Study Guide in Pencil Monochromatic FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.
0 03-June-2020
(Course Code & Title) AVT 111-VISUAL TECHNIQUES 1 Module 1 _____________ (Unit/Chapter Title)
Chapter 2: Graphite Freehand Drawing & Techniques
2.1 Pencil Techniques in drawing (Freehand Drawing)
Artists' drawings are generally freehand drawings; that is, drawings made without the use
of drawing instruments or straightedges. Such drawings are made in perspective; that is
pictorial drawings as seen by the artist's eyes. ... A synonym for freehand drawing is
sketch.
In both freehand drawing and technical sketching, the techniques in drawing or sketching
lines are the same.
2.2 Types of Line Strokes:
A. Horizontal lines, for instance, are drawn from left
to right. Horizontal lines are lines parallel to the lower
edge of the drawing paper.
B. Vertical lines are sketched from the top
downward, and
C. Inclined lines are also generally sketched
from left to right.
D. Parallel lines are lines which never meet even if they are prolonged or extended to any
desired length. Parallel lines may be vertical, horizontal, or inclined.
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E. Curved lines, or curves, are regular or irregular.
A regular curve is either a circle, an arc (part of
the circumference of a circle), or an ellipse.
Irregular curves are those which have no definite
direction.
Pencil points may be sharpened into three different shapes: the conical, the chisel and the
elliptical. For sketching purposes, the first two are recommended.
The conical pointed soft pencil can make different thicknesses of lines by varying the
pressure of the pencil against the paper surface.
A hard pencil with a similar point can make different thicknesses of lines by varying the
shape of its point.
A dull point makes a broad line while a fine point makes a fine line.
This is why soft pencils are preferred to hard pencils in sketching. The chisel point, on the
other hand, makes wide lines depending on the width of the point. It is generally used in
shading a penciled outline drawing.
2.3 Ten (10) Exercises for Confident Lines and Accurate Hatching
Working Your “Linear” Muscles
Drawing a line seems easy, but your mind and body work in a union to perform this task
successfully. There is a difference in how to create shorter and longer marks and using the
right muscles is crucial.
Example: Take a sheet of paper and any tool you like. Draw a short line (something about 1 cm is
enough) and observe how your fingers work together, moving slightly while holding your
tool.
Then draw a longer line (4-5 cm). You‟ll notice that your wrist becomes active to extend
the line.
Now create an even longer mark (like 9-10 cm or more). This becomes possible thanks to
your elbow muscles.
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(Course Code & Title) AVT 111-VISUAL TECHNIQUES 1 Module 1 _____________ (Unit/Chapter Title)
Below you‟ll find an image of lines (a – an “elbow” line, b – a “wrist” line, c – a
“fingers” line):
I‟m sure that you‟ve grasped the general idea of this exercise. Different lengths of line
require slightly different movements. Keep that in mind and pay attention to the body‟s
behavior, especially if you feel like something goes wrong.
Using the right group of muscles provides the greatest control over your lines.
I would say that the “wrist” or “elbow” lines are most commonly used for creating contours
while the lines drawn by moving your fingers are better suited for adding hatching and
refined details.
“Hairy” Lines
It‟s completely normal to be cautious when you‟re trying to draw a line that reproduces a
contour of the object you‟re observing. Especially, if you‟re a beginner in art.
When you‟re overly cautious, you may draw a short line, then add another indecisive line,
and so on. The contour becomes somewhat “hairy” and messy. There are many marks,
but they look confusing or heavy.
If you‟d like to develop more control over your “finished” lines, It is recommend ably trying
to use as few lines as possible, making them as long and “steady” as possible.
Free yourself from the fear of failure, relax your mind and hands. Trusting yourself is also a
skill that can be developed!
Maybe you won‟t draw the contours correctly on your first attempt, but you‟ll get better at
this skill over time. The more you practice, the better you‟ll become.
Below you‟ll find an illustration of what I‟m describing in this topic.
