Pencil shading is a fundamental skill for artists, and by honing these techniques and following the provided tips, you can elevate your drawings to extraordinary levels. Embrace experimentation with various pencils and shading techniques, and do not fear making mistakes. With dedication and patience, you can craft stunning, realistic drawings that showcase your skills and creativity!
Mastering Pencil Shading: Tips and Tricks
Pencil shading is an art form that has captivated artists of all levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. It’s a technique that adds depth and realism to drawings and imparts a wide range of textures and effects.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various pencil shading techniques and provide valuable tips to elevate your artistic skills. Whether you are just starting or looking to refine your shading abilities, these insights will help you master the art of pencil shading.
Understanding Pencil Grades
Before we delve into the world of shading techniques, let’s first grasp the significance of pencil grades. Pencils come in various grades, each indicative of its hardness or softness, primarily determined by the clay and graphite content in the lead. The most commonly used pencil grades include:
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HB (H2): Positioned right in the middle of the hardness scale, HB pencils serve as a versatile choice for sketching and shading.
Understanding the differences in pencil grades is the foundation upon which your shading skills will flourish.
Pencil Shading Techniques
A variety of pencil shading techniques exist, each offering a distinctive appearance and feel to your artwork. Here are some of the most widely recognized shading techniques:
Hatching
Hatching involves drawing parallel lines to create shading. The closer these lines are to each other, the darker the shading becomes. Hatching is remarkably effective in adding texture and depth to your drawings, and it is applicable to a wide range of subjects.
Cross-Hatching
Cross-hatching differs by incorporating intersecting lines to produce shading. The more lines you add, the deeper the shading becomes. Cross-hatching is particularly useful for achieving a sense of volume and texture in your drawings, and it can be applied to various subjects.
Circulism
Circulism involves creating shading by drawing small circles. The more circles you add, the darker the shading becomes. This technique is exceptional for achieving smooth and even shading and can be employed for shading diverse subjects.
Contour Shading
Contour shading is distinct as it follows the contours of an object to create shading. It excels at providing a sense of depth and volume to your drawings and can be applied to a wide range of subjects.
Pencil shading techniques: Which pencils should you use?
I used HB mechanical pencils for a long time when I changed my focus from digital to traditional art. However, once I started working with regular pencils, there was a clear execution difference that I wasn’t able to produce with mechanical pencils alone. Since then I’ve discovered techniques on how to produce different textures, tones and results that I combine to create my pieces.
It wasn’t just the different HB hardness pencils that showed me the clear difference, such as shading with a 4B versus a 4H. I learned that the tip of the pencil also gave vastly different results. For example, a more rounded tip gave a larger, softer result and was more efficient to work with.
Choose your pencils carefully
I recommend having a few solid pencils at hand that you can use in your work with full knowledge of the results they’ll produce. There’s a noticeable difference when working with different pencils on the HB scale and how sharp or dull the tip is. Test and see how some will produce dark texture while others create consistent mid-tone smoothness.
Every artist will find the shading method that works best for them and I tend to use a few while drawing. I primarily work with circling, but I’ve experimented with all of these methods and more to help me create my best results. Each method produces a distinct result and depending on what type of art you want to create, you’ll want to find which is best for you! Hatching and stippling often create an underlying presence of texture and roughness. Circling and using a blending stump creates clean, gradual smoothness.
Get to know your values when shading
Take the time to understand how lighting works and the values it creates to shade properly. Do studies, find references and resources that provide this insight, and then apply that knowledge in your practice pieces. There’s a range of value to work with, not just dark and light.
Now that I’ve been working with a handful of pencils with each drawing, I know when to switch over to another for a particular result. It’s traditional and effective to start with a lighter H pencil and then gradually work darker into the B scale, to punch out the values and contrast.
Free Guide to Pencil Shading Techniques
With this Free Guide to Pencil Shading Techniques for Beginning Artists, you’ll get expert advice on how to make better art. First, a combination of articles will drive home the facts so that you get a complete understanding of shading shapes.
John deMartin explains how to shade a sphere in a Drawing Fundamental column from Drawing magazine. Then, Sadie Valeri teaches the same concepts in a different style in the Drawing Board column of The Artist’s Magazine. Craig Nelson then gives a step-by-step drawing demonstration on using values to create light and shadow in this excerpt from The Drawing Bible.
And last, but not least, Carl Purcell gives a lesson on variations in value and defined edges. The Free Guide to Pencil Shading Techniques for Beginning Artists is a tight package that has all the drawing advice you’ll need to add depth to your drawings!
Modeling Gradations
Shading the Sphere by Jon deMartin (from Drawing Magazine)
“Depicting light and shadow are essential to creating the illusion of three-dimensional space when drawing subjects such as spheres, ovoids, and the human figure,” says deMartin.
“This article discusses how to draw value on the two basic geometric solids that curve in two directions: the sphere and the ovoid. Spheres and ovoids underlie many natural forms, including subjects crucial to a draftsman, such as the human head. The surfaces of most objects found in nature are complex, irregular and so unpredictable that they can easily overwhelm us. However, when artists understand the inherent characteristics of these geometric solids, they are in a better position to perceive and draw natural forms effectively.”
Shading Tips
Modeling Complex Form by Sadie Valeri (from The Artist’s Magazine)
“Understanding how light falls on an object is fundamental to creating believable illusion. drawing an imaginary sphere is a great exercise for learning how light and shadow behave on a simple object before you attempt more complex subjects. This lesson is also an opportunity to master pencil control and a light touch. Even if you draw and paint with a different style, developing refined pencil control and mastering a thorough understanding of light will help develop sensitivity in both your hand and eye, applicable to all subjects, styles and media.”
Master Pencil Shading
Pencil Shading Tips from Craig Nelson (from The Drawing Bible)
“Our eyes depend on light and shadow to define form, so it’s important to understand the basic properties of light and shadow to create form in drawing. Most objects you portray with tone and value will exhibit the following: form light, form shadow, hard edge, soft edge, cast shadow, reflected light and core shadow.” Learn about shading techniques that create these aspects and more in “Understanding Light and Shadow.”
Learn More about Shading and Gradation
Pencil Shading Techniques from Carl Purcell (from Drawing With Your Artist’s Brain)
“The method you choose to create values using a graphite pencil is your choice. Some prefer crosshatching, some prefer to blend, and some (myself included) prefer to create the value with strokes that also define the shape. This latter technique is called broad-stroke. Getting the value relationships right is far more important than the method you choose. “
