupy the most important place; they attract attention, so they need to be given special attention. To draw them using a step-by-step technique, you must adhere to the following plan:

1. Before drawing the eyes, it is necessary to outline the eyebrows, which are located at the level of the bridge of the nose. Their shape depends on the character that the artist wants to convey in the portrait.
2. Having outlined the approximate location of the eyes, we draw out their shape in the form of an oval.
3. Draw the pupil in the shape of a circle.
4. We line the eyelids and shape the eyelashes.

Anime and Manga

Many young artists begin learning to draw with anime and manga, because... portray people in style bright characters Japanese cartoons are much simpler than classic ones. The greatest emphasis in such cartoon characters falls on the head, eyes and hair. Let's sort it out step-by-step scheme drawing, with the help of which a novice artist will learn how to learn to draw anime:

1. We start drawing the anime with an oval, which will be the head.
2. Divide the circle in half lengthwise using straight line.
3. Divide the head crosswise into three parts using light lines.
4. Next, you need to note the location of the eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Drawing big eyes, starting from the arch of the upper eyelid. The distance between them should be equal to one eye. When drawing pupils, much attention is paid to applying highlights. The eyebrows of these characters are drawn in a classic style: two even arches.
6. The nose in anime and manga is drawn small, expressed with a tick.
7. Lips are drawn with two small lines.
8. Anime and manga hair should be drawn in flowing triangles that slightly cover the eyes.
9. Anime girls are depicted in bright clothes, mostly dresses.

3D drawings

Volumetric drawings They fascinate with their realism, thanks to the correct construction of the form, the application of shadows and highlights in the right places. You should learn to draw such pictures from simple geometric shapes: cylinder, rhombus, square. To recreate the 3D illusion of an object, you need to draw it in isometry, when the angles between the coordinate axes are 45 degrees. Volume is added to the drawing by auxiliary lines, which are drawn inside the figure with light pressure, and the outline is drawn in bold, more dark color.

Portraits

Portraits can be drawn both from life and from photographs. Before drawing up an image, carefully consider what message the future drawing will convey. Learn to draw a portrait of a person correctly, not only in terms of proportionality and symmetry, but also to display real emotions. Another task of drawing an image of a person is to convey the maximum similarity of the person being copied. To achieve this, before you start drawing, consider all the details, highlight those features, “highlights” that you will focus on.

Graffiti on paper

Nowadays, graffiti painting is a fashionable movement that is gaining momentum. Many buildings are full of incomprehensible voluminous inscriptions, but quite often there are beautiful, professional drawings on the walls. To ensure that your paintings do not disfigure city buildings, but expensive paints not wasted, you need to practice on paper for a long time. First, try drawing the letters of the alphabet using a pencil. To give them volume, use auxiliary lines.

House

The ability to draw buildings is useful not only for children, but also for people of all ages. age groups, to easily compose pictures, for example, a house with a landscape. Buildings are very easy to draw using lines. You should start with a rectangle, adding a triangle, you will get the image of a house, this is how children draw it. With the help of simple techniques and additional lines, the house becomes voluminous.

Cars

To draw a car with a pencil, you must adhere to step by step plan:

1. Mark the outer outline of the car, dividing it in half with a line.
2. We draw the body with thicker lines.
3. Then we draw the wheels.
4. We draw out the details of the front part of the car: headlights, Windshield, bumper
5. We draw windows, doors, mirrors.

Animals

It is much more difficult to draw animals than objects, especially from life, because they constantly change their pose and are in motion. To draw an animal, for example, a horse, you need to decide on its characteristic features: thick mane, elongated muzzle, slender muscular legs. Look detailed instructions, . You may not be able to correctly portray your favorite cat or dog on the first try, but after several practices you will definitely succeed.

Video tutorials on drawing with a simple pencil for beginners

Video lessons - great way learning to draw on your own. Below is a selection of educational videos in which experienced artists clearly show how to create easy pencil drawings for beginners. After watching the video, you will learn how to draw Japanese cartoon characters - anime girls, and learn how to draw flowers. If you like landscapes, then watch the third video to the end, in which the artist paints nature, focusing special attention on the trees.

Drawing girls

How to draw flowers

Beautiful landscapes

How to Draw the Human Body

This article will focus on drawing with a pencil. If you want to learn how to draw, but can't get started, now is the time to start learning. Take a sheet of paper, a pencil and try it :) Let's start with drawing techniques.

Pencil drawing technique

There are two main drawing techniques - shading and pencil shading.

