Want to larn how to draw? A slap-up manner to kickoff out drawing is to utilize something you lot are already familiar with such as graphite pencils. You nearly likely have some graphite pencils lying effectually so that'south 1 less thing you demand to buy. You can get started today!

Graphite

In this post I will sometimes use the term "pencil", but just know that I am actually referring to graphite pencils specifically and the kind with the wooden body, not a mechanical pencil. One must be cautious when using the term pencil because nearly every drawing material (and some painting media) comes in a pencil form. 1 trip to the art store and yous'll find pastel pencils, charcoal pencils, even watercolor pencils! These materials are very different than your standard graphite pencil which I'll be referring to for the rest of this article. A graphite pencil contains a mixture of dirt, graphite, and wax. Those three materials is what makes up the pencil "lead" and allows it to brand marks on a slice of paper, the atomic number 82 being the dark part in the center that is exposed as a bespeak or tip.

The Pencil Scale

Did you know that graphite pencils come in an assortment of grades each having different properties? One time I introduce y'all to the pencil scale and tell you lot how to use a drove of pencils you are going to be able to leverage this vast selection to make your artwork non simply expect better, but take less time on each cartoon as well! Take a expect at the pencil scale beneath.

pencil-scale | helloartsy.com

The pencil scale describes the concrete properties that each pencil exhibits. This is powerful information because knowing what each pencil is capable of tin assistance you lot intelligently select different pencils at unlike stages of your drawing which ultimately makes your chore every bit an artist easier.

Soft & Nighttime | Difficult & Light

Afterward studying the pencil scale you'll observe that darker pencils are also physically softer. This is of import to understand. This ways that a 6B pencil volition exist capable of making darker marks than a 2H pencil, but the 2H pencil volition retain its bespeak longer.

Use These Pencils

pencil-scale | helloartsy.com

I recommend that you purchase several pencils that span the pencil calibration, just favor the B pencils. For instance, I think you lot should keep handy the following pencils: 4H 2H HB 2B 4B 6B 8B. This volition give you a nice range to work with and easily permit you to create beautiful drawings that comprise rich darks and loads of details. Why not get all 17 pencils? You don't need them. There is very little noticeable difference betwixt two adjacent pencils on the pencil calibration and having to search through 17 pencils over and over over again wastes time.

Solving Graphite Pencil Problems

Beware of H Pencils

Be careful when using some of the harder pencils (H pencils). The harder a pencil is the more likely it will scratch up your newspaper. Oft y'all volition not realize you have scratched your paper until you are shading on top of the scratches later; on merely to find ghostly white lines appearing. In most cases it's really better to develop a low-cal touch with an HB pencil than to utilize any H pencils at all. Merely we'll keep a 2H pencil and a 4H pencil effectually only in case.

Assist, I can't Sharpen My Pencil

Accept you ever tried to sharpen a pencil, but each time yous get close to finishing the task, the tip falls off? That is typically caused by a segmented pencil lead. Pencil leads volition go broken up into smaller pieces if the pencil is dropped often or banged effectually also much. Don't play table peak drummer with your pencils.

animal muppet with pencils

Have you every sharpened a pencil merely to observe the tip is mostly the pencil's wood and not the lead thereby preventing yous from drawing with information technology? Sometimes pencils take a pencil lead that is not perfectly straight. This warping in the pencil's structure will cause a regular pencil sharpener to fail. I must admit, this is commonly merely a problem with cheap, inferior pencils, but if you lot do run into this problem it's all-time to sharpen them by manus with an extremely abrupt utility knife.

Other Forms of Graphite

While I do non recommend beginner artists using anything other than an assortment of regular graphite pencils there are many other forms of graphite that can exist used independent of or in conjunction with regular graphite pencils. Mechanical pencils, while slower to shade with provide a consistent ultra thin bespeak thereby making them fantastic for detailed work. Imagine removing a pencil'southward wooden casing altogether and increasing the width of the pencil pb. The result? A woodless pencil. Woodless pencils are giant pencil leads ordinarily surrounded by a thin plastic skin. This form of graphite tin can actually lay downwards very large marks very quickly. Need to draw even larger, faster? You lot tin fifty-fifty buy a container of powered graphite which may prove useful when shading large areas such as when an creative person wants to tone their entire paper at the kickoff of a drawing.