I'm all out of coffee..........................And orange juice didn't help so, I may fall asleep while typing this post.
Hello!..........What's up y'all? How's things? Is everyone watching the Olympic games? I confess, I have not watched a single minute of the games so I have no idea who's won what.
But, I have been creating art! I have a couple commissions as well as some personal work currently in progress. Today, I thought maybe I might discuss one of my mediums of choice. Graphite.
It's a simple, clean and immediate medium and that is what attracted me to it in the first place. Not to mention the fact that it is relatively inexpensive. As a kid, It was the first and easiest medium to get my hands on as I had a trusty No. 2 yellow school pencil and some lined notebook paper on my person, at all times. I was constantly drawing something.
To be honest, I didn't own any fancy art supplies till I was in my twenties which is also when I purchased my very first paints. You really don't need any special tools to make art. Just a strong desire to do so.
A lead pencil is not made of lead. It is made of graphite and sometimes has a little bit of carbon thrown in as well. There are different degrees of lead which can be confusing to new artists.
You may have seen letters and numbers such as H, HB, 2B and so on. this refers to the hardness or softness of the graphite. A typical N0.2 school pencil is an HB. H is going to stand for hard, meaning the lead is obviously going to be harder and also lighter in shade. So a 9H pencil for example will be very hard and create a very light colored line.
B pencils on the other hand, are going to be softer and leave darker, richer lines. The B stands for black. A 9B pencil is going to be very dark. There is also an F pencil that lies right in between the H's and B's. F stands for fine. You don't have to use the full range of pencils. As for me, my go-to's are 5H through 6B but you can create a drawing using a single pencil if you want to.
Drawings in graphite are generally done using many layers, gradually building up tones. It is time consuming but patience and perseverance will pay off in a beautiful piece of art. The important thing is to start off with a really accurate sketch. Yes, drawing skills are important with graphite. The more you draw, the better you become at it, just like anything else. There is no magic pill you can take or a shortcut to learning how to draw. You have to work at it. But, anyone CAN learn and at least it's enjoyable work! Here is a new piece I started a couple days ago......
As I am right handed, I keep my light source to my left which prevents the light from casting a shadow onto my work. Then, I work from the top left, down to the bottom right which prevents me from dragging my hand through the graphite and making a mess.
This is where Jarvis comes in handy. Jarvis is a mahlstick and my studio side-kick. A mahlstick acts like a rest for your hand, keeping it elevated slightly off your work. If you tend to be a little "shaky handed, it can help with that too. This is Jarvis..................Say "Hi" Jarvis!
All he is , is a stick with a felt ball on one end. You can buy a mahlstick but Jarvis is a homemade version.
Your paper choice is important with graphite too. I personally use bristol vellum or smooth bristol as well as hot press watercolor paper to create my drawings on. But there are other choices out there as well. it does become a personal preference you just have to try out a variety of papers to find which ones work best for you.
Now there is also a medium in graphite that is water-soluble. Used pretty much like watercolor, I have recently dabbled in it and It is growing on me. Water soluble graphite comes in pencil form and looks like a regular graphite pencil and can be used just like a regular graphite pencil. But, when you add water, you get beautiful monochromatic washes. Water soluble graphite also comes in small tins such as this..............and you apply it with a brush just like paint................
Keep in mind though, the dry pencil itself is erasable but, once you add water to it, you can no longer erase your mistakes so, use it carefully. There are also graphite sticks, powdered graphite and even a soft, flexable graphite that feels like silly putty! That one is really messy however and will get all over your hands but it is a kick to work with.
There are mechanical pencils, the smallest lead size I own is a .02, about the size of a human hair!, clutch pencils, drafting pencils, the list goes on and on. I have a quite large collection of all of them myself. I even have two brand new pencils coming tomorrow. I LOVE getting new pencils!!!There are pencils with engines, (yep), retractable pencils and pencils with large 5.6 sized leads. Experiment to find what you like best.
I'm sure I haven't mentioned all there is to know about the world of graphite. There is so much to it. but I hope I have given y'all a general idea about this great medium. If you have any questions, please ask. I won't bite.
Today is a painting day for me. Maybe I will also do some more work on the tiger as well. I better go get busy....Happy drawing everyone!
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