Hatching

Using strokes (short lines) you can very successfully convey the tone of an object. Depending on the number of strokes drawn, you can get different levels tone saturation (the fewer strokes, the lighter the tone, the more strokes, the darker). By the direction of the strokes you can convey the texture of the surface of the figure. For example, horizontal strokes will convey the surface of the water well, and vertical strokes will convey the grass.

Basically, shading is done with short, straight strokes with approximately the same distance between them. The strokes are applied to the paper with a pencil torn off. First, one thin line is made, then the pencil returns to the starting line, and in this way all other strokes are applied.

Cross hatching can be used to enhance the depth of tone. For example, horizontal shading is applied to the oblique shading, darkening the tone, then on what came out, you can apply oblique shading in the opposite direction to the first - this will darken it even more. The darkest in this case will be the tone where shading in all directions is combined.

Feathering

Shading is one of the main techniques that can be used when drawing for beginning artists. Using gradation of tone, you can add volume to your figure. In general, shading is special case shading. After applying the strokes, using the properties of pencil graphite and a special shading tool, they are shaded (smeared) until a uniform tone is obtained.

However, the implementation of shading itself has a number of features.

1. Shading of strokes must be done along the strokes, but not across. By shading along the strokes, you will achieve a more natural toning.
2. For shading, not only simple shading is used, but also zigzag strokes.

With the help of such techniques, you can depict anything on paper.

10 common mistakes that beginners make

Most people who like to draw take their first steps on their own. And even if it's just a hobby, they still make various sketches. We want to write about 10 possible errors, which all aspiring artists probably encounter.

1. Wrong pencil

If your shadows aren't coming out well, check the markings on your pencil. Most likely it is too hard. It is recommended to draw shadows with pencils marked B, 2B and 4B, but not HB.

2. Drawing from photographs

Every artist begins to draw from photographs. But very often photographs do not convey enough facial features to good drawing. When a person's face is positioned from the front, it will be difficult to correctly model their face on paper, since the perspective from behind the head disappears. Try taking a photo where the person's head is tilted slightly to the side. This way the portrait will be more realistic and with best transmission shadows

3. Wrong basic proportions

Very often people begin to immediately pay attention to details, drawing them completely without sketching the entire drawing. This is wrong because you are not planning the correct proportions in advance. First, it is advisable to sketch out the entire drawing, and only then draw in detail the details.

4. Crooked features

We are used to looking at a person directly and aligning them when drawing. As a result, the portrait comes out quite distorted. When drawing complex objects, first try to outline guidelines along which it will be easier to build the drawing later.

5. Drawing of animals

Usually we look down at our animal. This makes the head seem larger to us than the whole body, and normal proportionality is lost. Try to distract the animal so that it turns its muzzle to the side, then the drawing will come out more truthful.

6. Strokes

If you draw each hair or blade of grass separately, the drawing will come out disgusting. Try to make sharp sketches, going from dark to light.

7. Trees

Do not try to draw trees, flowers, and leaves with the correct shapes. Use outlines and penumbra for realism.

8. Wrong paper

Before you buy paper, test it on a sample piece of something light. The paper may be too smooth and the design will be faded. Also, the paper may be too stiff and the design will be quite flat.

9. Volume

When conveying volume, try not to use clear lines for the edges. They can be outlined by light lines of different tones.

10. Shadows

Very often it is not possible to apply shadows evenly. Try to use the full color range of the pencil, going from lightest to darkest. If you are afraid to overdo it with the dark, put a piece of paper under the edge, and all the black will be on it.

At first it may seem that pencil drawings are too ordinary and dull. But with the help of a pencil you can convey a huge amount of emotions.

A small selection of video channels based on pencil drawing:

From the author: If you are interested in painting, drawing, composition, and art in general, then this is the place for you! By profession I am a Painter-Monumentalist. Graduated from MGAHI named after. Surikov. On the Art Shima channel you will find videos in which I draw and paint in oils, and videos with tips. Since I know many techniques, you can feel free to ask questions, and I will be happy to answer them. By subscribing to my channel, you will be able to see all my new videos.

Interesting video lessons on any topic.

The work is more complicated, but with good description. If you really want it, it will happen.

Laws of chiaroscuro

Every person who has started drawing asks the question of how to convey the volume and shape of objects on paper. And this issue often comes to a dead end. Meanwhile, visual perception shape and volume directly depend on the laws of such a thing as chiaroscuro. In principle, these patterns can be traced simply by observing objects around us illuminated with artificial or natural colors. This is especially clearly seen on objects of simple geometric shapes - balls, cylinders, pyramids, etc. In order to seriously master tonal drawing, you need to know these laws of chiaroscuro well.

