What are the first steps for beginners in pencil drawing?

Drawing with a pencil is an art form that anyone of any age can learn. It requires few materials and is simple to learn. In fact, if you know how to hold and use a pencil, you already have the fundamental drawing skills required to get started. You can try drawing with the tips below, and believe me, you’ll be surprised at how simple it is to make your first pencil drawing of a simple object. And once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’ll have the knowledge (and confidence) to move on to more complex subjects.

To get started on your sketching journey, you’ll need a few tools.

Pencils

Pencils are graded by number and letter, with “H” being the hardest and “B” being the softest (or blacker). There are numbers within each letter category that indicate the degree of hardness or softness; the higher the number, the softer the pencil.

Mechanical pencils are great for line work, hatching, and cross-hatching because they never need sharpening, but they aren’t as good for shading as regular pencils. So think carefully about your options.

Sharpener for Pencils

You can choose between a manual and an electric model based on your needs.

Eraser

The best eraser is a white one. Erasers aren’t just for making mistakes and cleaning up. They can be used for shading and special effects as well.

Paper

If you’re just starting out with pencil drawing, you won’t need to use expensive paper. You can use sketch paper, which is inexpensive and ideal for testing ideas and refining techniques, or archival drawing paper, which is thicker and has a gentle “tooth” that is ideal for graphite when you’re ready to work on a final piece. You can even use transfer paper to transfer the sketches you want to develop into finished pieces onto good paper.

In four simple steps, learn how to draw with a pencil. Use the fundamentals of this tutorial in all of your drawing endeavours.

Select a Reference Image

If you’re just starting out, a simple photograph or picture is a great reference choice because it won’t move or change as you work.

Draw an Outline

Draw the basic shape of your object without worrying about realism. It is acceptable to take some liberties.

Add Tones and Textures

Once you’re satisfied with your basic sketch, you can begin filling in and refining it. Include textures in your drawing.

Improve Your Drawing

Add details to your drawing by shading and highlighting specific areas with different pencil marks. Use a variety of tones, begin slowly (you can always make an image darker, but making it lighter is more difficult), and pause every now and then to review to determine which areas require more shading.

Drawing is a type of visual art in which an artist marks paper or another two-dimensional surface using tools. Graphite pencils, pen and ink, different types of paints, inked brushes, coloured pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, erasers, markers, styluses, and metals are examples of drawing tools (such as silverpoint). Paper is the most frequent drawing support, although other materials such as cardboard, wood, plastic, leather, canvas, and board have also been utilised. Drawing is widely utilised in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering, and technical drawing, in addition to its more aesthetic forms. A fast, freehand sketch that is not typically meant to be a final product. 

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