Sketching using a pen

A sketch is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not intended as a finished work. If in oil paint it is called an oil sketch. In general, a sketch is a quick way to record an idea for later use. Artist’s sketches primarily serve as a way to try out different ideas and establish a composition before undertaking a more finished work, especially when the finished work is expensive and time consuming. Sketching sharpens an artist’s ability to focus on the most important elements of a subject and is a prescribed part of artistic development for students.

Dry media such as pencil or pastel are often preferred due to time constraints, but a quickly done watercolor study or even quickly modeled clay or soft wax can also be considered a ’sketch’ in the broader sense of the term. Graphite pencils being a relatively new invention, the artists of the Renaissance could make sketches using the expensive method of a silver stylus on specially prepared paper, with results similar to a modern pencil sketch, or, more cheaply, using charcoal, chalk, or pen-and-ink.

Contrary to popular belief, artists often use erasers when drawing; the eraser may be used to remove rough construction lines, or to soften lines for visual effect. The most commonly used eraser for pencil drawing is the kneaded eraser, which has a soft, sticky surface that enables the artist to lift the graphite or charcoal from the drawing surface without smudging. White plastic erasers can cleanly erase line work, but tend to smudge heavy shading.

The sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci and Edgar Degas are two examples of many done by famous artists which have become art objects in their own right, although many pages show more thoughtful studies rather than true sketches.

The art of drawing has been alive since ages. Right from the men who used to carve in caves long back until the modern age where we use brushes and oil paints to make humans alive on the paper. There have been different forms of drawing created, out of all of them pencil drawing is at the base stage. This article shows you some simple tips that you need to keep in mind to come out with a high quality pencil drawing…

Interested in drawing a picture as illustrated above, please follow these tutorial key points:

1. Keep It Light.
It is extremely important that you make the first outline that you sketch absolutely light. This makes sure that you can erase incase you have made some errors without getting the paper to clutter up with creases.

2. Do not Rest.
There are many artists who have a habit of resting on their hand on the drawing paper while they are drawing. You should not do this because this makes the paper untidy when you tend to erase your pencil drawing on that portion later on if you make some errors. Moreover, the moisture and sweat that sometimes comes out of your hands tends to spoil the quality and cleanliness of the paper. It is important that you also do not rest on the parts of the paper where you have already done your drawing.
This tends to form smudges on the areas where you rest on your hand and this literally spoils your drawing tremendously.

3. Get A Piece Of Cotton.
Rather than using fingers to smoothen the shades it is advisable to use cotton instead.

4. Sharpen Your Pencil.
To make some fine additions it is extremely important that you use sharpened pencils as this gives a terrific look to your drawing. In addition, wipe the end of the pencil once you have sharpened them to remove the extra granite cluttered out there…