Exercise 1 – Drawing Straight Lines
Let‟s focus on drawing straight lines freehand, without a ruler. Please note that the goal
is to explore our abilities, and nothing more! We‟re not trying to create “perfect” lines.
When you‟re drawing a line, pay attention to the pressure on the tool and the speed of
movement. Don‟t push too hard. You‟ll notice that the starting and ending points of your
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3
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(Course Code & Title) AVT 111-VISUAL TECHNIQUES 1 Module 1 _____________ (Unit/Chapter Title)
lines depend on how lightly you touch the paper and how quickly your tool moves.
In the image below, you’ll find several lines:
a – a line with cut (thick) starting and ending points. I call them “full stop” lines
because you should slow down a bit to make the ends look like this.
b – a line with sharp starting and ending points. This character of the ends is
achieved by a lighter, swifter movement.
c – a line with a dense start and a light, pointed end.
d – a line with a sharp start and a “full stop” at the end.
To be fluent with your lines, I recommend repeating all four examples. Some will be more
natural to you and some will require additional practice.
Please keep in mind that slowing your hand movements too much may cause unwanted
effects, especially on thin paper. For example, if you leave an ink liner in one spot for
several seconds, you can get a dark blob. So finding a balance is important!
Exercise 2 – Drawing Lines with Gaps
Now let‟s draw some dashed lines. The intervals may have the same lengths or have a
touch of spontaneity.
Exercise 3 – Control and Accuracy Practice
The next exercise is more advanced. First, draw a line with a vertical direction – it can
be straight or whimsically curved.
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Then, add hatches – they should be located at the side of this line, or adjacent to it.
`If you want to add a bit more of a challenge to this task, you can keep your hatches at a
small interval, equal distant from the contour line. Or, you can draw another contour line
and make sure all your hatches are ending on it.
Note: This exercise is good practice for developing greater control.
Exercise 4 – Drawing a Dotted Line
Now we‟ll create a dotted line – it may seem a bit weird, but a line may consist of dots, too!
and the ability to create nice dotted lines may be very helpful in your creative process.
The goal of this exercise is to find a comfortable rhythm. Observe how your hand moves,
don‟t rush, and make sure you pull your hand away swiftly enough after you‟ve created
each dot. Each dot should have a clear shape, without any smeared „tails‟.
Your dotted line can be continuous (the intervals between the dots are approximately
equal) or have some irregularity.
Exercise 5 – Drawing Wavy and Zigzag Lines
Let‟s have continue with some patterned lines, such as wavy and zigzag lines (but feel free
to draw any other lines you like).
You can outline a couple of horizontal lines to create the borders, and add your lines within
them. In the image below, you‟ll notice how my lines are touching the borders.
Don‟t strive for absolute perfection – the goal is the same as in the previous exercise; find
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a comfortable rhythm and a balance in the movements.
Exercise 6 – Scribbling
Drawing with precise control is important, but drawing looser and less precise lines is
also an important skill to develop. So we‟ll next take a break from drawing straight lines
and loosen up with some scribbles.
There‟s no right or wrong way to do it. Let your hand move and cast aside any
expectations.
Important Note:
Examine the direction of scribbles then let your hand start to draw with minimal speed.
Exercise 7 – Developing the Skill of Accuracy
The next exercises are dedicated to hatching and cross-hatching.
It‟s useful to train your eyes and hand to place the new hatches into the gaps between the
existing ones, not on top of them. To practice this skill, we‟ll create a swatch like in the
image below:
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This image may seem confusing – so where should we start?
First Step: We need a rectangular shape divided into three parts (like three elongated
rectangles adjacent to each other). Draw the three-part rectangular template with a
graphite pencil and the hatching will be made with pencil and ink liner.
The borders will help us differentiate the groups of hatches: the longest, medium length,
and short. We start with the longest vertical hatches, filling the swatch with them. There
should be some intervals between the hatches – don‟t draw them too close to each
other.
Second Step: Add the shorter hatches (the hatches of medium length).
