4 Fantastic Tricks for Better Drawing

Want to take your drawings to the next level? We’ve put together 4 tips to help you improve your technique.

Pencils

If you use graphite, try different pencil thicknesses and shapes. This will add richness to your drawing and may speed up the process. When you want to cover a larger area, for example, combining different types of charcoal gives you more options and a richer drawing: compressed and natural charcoal, a charcoal pencil, charcoal powder...

Kneaded eraser

also called a putty eraser

Kneaded Eraser

If you’re not using a kneaded eraser yet, it’s time to change that. When drawing with pencils, colored pencils, and especially natural charcoal, this eraser is indispensable for working on details. You can easily shape it into a point, and it lifts graphite right off the paper.

Blending Stumps and Tortillons

It’s best not to blend graphite or charcoal with your fingers. Oil from your skin could leave smudges on the paper and disrupt the texture of the drawing. Paper blending stumps are made from tightly rolled paper, which you can use to blend and make soft transitions between tones.

Fixative

When you’ve finished your drawing, spray it with fixative to keep the graphite, charcoal, or colored pencil in place. You can use fixative not only at the end, but also between layers. When the paper won’t take any more graphite or charcoal, spray it, wait for it to dry, and continue drawing.

How often do you draw? Pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, markers... what’s your favorite?