Let's Deal with Pencils | SteemPh-Cebu's 4th Art Guide

The word sketch is always associated with freehand drawing. There are two types of freehand drawing: drawings made by artists and drawings done by technical and industrial workers. For the fourth art guide, let us talk about pencils, their techniques and uses for it is the foundation of all art works.

Pencil Techniques

Pencil as you know has different kinds in the world of art, it's not just a thing use for shading during exams. Learning the different skills in drawing requires studying its basic concepts and ideas, i.e. lines. Lines may be drawn in various thickness or weights with a soft pencil. This is done by varying the pressure of the pencil on the drawing paper. We will look back to the basic kinds of lines introduced during your elementary days.

1. Vertical lines - drawn from top to bottom or vice versa and are used to create and illusion of height.
2. Diagonal lines - slanted lines used to create a sense of transition.
3. Horizontal lines - drawn from left to right or vice versa and are used to minimize the height and maximize the width.
4. Perpendicular lines - lines which make a 90 degree angle with each other.
5. Parallel lines - lines which will never meet even if they will be extended to any desired length.
6. Curved lines - objects similar to a line but are not straight which provide a soft, graceful feeling.
7. Short lines - drawn with finger movements.
8. Long lines - drawn with arm movement.

Image Source

Different Pencil Grades

Drawing pencils are available in various grades of hardness or softness. Hard pencils range from grades H to 9H while soft pencils vary from B to 6B. In between H and B pencils are grades HB and F. These pencils are very useful when drawing especially in shading. Take a look to these lead grade swatches from 9H to 9B.

Image Source

Different Pencil Tips

To ensure a quality output, a correct pencil tip must be used. Every artis / aspiring artist should familiarize these different kinds of pencil tip and in what specific task it should be used.

1.) Conical

Image Source

This pointed and cone-shaped pencil tip is used for sketching and drawing.
2.) Elliptical

Image Source

This rounded pencil tip is used for drawing arcs and circles.
3.) Chisel

Image Source

This broad flat pencil tip is used for making wide lines depending on the width of the point. Thus, it is used in drawing border lines.

Technique in Holding a Pencil

Image Source

The quality of every art work largely depends upon the grip on the pencil. It will allow proper control of movements from the fingers because in drawing, most movements are made from the wrist, elbow, and shoulders. But it all depends on the artist for which where he is most comfortable with when doing an art.

For the Art of the week...

STEEMIT BUTTERFLY

It's time to bring back the passion you've once lost!

Each week, SteemPh-Cebu will make an Art Guide ( step by step drawing, sketching, painting etc). This is to inspire all Steemians, especially the Cebuanos, to create and share their passion on art. The Weekly Art Guide's main objectives are:

• Give an inspiration to all aspiring Steemian artists.
• Develop and enhance all individual's drawing / sketching / painting skills.
• Discover somebody's potential.
• Show how a piece is done in the simplest way.
• Give an excitement such as drawing contests etc.

"Everything you can imagine is real." Pablo Picaso

We will be having a drawing contest next week!

Always follow @steemph.cebu for more!

About the Author
@mikekenlytungal is one of the core leaders of @steemph.cebu. He is an aspiring artist and writer with high hopes and dreams in life. “Steemit is a game changer and life inspirer” is his motto in Steemit platform.