No Pressure….

In this topic, really there is. I am going to mention about a couple of pencil techniques. Why? Even though the most important things in our drawings are the values, proportions, atmosphere, etc. to really make a drawing speak, how our handling of the pencil can be very descriptive, add that little “icing on the cake” to making a drawing pop. It can smooth out your drawing to look refined, or it can make things messy or clear. You have more options when you have those tools. First, drawing light. You will want to draw lightly when beginning a drawing, otherwise those lines will stay with you the rest of the way. And they may not be in the spot you want them. Because drawing is a series of corrections, you want to start out lighter. You may also notice if you dive into the paper, leaving a very dark valley in the paper, or are so light, you might not be able to see your lines. Knowing what your tendencies are is a good place to start. I was heavy handed. I still can be if I was to have a very long break from drawing. I want to make certain that line must be there, even before I have checked and make sure it is supposed to be there. To counter this when I first began, I used a darker pencil. May sound backwards at first, but really, that is what broke me. I ‘knew’ I had to draw light, especially in the beginning. Because I first drilled it in my head to be light, as soon as a dark line was laid, I almost panicked and tried again. Using a 2B or 4B to start out a drawing with, I was overcompensating some in a way, yes, but I was certainly training my muscles to recognize pressure. Because I was already over doing it in my heavy hand, I needed to do the opposite to broaden my ability to draw any light to dark line.

Next, hatching lines. When making lines, whether long or short, you want control. Drawing is a lot easier when you know where your lines are going. I have a little exercise I will do with my students. I will make three long, rectangular boxes. First one is parallel. Second, ascends on one side, third there is no pattern on the top (or bottom). The idea is to make smooth, even, consistent lines from one side to the other. Try very hard not to go outside the lines. Therefore, you are having such control of your pencil. You can even add a value scale, hatching light to dark (or vise versus) as you shade in the boxes.

There is so many little things to think about and go over to really have many tools in your belt. Here are two to start with. Next will be understanding making straight lines on a pivot.