Pencil Drawing Tips

Regular pencil drawing is how I started getting more into art itself. It was the only material I had and it was a simple one to use. You can start off with just a basic number two pencil. However, once you "master" the number two you can advance to the B's and H's. The "official and fancy" drawing pencils range from 4H to 6B. The H pencils are lighter and a lot harder of a lead. Whereas, 6B is a lot darker of a lead and it's really soft. You can buy 6B lead pencils that are only lead with no outer casing of wood and they are so soft they have literally broken in half as I was using them.

Tip #1- Remember that drawing is 50% observation. Every few seconds you should be looking away from the paper and at whatever you're drawing. The more you look, the more you'll see, and the more you see, the more accurate it'll look in the end. You have to study your subject and fully understand what exactly you'e looking at before you draw it.

Tip #2- Look for basic shapes. Everything has some sort of basic shape inside of it. Start with the basic shape and work from there to draw the contour lines.

Tip #3- Always use a full range of values. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Exaggerate the values, make the subject really pop. Make a value chart and use it throughout your drawing. Every successful drawing has had a full range of value.

Tip #4- Use line quality. Make the thickness of the lines different, have a variety of thickness throughout the drawing. This will allow for certain parts to stand out and let the less important details fade into the background.

Tip #5- Learn your style and really stay consistent with it. Nobody wants to see a picture of, let's say a lion, that's half hyper realistic and half cartoon. It doesn't make sense and it's not pleasing to the eye either. Use your style. It's what will make your art unique and really stand out from everybody else in the at community. Art is your way of being who you truly are. Stay true to yourself.

I hope these tips were helpful for beginner artists. Happy drawing!