Materials
• 150gsm Acid free drawing cartridge
• Pencil grades: 2B, HB, F & 2H (6B used for graphite powder supply)
• Faber Castell Dust-Free Eraser x 2 (1 for blending and 1 for
• Zest-it (Pencil Blend)
• Zest-it (Blending Sponge)
• Tortillions x 2 (1 small and 1 medium)
All artists need to be able to conceptualise their final work in their mind. To ensure your compositions are correct you need to be able to draw well enough to ensure your perspectives and tonal variations are true. I have hung up my brushes for the past two months and reverted to the world of monotone; re-honing my drawing skills to speak. I have commissioned myself to draw 36 portraits in pencil before moving back to the canvas and splashing the paint around again. This should act like changing the oil in a car before driving off again.
To ensure I had quality equipment I went online and purchased a good set of Faber Castell drawing pencils (4H to 8B), an A5 Helix Pencil Sharpener which I believe is the best in the marketplace, a Faber Castell Pencil wrap which holds 36 pencils, assorted erasers and a small pencil sharpener. I bought two kneadable erasers but with the portraiture work I am doing, I find the Faber Castell
Dust-Free Eraser the best one for the job (I use one for blending the graphite powder from the 6B pencil and one for actual erasure work). To get my supply of graphite powder I rub my 6B pencil on paper then lightly move my eraser back and forth across the paper to ‘pick up some graphite powder for blending.
STEP ONE
After choosing your photograph for the portrait, print it out and draw in the five by five square box grid over the photograph. Duplicate the grid onto your cartridge paper. Draw in the rough outline of the face to ensure the proportions are correct. Use a 2H pencil for this but not too heavy as ‘H’ pencils tend to leave dents in the paper when you erase the lines.
STEP TWO
Erase the grid lines with an eraser and touch up the areas where the eraser removed components of the drawing.
STEP THREE
At this stage I scratch some graphite powder onto a sheet of paper by rubbing a 6B pencil across the paper slowly building up a ‘pile’ of graphite. When this has been done I then rub my Dust-Free eraser into and across this pile picking up graphite as I go. I then gently use my eraser as a drawing implement by placing the facial shading in place.
STEP FOUR
This is where my Zest-it comes into play. I ensure my Zest-it sponge is moistened (if it isn’t just add 5ml to the sponge) and my Tortillons are ready. These Tortillons or Blending Stubs with Zest-it give the sketcher a powerful combination when it comes to perfect blending. So, here I dip my Tortillon into the moist Zest-it sponge and start blending the shadows put down in STEP THREE. Keep dipping and blending until you see the facial dimensions appear.
STEP FIVE
If you are right-handed, always start your drawing on the left side of the paper and vice versa for molly dookers. This will ensure you do not drag your hand across already completed pencil strokes. I always start with the hairline and work across the face from there. Hair most always has a shine in it so to make this appear, I use the clean sharp edge of an eraser and flick it through the dark pencil marks to remove the graphite, leaving lighter strips on the paper. When you draw hair your pencil must be sharp so as a hint I tend to roll the tip of the pencil around which gives me a sharper point on the other side. I do this until I need to use my A5 Helix Pencil Sharpener again.
STEP SIX
Begin to detail the eyes. This will make or break your drawing so I recommend going in light and by this I use my 2H pencil and gently build up the shaded areas until I am satisfied with the way the eye looks. If you go in with a HB pencil or softer and make an error, then it is very difficult to eraser the mistake, so build up with the 2H and be patient with it. I also start drawing the lips in at this stage, remembering to work from left to right (for right-handers). At this stage I lightly draw in the right eyebrow to ensure there is a balance across the eye line.
FINAL STEP
With the main facial features in place now, I stand back and to get an overall feel for the portrait. It is here I use the sharpened eraser to highlight hair and shines on the skin. I also touch up with my Tortillon and Zest-it to ensure there are no sharp delineations in the blends. The drawing is now complete.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Always buy quality pencils and get to know your B, F and H ratings.
• I recommend at least 6 Faber Castell Dust-Free erasers.
• Over the years I have never had an ounce of trouble with the A5 Helix Pencil Sharpener.
• Never buy paper less than 150gsm. Always put down a lighter grade pencil first as it is easier to darken an image than lighten it.
• Look after your pencils by packing them in either a wrap or a tackle box with bubble wrap as there is nothing worse than sharpening a pencil with broken lead segments every 3mm or so.
