Drawing Pencils Compilation
Pencils. For most of us, we don’t put much thought into the pencil we use. We need to make a quick note - just grab the closest pencil. No big deal. But when it comes to drawing and shading for an art piece, the pencil you choose can make all the difference.
This month, I want to discuss all things drawing pencils. I have always loved pencils, but since I started teaching high school art classes, I have become even more obsessive about the marks I make with pencils and how to achieve that perfect shading on my spheres. (Oh and we will not discuss the serious pen collection I have - that’s a whole other post - LOL!!)
I would say I pretty much love all the pencils. Mechanical or not. Regular no frills or fancy. The larger fat pencils and the super thin pencils. All sorts of drawing pencils too!
Pencils can be a wonderful way to begin every art work. Sketching out your rough draft first or laying out the composition in lightly drawn pencil is the best way to get started.
My tin and set of pencils from art school.
My newer set of pencils. Shades 6B - 4H.
Drawing pencils come in a wide variety of packs and options. This may be due to the variety of hardness and softness of lead in the pencils. The full scale of drawing pencils is 9B - 9H. Yet, pencil sets like the one above is only 6B - 4H which is great for my drawing and shading needs. In my creative living, I can certainly shade with a 6B and be content. The same goes for the 4H. I do not really have a need for the graphite to be any harder than that. The split goes as follows;
6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H
6B is the softest lead and can make the darkest shade.
4H is the hardest lead and can make the lightest shade.
HB and F are top on my list to have and use quite often because they are not too hard and not too soft. HB can make a nice value however, you will not be able to create very dark shades with it.
You can find drawing pencils everywhere! I recommend finding a set and just trying out with scribbling first to see how differently each shade looks. Then work on shading using the value scale bookmark in this month’s coloring page. You can find it further down this post. Try to create a smooth gradation of value in each section from darkest shade to the lightest shade you can create.
***PENCIL PRESSURE***
When shading with your pencil, make sure to pay close attention to how heavily you are applying pressure as you shade. Obviously, the heavier the pressure the darker the shade and the lighter the pressure the lighter the shade. Applying pencil pressure is easily overlooked and something that many art students may not consider, but is a crucial step in learning to add value to art work.
Pencil Drawing Video Compilation
Check out these 4 videos that show a variety of pencil shading and markings. Some for practice, some for fun!
Teaching high school art classes is all about drawing by example. This has created quite a fun collection of random drawings!
In the photos shown below you will find examples of contour drawings (blind and continuous line), horse gesture drawings, examples of shading hair, value scales, facial feature practice including lip practice, organ drawings, and animal sketches. It is fun to look back and see the variety of drawings I have created and shared with my many students.
SHAPE OF THE MONTH:
RECTANGLE
When I stopped to think about how I use rectangular shapes in my artwork, I realized how this shape subtly influences my work. Most of the paper I draw on like; sketchbook pages, greeting cards, artist trading cards, canvases I have painted, clay or metal earrings I create - many of them are slight variations of the rectangle. It’s a fun shape to use as the substrate for our artwork, as well as our creative practice. Maybe the rectangles have been there all along??
COLORING PAGE OF THE MONTH
For the Love of Pencils!
I am loving the coloring page this month!
Print it, use it to practice shading, color them and make all the bookmarks!
Pencils, pencils pencils!
This was a fun topic to discuss and share with you as I continue to embark on this creative journey of being an artist and an art teacher. At the end of each blog post I reflect on how the seed of an idea becomes content for the post. I don’t always know how the final post will look and that can be the fun of it. This idea to share all things pencils feels full for now. Hopefully you picked up something along the way to add to your pencil tin.
Stay creative~
Hannah Koch