Chiaroscuro— the distribution of illumination observed on the surface of an object, creating a brightness scale.

Light is one of the main visual arts: the transfer of the shape, volume, texture of an object and the depth of space depends on the lighting conditions.

An object is visually perceived only when it is illuminated, that is, when chiaroscuro is formed on its surface due to different illumination.

Depending on the position of the object in relation to the light source, the type (texture) and color of its surface and a number of other factors, chiaroscuro will have one or another brightness. Chiaroscuro can be divided into several “parts”. To make it clearer, consider a simple cylinder.

If you light it artificially, the gradation of light and shade will be visible very clearly. So. The gradation is as follows: highlight, light, penumbra, own shadow, reflex, falling shadow.

light - surfaces brightly illuminated by a light source;
glare - a spot of light on a brightly lit convex or flat glossy surface, when it also contains mirror reflection;
shadow - unlit or dimly lit areas of an object. Shadows on the unlit side of an object are called intrinsic, and shadows cast by the object on other surfaces are called cast;
penumbra is a weak shadow that occurs when an object is illuminated by several light sources. It also forms on a surface facing the light source at a slight angle;
reflex - a weak light spot in the shadow area, formed by rays reflected from nearby objects.

Light- this is the most illuminated surface; the rays of light fall on it at a more right angle. There will always be the brightest small spot in the light - a highlight (this is the place where rays of light, reflected from the surface of an object, fall directly into our eye). Of course, the highlight does not have to be perfectly white. It all depends on the overall tone of the picture. If you paint a black matte ball, there will never be a white highlight on it. A highlight is the brightest spot relative to your drawing, here and now, so to speak. Then the shape of the object is rotated, the rays of light fall at a different angle, and a penumbra is obtained. The transition from light to penumbra, and then to shadow on round objects is very smooth, without clear boundaries. So, next is the shadow itself. This is the place on the surface of an object where light rays do not reach at all. This is the darkest place on the surface of an object. It must be remembered that the shadow goes along the surface of the object and will take its shape. If we draw a ball (or other round, spherical objects), then we need to remember that the border of the shadow cannot be the same throughout its entire length. The convex surface of the shadow border closest to us will be darker than the edges.

Then a reflex. It is very important. Many people miss reflexes and don’t draw them, but without this it is impossible to fully convey the shape of an object. Rays of light, which fall not only on the object, but also illuminate everything around, are reflected from the surrounding object space (for example, from the surface of the table on which the object lies, or from surrounding objects) and cast a reflection on the object that we are actually drawing . This is a reflex. It is lighter than the shadow, but in no case can the reflex be the same tone as the light. It should be darker than light, partial shade, but lighter than shadow. Of course, there is no exact recipe here; how much darker or lighter it is - you need to look at each individual case.

In addition to its own shadow, an object has another one - a falling one. I think everything is clear - the object, with its mass, blocks the path of light rays, and they do not reach the surface on which the object stands. This is how a falling shadow is created. It also has its own gradations of tone. At the base of the object, the shadow is usually darker and more saturated. And the further away from the object, the paler and blurrier it becomes.

In general, regardless of the shape of the object, whether it is simple or complex, the law of distribution of light and shadow is always the same.

But there are more additions. We are not drawing flat spots, but three-dimensional objects are illuminated unevenly. The degree of illumination depends on the position of the object in space relative to the light source, on the nature of the light source, the distance from the surface of the object to the light source, and also on the incidence of the light beam on the surface.
Also, the degree of illumination of an object depends on how close the object is to the light source. As an object approaches the light, its illumination will increase, and vice versa, as it moves away, it will weaken.

The eye distinguishes a significant number of tones. The wider the scale of tones, the less they differ in brightness from each other, the less contrast the object is perceived; The narrower it is, the greater the differences in brightness between tones will be, the more contrast the object will appear.

And another one important detail- background. Drawing, unless of course quick sketch or the very first sketch for a future painting, will not live on paper without a background. A dark background looks very impressive for light objects, which thanks to it come to the fore.

A lot depends on the background in the drawing!

As a result, we can say: to give volume to an object, you can divide it into many planes (this can be done mentally, not necessarily on paper), find the brightest and darkest of them, and then finish the drawing, filling it with penumbra and highlighting reflexes . And of course, we must not forget about the shadow and the background, even if we are drawing a sketch. For an example of the distribution of tones of different saturations, here is a clear example from the book. Note that glare is White paper, which is visible in some places.

