Pencil drawing tutorial - Expressing emotions through art

Hello amazing Steemians! ✨✏️

Hope you are doing well and fine, and it's a pleasure to be here once again. It always gives me joy to share my art journey with you all, and today I bring another portrait I recently completed. This drawing is a reflection of calmness and emotion, showing a young lady with her eyes gently closed, lost in a moment of peace. The process was both relaxing and challenging, as I aimed to bring out the softness and emotion hidden in the expression. In this post, I’ll take you through how I created this drawing step by step.

Drawing items

• A4 paper

• mechanical pencil

• graphite pencil

• HB pencil

• 6B and 2B pencils

• charcoal pencil

• black pen

• eraser

• sharpener

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1

I began by sketching the shape of the head and lightly placing the guidelines for the eyes, nose, and lips. First I drew her closed eyes too; I wanted the posture to show tranquillity and restfulness.

Step 2

Next i drew the lip's, carefully. After I was satisfied with the basic outline, I moved on to refining the facial features. I used a 2B pencil to gently shade the skin, building soft layers to give it depth and tone. I always prefer to blend gradually rather than pressing too hard at once.

Step 3

After doing that, next was the beanie hat while also sketching the hair. I used a cross-hatching technique to create the knitted texture, layering thin lines over one another. It required patience but added a lot of character to the portrait.

Step 4

The hair, on the other hand, was drawn with flowing strokes to bring movement and life to the portrait. Each strand was carefully layered, darkened, and shaped to balance the soft tones of the face. I then moved on to the jacket, where I emphasised the seams, folds, and buttons to make it look detailed and textured.

Step 5

Here I carefully shaded and added the hand placed on the head as if she were leaning on something.

Step 6

Next I refined the shadows around the neck and chin to balance the tones across the portrait. I made a few light touches on the background to soften the contrast, and finally, my drawing was now complete. Here's my final result.

A picture of me and my drawing

Creating this piece reminded me why I love drawing—it’s not just about skill or technique but about emotion and meaning. Art gives us a voice to express feelings that words sometimes can’t. Through this portrait, I learnt that beauty often lies in stillness and that even a simple pencil can express deep emotions when guided by patience and heart. Thank you, my beloved Steemians, for taking the time to view my work. Your constant support inspires me to keep improving and sharing my artistic journey. Until next time — keep creating, keep inspiring! 🖤🎨
Inviting
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Best regards,