How To Improve Pencil Drawing Skills

Pencil drawing skills

Pencil drawing is the fundamental skill required to get success as an artist. Some pencil drawing techniques to improve your skill are given below.

Master the pencil grip: Knowing how to hold a pencil is the first thing you need to learn. Use the side of lead instead of using tips. When covering a large area, hold the pencil perpendicular to the lines. Similarly, when drawing details, hold the pencil parallel to lines. When drawing intricate details, use the point of a pencil.

Learn the shading process: When shading with pencils, work as patches. It will give shape for drawing.

Keep control of the line weight: It will help to separate objects from one another. A simple tip is: always check and recheck your work. Also, be careful about the pencil smudges.

Understanding and following these simple tips will help you create beautiful pencil drawings.

How to preserve your pencil drawings

Nothing is more painful than seeing the drawing that you’ve been working so hard on going to waste due to a lack of proper preservation. Learning how to preserve your artwork is just as important as drawing itself. 

Let’s see some ways to preserve your pencil drawings.

Parchment paper: Use parchment paper in between two drawing sheets. This waxy paper will help to preserve your drawing for a long time.

Lay your drawings flat: Store your drawing horizontally, thus preventing rolling corners and wrinkling of the paper.

Fixatives: Use a matte or glossy finish spray fixative to coat your drawing to prevent it from possible future damage. Be careful to use the fixative in a properly ventilated area.

Avoid frequent handling: If you want to archive your artworks, avoid handling them now and then. Preserve them in a practically inert space with lesser interactions with humidity and sunlight.

Use clear bags or laminations that allows your work to be seen without being removed from the protective covering. All techniques have pros and cons. However, it’s always better to resort to one such technique to make your artwork live longer.