In this section we will try to give general information about the stroke and reveal the essence of the shading method.
At first glance, it seems easy to repeat the same thing as in the figure. But for beginners this is very difficult, especially when the hand does not obey and you just want to put your hand against the paper and “make” circumferential lines from short lines, as many people usually do.

Here are a few techniques inherent in shading:.
So, try quickly drawing several oblique parallel lines at the same distance. It is important to maintain equal (or proportional) distances between lines. It is better to hold a pencil (pen, felt-tip pen, etc.) lightly, and draw lines without pressing hard on the paper. Many educational publications recommend training shoulder movements. To do this, you need to hold your hand without touching the paper.

Lines can be drawn with great pressure at the beginning of the stroke, and almost without touching at the end

Read about this topic on the website:

Pencil drawing. Materials and tools. Storing drawings Demonstration charcoal drawing: head of a woman Charcoal drawing: forest island Stage 5-7

If you are a graphite aficionado, you need these professional technicians pencil drawing.

Pencil sketch of the Dodo bird from Alice in Wonderland by Bobby Chiu

No matter what kind of artist you are, it's probably a good idea to have a pencil and piece of paper featured prominently at the beginning of your creative path, because studying good methods Pencil drawing is important.

Throughout my career as a character designer and visual artist, I have learned what matters most and that understanding the process and fundamentals is essential to becoming the best artist, and what is more fundamental than a pencil?

Before you start, you need to choose best pencil for your drawing style. What follows are my seven top tips for taking your pencil drawing to the next level. Take a look at the video above to see these methods in action.

How do I hold a pencil

Think of a pencil as charcoal in a wooden shell

When I draw, I use the side rather than the tip to maximize its usefulness. Holding the pencil as if it were a charcoal will help keep it sharp longer. To cover large areas, I do my shading by placing the pencil perpendicular to the line I'm drawing to create wide, soft lines; For details, I hold the pencil parallel to the lines to get sharp, narrow strokes. On rare occasions I may take a different approach when working on complex parts.

Shading Methods

Solid line shading versus patched shading

I like shading in two main directions: the first is to overlay all the lines in one direction, which makes my shading more consistent. This pencil drawing technique also helps my details stand out from the lines I use for shading.

The second method I use is to work on “patches” that help define the shape. Spots of lines go around the shape, helping to keep things in perspective. This technique is great for backgrounds and can add texture.

Line thickness

The thickness of the line will help determine hardness and volume

The next drawing technique concerns line thickness. Knowing how to control line thickness is a useful skill for separating objects from each other, and it can also help highlight shadows. Wide lines can fade and disappear into shadows, which will help convey the volumetric shape.

I try to avoid outlining my drawings in general outline because it tends to make things look flat and overpowers the volume effect. The breaks and spaces in my line show the form in light and shadow.

Sketch language

Use light lines to explore and dark lines to complete.

When I start drawing, I plan and explore, using loose lines, and avoiding committing too early with hard, dark lines. As I progress, my lines will change; checking and double-checking my work is vital. I darken my lines and add detail at the end. I don't focus on one area for too long to prevent over-drawing.

When I draw something symmetrical, I focus on the spaces between the lines and, of course, continue to evaluate.

Have I already mentioned the need to check and double-check?

Check and recheck your drawing to stay on track

After I check my drawing, I double-check it again. I need to secure the base before I can start adding details. I really avoid guessing the details; I want to make sure they are all symmetrical and look right before I apply stronger, harder lines. I keep asking myself, does this all look right? If something doesn't seem right - even if I can't pinpoint exactly what it is - I trust my intuition and examine my drawing before continuing.

Don't get the paper dirty!

This tip is valuable for beginners: I always put a piece of paper under my hand so as not to smudge my drawing.

I also recommend looking at the drawing in a mirror, through a camera, or away from it. This way I can get different perspectives on my drawing and detect if anything is missing. Fundamental things remain important even for advanced artists, but sometimes we still forget about them. We must always respect the process and fundamental principles.

Does it ever end?

Is this work finished? May be…

Like any other artist, I know that even after I've signed my name, I will sometimes continue to tinker with my drawings. I can always find something that needs changing if I look hard enough, so it can be hard to tell when a painting is truly finished.

But remember that you can overdo it! Eventually, I make a conscious decision to stop, put my drawing away, and start something new. That's when I consider the drawing complete. Well, maybe…

I hope these pencil drawing techniques really help you!