MATERIALS
• Various materials were used for each drawing, including:
• 2B pencil
• HB pencil
• 9B pencil
• Stump pencil
• Charcoal
• Tortillian
• Tissue paper
• Felt
• Good quality art brush
• Blu-Tack
This drawing is only a simple drawing of a young, eight-year-old girl named Jessica. I decided to do this drawing for the magazine, and it only took me approximately 90 minutes to complete.
STEP ONE
I always start with a 2B pencil, making sure to draw lightly this provides me a margin of error which allows me to revise as the drawing develops.
STEP TWO
I lightly added shadows with 2B and HB pencils, increasing the layers to give it some intensity. I then use a stump to blend and blur to create graduations of soft tones.
STEP THREE
At this stage I wanted to determine the overall value structure of the drawing, working out the lightest lights and the darkest darks. I used successive strokes creating a graded area. I then use either a stump pencilor dry brushing technique to create a fading effect. I follow this up with soft brushes to darken and even the tones.
FINAL STEP
Jessica has dark hair and intense dark eyes which I wanted to portray in this drawing, so I lightly added layers with a 9B pencil and a stump to create volume. I then added small highlights in the hair and eyes and enhanced the scarf details.
Slowly I work in the shadows to create values, and textures using a stump. This helps with the appearance of craggy and saggy skin. I then would use a stump pencil to softly blend in the lines. Using Blu-Tack, I found this excellent to lift any dark areas and to create highlights. I like to work lightly to get the values right, always removing and adding.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Always keep your pencils sharp.
• Don’t press hard to work out proportions, hold your pencil lightly.
• Don’t concentrate for too long on a drawing. I work at a gradual pace and give myself about 30 minutes and then have a break. I tend to pick up mistakes when I come back to the drawing. It is a good idea to stand back from the drawing to see if it is in proportion. It helps to turn the drawing upside down, especially if you’re drawing eyes.
• Know where your shadows and highlights fall.
• I use Blu-Tack to erase lines, and dark areas. This is a personal choice.
Types of paper:
• Stonehenge has a soft surface but not suited for blending.
• Strathmore 500 Bristol Board is good for fine detailing, and can take a reasonable degree of reworking.
• Recommended is the BFK Rivers Printmaking paper. It has a smooth firm surface and is robust to take some working
• Haches 1401b hot press paper – watercolour recommended.
Art materials:
• Use quality pencils only
• Recommend Derwent
Graphite Pencils 2B to 7B
• For darker lines use soft pencil
• Don’t press hard (I often see this with beginners)
• Blending – using the right blending tool can make the difference between using a few quick swipes to create the exact look you want. Try to experiment with various tools for example: bamboo cloth, felt, stumps, facial tissue (good for blurring edges and softening unwanted pencil strokes).
• I try to use different materials and techniques because it may produce the perfect texture I’m looking for.
• Chamois – I prefer to use this as it initiates smooth textured like skin tones.
• Paint brushes – good quality brushes to feather edges.
