Pencil Drawing Techniques — Online Lessons

1 — Holding the Pencil

You may naturally hold a pencil as if writing. Try holding it like a brush or a drawing stick instead. Do not grip too tightly or tense your hand. A relaxed, free grip produces better lines and prevents tension in your hand or arm.

2 — Working with a Drawing Board or Easel

If you do not have an easel and sit in front of a drawing board supported from behind, hold the pencil at shoulder height and make sure you can see the drawing surface clearly.

Standing is the best position for drawing, but you will need an easel.

Leave enough space between your body and the drawing surface. This lets your arm, wrist and hand move more freely and gives you a clearer view of the work. Step back every few minutes to look at the drawing more objectively.

Keep your grip relaxed and do not be afraid to change it. Avoid drawing in exactly the same way every time.

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3 — Drawing Materials

You do not need complicated materials to draw well. For beginners, sharpened B, 2B, 3B or 4B pencils are quite sufficient. Buy and try these grades to discover each pencil's darkness and softness.

As you progress, you can also use graphite sticks. They cost a little more than ordinary pencils but last longer and are useful for varying your marks. Charcoal is an excellent choice for larger drawings, making it easy to soften lines and create dark areas. Even a very light touch can produce a black line. An ink pen with a tip of 0.1 or above is another drawing tool to try once you have gained confidence.

4 — Choosing Paper

All the tools mentioned above can be used on standard heavyweight paper, available in regular textures and weights from art-supply shops. Try several papers to discover their different strengths. Smooth, untextured paper is useful for finer detail and smaller subjects. Rough paper breaks up the lines slightly, creating a fuller effect and discouraging excessively small drawing. As a general rule, the smaller the drawing, the finer and smoother the paper or tool should be. Larger drawings call for a coarser paper texture.

A portable sketchbook that lets you draw whenever and wherever you wish can be useful when starting out.