Dogs and Puppies

DRAWING AND SHADING TECHNIQUES

Before you begin the projects in this book, it’s important to understand the very basics of pencil drawing—from handling the pencil to blending and manipulating the graphite. These next pages feature a number of standard techniques that every pencil artist should be familiar with.

Holding the Pencil

I use two basic hand positions when drawing: the underhand position and the handwriting position. For the underhand position, I hold my palm almost parallel to the drawing surface with the pencil running under and across my palm. This places the lead at an effective angle to the paper for sketching, shading, and executing broad, sweeping strokes. For the handwriting position, I hold the pencil in the same way that I ...