Last Step: Add the shortest hatches – they should occupy only one-third of the whole
template.
Below you‟ll find the step-by-step process of completing this exercise.
To make the task slightly more complex, repeat this
exercise with inclined lines. The order of adding
hatches is the same (the longest marks are added first
Exercise 8 – Basic Hatching Practice
To practice hatching, you can use small squares/circles/rectangles that become the
borders for the hatches, or just go at it without any borders at all.
Each one of your hatching swatches should have a uniform look and all of the hatches
should flow in the same direction.
The hatches can be horizontal, vertical, or inclined at any degree. You can start drawing
slowly, then create a new series of lines, moving faster and faster. However, the speed of
drawing isn‟t the focus of this exercise.
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Exercise 9 – Cross Hatching Practice
This exercise is an extension of the previous one. This time, we‟ll create one layer of
hatching and then cover it with another one with a different direction of marks. The
hatches are crossing, and we get cross hatching.
If you like this exercise, I‟d recommend inventing as many examples and combinations as
you can. Moreover, you can try different tools (several liners that provide different line
widths) and analyze the effects that you get.
Exercise 10 – Create a Value Scale With Cross Hatching
Value is the darkness or lightness of a color. Value is incredibly important in creating `the
illusion of light, volume, and texture in a drawing. It‟s important to practice creating a full
range of value with cross hatching. For our tenth exercise, we‟ll create a value scale using
cross hatching.
Having a rectangular shape as a temple is useful. There‟s no need to make it too long (the
length of 9-12 cm is enough). You can also think beforehand how much space you need to
create each value. A small amount of space is sufficient.
My process of completing this exercise will be the following:
Fill the whole shape with vertical hatches.
Add a layer of inclined hatching.
Add a layer of inclined hatching (this time, of a different direction).
Add horizontal hatching.
The vertical hatches again, trying to fill the gaps.
Inclined hatching again.
You can see the repeating pattern.
The goal is to create a nice, smooth transition from a lighter value to a darker one.
However, if some of your hatches look slightly uneven, don‟t be discouraged. We
want the marks to look as though a human made them – not a machine.
Your cross hatching value scale may look like this:
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REFERENCES
A. Books and E-books
Drawing Dynamic Hands (1988) By Burne Hogart
Pencil Drawing A beginner‟s guide
Pencil Sketching, 2nd Edition, Thomas C. Wang
www.sbctc.edu (adapted). "Module 6: Media for 2-D Art" (PDF). Saylor.org. Retrieved 2 April
2012.
Simmons, S (2011). "Philosophical Dimension of Drawing Instruction" (PDF). Archived from the
original (PDF) on 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
Evolution of pen - From Reed Pen to 3Doodler - Spinfold". www.spinfold.com.
Retrieved 2017-11-30
Illustrator‟s guide to Pen and Pencil Drawing Techniques; Harry Borgman
Drawing with Pen_ink; Volume 6; Carl Glassford
Hale, Robert Beverly (1964). Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters (45th Anniversary ed.).
Watson-Guptill Publications (published 2009). ISBN 978-0-8230- 1401-9.
Watson, Ernest W. (1978). Course in Pencil Sketching: Four Books in One. New York: Van
Nostrand Reinhold Company. pp. 167–75. ISBN 978-0-442-29229-4.
Walker, J. F; Duff, L; Davies, J (2005). "Old Manuals and New Pencils". Drawing- The Process.
Bristol: Intellect Books.
B. Electronic Sources
https://thevirtualinstructor.com/draw-with-a-grid.html
https://tsafallbeginningdrawing.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/sighting/
https://www.art-is-fun.com/grid-method
http://www.howtodrawjourney.com/grid-drawing.html
https://willkempartschool.com/a-beginners-guide-to-shadow-light-part-1-drawing/
https://www.artinstructionblog.com/drawing-lesson-a-theory-of-light-and-shade
http://www.toadhollowstudio.com/wp_blog/drawing-painting-powdered-graphite/
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 9
