Pencil Drawing and Mark-Making

In this pencil drawing lesson, we'll focus on the importance of mark-making. Mark-making is the expression we use to describe the process of applying pencil to paper. You can improve your pencil drawing skills by carefully considering your pencil and how it hits the page. Controlling and exploiting the possibilities of the mark is an important step in developing as an artist.

Keep Your Pencils Sharp

Chisel-point or blunt pencils are useful for some techniques, but for most pencil drawing, keep your pencil sharp. Don't worry about 'wasting' graphite in the sharpener - better than wasting your drawing efforts! Brighten the point by rubbing the side of the pencil on scrap paper between sharpenings. If you need a darker line, use a softer pencil, and be aware that a softer pencil goes blunt quickly.

Use a Variety of Line

When drawing lines, either in a linear drawing or within a texture in a tonal drawing, note that you can vary the weight of the line by lifting the pencil or pressing harder. This might seem obvious, but it is important, and most people don't exploit line weight enough. Note the example above, which shows how lifting the pencil towards the end of the stroke can be used to give a grassy or fluffy effect. It can be useful to reduce the weight as the pencil is applied at the start of the stroke, rather than dropping it straight into full pressure.

Achieving Even Shading

A mechanical side-to-side shading motion, with each stroke ending below the last as the hand is moved down the page creates unwanted bands of tone through the shaded area. To prevent this, work back and forth over the same area, randomly varying the spot where the pencil-point changes direction. Or, try using a fine circular motion. This gives a different texture.

Control the Direction of Marks

Don't let your shading just follow the curve of your arm as you move it across the page. Use direction to describe your object. Follow the form, or create an edge using contrasting direction in two planes. A casual-looking but carefully executed effect of shading everything in one direction can also look effective. Direction direct the viewer's eye or create energy. Even randomness is often carefully considered, in order to look 'artfully disheveled' rather than 'scruffy'. Where are your marks going?

The Art is in the Mark

The marks you make on the paper are like the notes played by a musician. No matter how good the written music, if the 'notes' are carelessly played, the result will be ugly. Likewise, by thinking about the kind of mark on your paper, you can make your idea as beautiful or dramatic as you choose. Is it a lyrical, gentle, flowing idea? Let your pencil strokes reflect that feeling. Often the subject (a spiky dried flower, or a curving vase) or model (a wrinkly older person, or a smooth-faced child) will imply a certain kind of handling. Take a critical look at all the little marks you make, as well as your overall composition. Those marks are your notes. Make them sing.

Drawing Supplies for Shading

You will need a pencil, some paper, an eraser, and a napkin or cloth.

Shading Tips

When working with shading, remember it is never static. Shadows and highlights move and change depending on where your light is coming from as well as the shape you are working with. Today we'll start with a simple circle and give it dimension by adding shadows and highlights to it, ending up with a happy little sphere.

Choose a Lighting Source

First we have to decide where our light or lights are coming from. For the sake of simplicity we will use a light overhead and to the right.

Shade Light and Dark Tones

Next separate your lights from darks by laying a shadow on your form where no light will be hitting. After that, we will lay down our mid-tones. The shade between the highlights and the shadow on the area on the shape where we left white before. Just lay down a light area of gray being careful not to make it too dark. Then we'll erase a small piece of our shadowed edge in order to create a reflected light; separating the shadow of the shape from the shadow it will be casting. Be sure not to make it too light. Make it a tad darker than the mid-tones you made in the last step.

Cast a Shadow

We will now make our newly formed sphere cast a shadow onto the imaginary surface that it is sitting on. Draw the shadow in the shape of the object that is casting it. Remembering where your light is coming from. Think about it as being on the opposite side from your light. In this case, the lower left.

Smooth Out the Shading
To make your shading more perfect, take your napkin or cloth and smooth it out by blending or rubbing it. This technique is great when drawing smooth surfaces like this sphere.

Create a Shading Highlight

Finally, we'll make our highlight. Place the highlight near the center, of your mid-tone area, where your light would be directly hitting your source by using your eraser to form a small circular shape.

And there you have it! Practice shading with different shapes and light sources, and you'll be drawing like a pro in no time!