How to Create Art with Pencils (part 1)
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
Drawing is one of the easiest and simplest forms of art. Not only is it one of our earliest introduction to art as all we have to do is remember our childhoods with a simple piece of paper and a pencil, we need to remember it is also a way to discover our "inner artist" that is still sitting there waiting for us to resume our work.
I do not want to hear the old clich, "I cannot even draw a straight line" since anyone can not only draw a straight line they can also draw a curved one or a circular one.
Your imagination will be your guide. You are surrounded with subjects' right in your own home. Have you ever really looked at a chair in your dining room or perhaps your feet while sitting back in your Lazy-boy reclining chair?
Let's begin with the tools you need. Pencils are cheap even artist's pencils and they contain graphite or lead centers and they are graded by softness and hardness. Pencils vary from brand to brand and most drawing projects or exercises call for "soft" or "hard" pencils so here is an easy way to determine what you want to look for.
4H to 6H are very hard pencils
3H & 4H are hard pencils
H and 2H are medium hard pencils
HB-F are medium pencils
B-2B are medium soft pencils
3B-4B are soft pencils
4B-6B are very soft pencils
You do not need to run out and buy every grade, but an excellent start would be with obtaining a 6B, 2B, B, 2H, 4H and 6H.
One you have your pencils you will need a sharpener. A simple hand held sharpener is good for wooden pencils and it is good for those who like to draw while traveling as they easily fit into your small drawing kit. I happen to have an electric sharpener in my studio and I like this as it give me a very sharp point quickly.
The next thing to add to your drawing kit is an eraser and you will find they come in 3 forms for pencil drawing. The first is a kneaded eraser which is very soft and can be molded into any shape. The next is a stick eraser which comes in pen-shaped holders and one can carve them with a razor or craft knife into a point. The last is a pillow eraser and this is made of a loosely woven cloth filled with loose erasing material that will allow you to clean up smudges and accidental marks on large areas.
Now that you have gotten this far you will need paper and though you can grab just about any kind of paper to draw, you will draw better if you buy a sketch pad consisting of medium weight (50-60 lb) paper. These are usually bound with either a spiral or tape and if you want a more finished drawing then buy a heavy weight pad which consists of 70-80 lb. paper.
You can buy paper made of cotton fiber called rag or paper made of wood pulp and you can even buy recycled paper. For the beginner you will find wood pulp paper to be the least expensive. Cotton fiber papers cost a little more, but are the most durable. Paper has a texture or a "tooth" which varies as follows:
Plate or hot-press paper is smooth and allows for smooth shading and softer blends.
Cold press or vellum paper is rough and allows for strokes with more texture.
Though one would not think of brushes as a drawing tool, I keep a few brushes in my sketching or drawing kit as they are very useful for creating smooth blends, gradations for applying graphite dust directly to the drawing surface. An inexpensive flat soft bristle paint brush works well for this method. Some times I have to take some small brushes with short bristles and trim them to the desired length with a small pair of scissors and these brushes then give me greater accuracy for working on my drawing.
These are all the basic materials you will need to start drawing. You may hear about a blow bulb and they do come in handy for blowing away any loose graphite dust or eraser bits. I do not have one as I simply blow them away with my breath. However, I do like and do use a can of spray fixative when I am done with my work as it keeps the final project from smudging. I do consider this a necessary item for anyone who wants to draw. Another good item is an emery board which is great for creating graphite powder or dust when you want to create rich, soft shading.
Now that you have your kit assembled you may want to have a kit container to put it all in. An old large purse may do well, a small inexpensive plastic container with a center handle will work, or even an old plastic tool box.
Now you need a workspace. You can use a simple lap desk, a drafting table would be good as it will tilt on a nice angle or you may even prefer an easel. I use an easel a lot for painting, but I cannot work well at an easel for drawing. I prefer my desk which has a large piece of ply wood on it which is propped up in the back with a 2 inch piece of hard foam and it gives me just the angle I want to work with.
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