Guide and Tips for Sketching
July 28th, 2007 l Posted in Traditional by Aquarius Chan l
ONE & TWO. A Woodless Pencil. They are very fragile and break very easily since they are 100% graphite except the thin plastic covering around them. They are very easy to shade with and come in different shades and colours.
THREE. Lead C: I can’t live without them. The brand I buy is Pilot Neo-X HB but basically any well known brand is good. Some that come from China smudges too easily and some are so hard that they rip your paper, beware of those.
FOUR. A white eraser. NEVER use those cheap pink ones.
FIVE. A kneadable eraser. You can make them in to any shape you want and they are very useful when you want to lighten things. When using them, dab the eraser on your paper, don’t rub. o_O
SIX. A pen, lol. Any pen is fine, you can see my cheap blue one there. They last a really long time, as long as you don’t lose them.
SEVEN. A pen holder with a nib. If you’re going to use them, you’ll need to buy ink as well. I wouldn’t recommend this because it can get very messy, plus you’ll have to keep replacing the nib as it wears out. Remember to always wash the ink off the nib after you’re done and then dry it, or else it’ll rust.
EIGHT & NINE. Sketching pencils. I only use them if I have to shade.
TEN. Mechanical pencils are really awesome. C: I like the ones that use 0.05mm lead because the lines are thinner that way. You can also buy them very cheaply and they’ll still last you a long time. The one I have I got it at 2 for 99ยข.
Tips
- Always Draw Big. It’ll force you to add detail and it’ll look more professional.
- When you’re starting to draw, press very lightly. You can always trace it darker afterwards.
- Plan things out, don’t start adding detail immediately. You don’t want to draw a person with a freakishly long neck but don’t want to change it because you’ve already draw a detailed face and shirt for that person. This is why you should press lightly.
- When drawing, draw with long strokes, not short ones.
- Look at your drawing from above. If you are drawing on a table, your drawing will be in perspective because it is tilted which will distort your drawing. You don’t have to always be looking from above because it’ll probably hurt you neck, just check once in a while.
