Artist: Smitha
- Website: https://www.smilingcolors.com/
- Instagram: @smithakatti
Supplies:
Hello friends! As a self-taught artist, my all-time favorite and most used tool in my stash is a pencil. I’ll share a few easy pencil shading tips that you can incorporate into your drawings to quickly capture the details.
Draw Quick Outlines:
To draw those first lines onto my blank page, I always reach for the MONO Drawing Pencil 2H or 4H. The H-grade pencil has a harder lead and is great for drawing light and thin lines. These are easily erasable, which is what you want while sketching out your initial flower shapes.
Draw Darker Details:
The MONO Drawing Pencils B, 2B, or 4B are all great to add a nice black onto the page. These pencils have a softer lead, and you can cover a larger area and color it in. TIP: I like to keep the pencil tips of my B pencils rather short and not pointy. This helps apply the pencil onto the paper smoothly.
Create Gradients by Smudging:
The pencil marks of the B pencils can be smudged softly to create an ombre or gradient effect. You can use smudgers available in the market or simply roll up a piece of paper into a cone and use the paper tip to smudge the pencil. Cotton swabs might work here, too. Try using what you have!
Add White Details with a Fine Eraser:
The MONO Zero Eraser is so tiny and magical to use in your pencil sketches! I love adding tiny details such as veins on your leaves or highlights on your petals. Simply erase the pencil to reveal the white paper beneath.
Try Scribbling:
You can scribble quickly to cover large areas. Use an overlapping circle or messy scribbles to add a light grey detail to your sketch.
Here is how my final floral sketch turned out. I love the varied elements and the pencil easily captured the background and details. You can also recreate this with watercolors or paints.
