New Series of Graphite How-To Videos
We worked with Artist Sarah Becktel to create four new educational videos on Graphite:
Video 1: How to Choose Graphite Pencils
Video 2: How to Choose Paper for Graphite
Video 3: How to Get Started with Graphite
Video 4: How to Use Blending Techniques with Graphite
Graphite pencils are some of the most commonly used and familiar mediums among artists. The word graphite is derived from the Greek word graphein, which means “to write", however, graphite drawing pencils are specially designed for drawing, as opposed to the writing pencils. They are made with a mixture of graphite and clay. The graphite to clay ratio determines how soft or hard a drawing pencil is. Sarah goes into more detail on the graphite hardness scale in video 1.
Watch all four videos for some great tips and get ready to sharpen those pencils (maybe even in a new way after you see some of Sarah's techniques).
Video 1: How to Choose Graphite Pencils
In video 1, Sarah discusses various types of graphite pencils including wood-cased pencils in different core and barrel sizes. Some artists use smaller core pencils for line and details, and thicker core pencils for shading large areas.
Other artists prefer mechanical pencils which don't require sharpening and also let the artist adjust the size of the led. Some artists also like to use woodless pencils that are made entirely of graphite and have a lacquer coating on the outside to keep your hands clean. These pencils give the artist tons of graphite to work with. Sarah also explains the HB Graphite Scale which indicates how hard or soft a pencil is and how light or dark the tone will look as it's applied to paper.
Video 2: How to Choose Paper for Graphite
In video 2, Sarah demonstrates how graphite will look different and give you different effects depending on the paper you use. Smooth papers are great for line and detail work and give nice, crisp edges. Papers with a medium or vellum surface are great for achieving greater depths of tone and allow artists to build up many layers of graphite.
Video 3: How to Get Started with Graphite
In video 3, Sarah gives some great tips for starting a drawing, including breaking your subject down into different shapes and separating out the values according to the value scale. This will help you achieve the proper tones thoughout the drawing and allows you to more easily see which areas should be lighter or darker.
Video 4: How to Use Blending Techniques with Graphite
In the last video of Sarah's Graphite series, see her simple techniques for blending to achieve smooth shading and gradations of value.
We hope you found this series informative and that you've learned something that will help you improve your drawings. Below are links with more information on the various paper types that were used throughout this series:
