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www.painters-online.co.uk ✎ T I P Sharpen several 6B lead pencils before you begin a drawing so that you don’t have to stop Exercise 3: Smudging with paper stumps and tortillions Just as your pencil strokes must be smooth and even, your paper stump must be used with correct pressure. The paper stump is used for larger areas and is to be used on the tapering side—not the tip. Using the tip applies too much pressure in too small an area, causing a scruffy appearance. The tortillion is designed to be used in small areas and only on the tip because the rolled side will look like corduroy skin. Practise using both with your shadings from Exercise 2 Pencilling techniques Three pencilling techniques to try are hatching, crosshatching and circulism. You can usually choose one of these techniques to use throughout your drawing. Hatching Hatching involves drawing parallel lines on your paper. These lines should be varied at the points where they begin and end to prevent unwanted hard edges from occurring. Vary the distance between the lines to create lighter or darker areas. Hatching may also be an interesting effect if all the lines go in the same direction, giving the drawing a more stylised image. Crosshatching Crosshatching starts the same way as hatching does, with parallel lines. Once the first set of lines is drawn, a second set is placed over it at an angle. If more depth is needed, a third or fourth layer (or as many layers as necessary) may be added to create the desired darkness. Hatching and crosshatching are considered useful styles for creating shadows when drawing in pen and ink, although they may also be used in drawing. Circulism Sometimes called scumbling, this stroke is a series of interlocking circles that may or may not be blended later. You must keep your strokes even and your pencil on the paper. Many coloured pencil artists use circulism on their work to build up the layers of colour. Start Art 5 17 Shading Shading is often the last technique you apply to a drawing. It requires good pencil skills, correct pressure and application of the pencil and blending tools. Shading is what typically separates the soon-to-be artist from the skilled professional. Let’s familiarise ourselves with the basics. Ways to shade There are a variety of ways to shade including smudging, blending with your pencil, hatching, crosshatching and combinations of these techniques. Certain pencil- paper combinations are more successful than others. Smooth bristol board allows you to blend using paper stumps. The more tooth (texture) on your paper, the less successful the paper stump will be in blending. The tooth of the paper can snag your lead and doesn’t allow for smooth blending. Putting it together Use blending and smudging tools to give the face a soft, childlike look. Hatch using linear pencil lines to create hair Choose a style Many artists choose one technique for their drawings rather than mix styles within the same work. Experiment by trying out each style ▼ Crosshatching Circulism Hatching