Creating a Pencil Drawing

I love creating illustrations and paintings. The different color values, the subtlety of blending and, hopefully, the end result!

But despite the charm of color, one medium has always held a soft spot for me.

Pencil.

I don’t what it is, exactly, but pencil drawings always evoke a different feeling in me than paintings etc., and I love how they can be used to draw the simplest sketch, or a breathtaking masterpiece.

The first thing needed when creating a pencil drawing are…pencils! This may seem like a completely ‘duh’ point, but hear me out.

Drawings can certainly be created by using regular pencils or even mechanical pencils. By varying strokes and how hard the pencil is pressed to the paper, tone gradients can be created. However, it is best to use art pencils if wanting to create a masterpiece.

Art Pencils

The lead of art pencils come in degrees of soft and hard. A set should carry pencils that range from very hard to very soft. Most regular pencils are simply HB, which is in the middle. The ‘H’ is the letter for hard pencils, and the ‘B’ for soft; the higher the number, and harder or softer the pencil. For example, a 4H pencil is harder than a 2H pencil which is harder than an HB one. On the other hand, a 6B pencil is softer than a 4B which is softer than a 2B and so on and so forth.

Paper

Pencil will work on a variety of surfaces. Paper with ‘teeth’ will discourage the drawing from smudging, but the lines may not be smooth. Regular paper is great for smoothness but easily smudged. In the end, it’s a matter of personal preference. I usually prefer something in the middle.

Creating

The point of using these different types of pencil is to be able to create a drawing with depth. Hard pencils come out with softer lines, and they don’t smudge as much. I tend to use the hardest pencil for my outlines and initial shading. Gradually, I build layers by using softer pencils, going by degrees. The result is a drawing with a wide range of lights and darks.

Have Fun

I think one of the keys to creating art is to experiment, find one’s own personal likes and dislikes, and gradually develop a style. Of course, one artist may have many different styles, but there is often a connecting thread running through them.

Patience is another key. Achieving the platform we want can sometimes take years, and at the least it takes many hours of practice.