Graphite Pencil – The average writing pencil. The so-called lead inside the exterior wood sheath is not lead but actually graphite, a form of carbon. Leaves a grey mark that displays a silvery, light-reflecting sheen when densely applied.

Graphite Pencil

Graphite – The same material found inside pencils but in thicker format without the exterior wood support. Available in square or round sticks, the round often covered in a hard plastic coat.

Graphite

Coloured Pencil – Commonly used by kids the world over but available in artist-grade, the coloured pencil gives the control of the graphite pencil in every colour imaginable. Leaves a flat mark. Watercolour pencils are a variety that mix and blend with water.

Charcoal – One of the oldest drawing mediums, the carbon residue of wood cooked in an oven. The thin branches used retain their form so you’re basically drawing with burnt sticks. Leaves a flat, grey to black mark.

Charcoal (with white conte highlights)

Compressed Charcoal – Charcoal powder bound in a gum medium in the form of thick square or round sticks. Available in pencil form. Leaves a very dense, flat black mark.

Compressed Charcoal

Pastel – Chalk powder pigment bound in a gum medium in the form of thick square or round sticks. Available in all colours and leaves a flat mark.

Conte – Powder pigment bound in a gum medium. Can contain chalk and/or clay and is harder than regular pastel. Usually comes in thin square sticks. Available in all colours and leaves a flat mark.

Conte

Oil pastel – Pigment in an oil and wax binder. Available in all colours and leaves an intensely-coloured, greasy mark than can be further smeared or blended by brushing with oils or organic solvents such as turpentine. Oil pastel wax crayons are a variety that mix with water.

Ink – Water based pigment or dye that is applied with brush or pen. Available in all colours. Some, such as black India ink, are water-proof and glossy when dry. A variety of black Chinese ink comes in the form of a water-soluble stick.

Pen and Ink

Etching – Creating a drawing by making scratches on a surface. Can be made on a scratchboard where a surface layer is scratched away to reveal a coloured surface beneath. Can also be done on a hard surface such as bone or ivory. Metal etchings are usually done to create prints, with ink filling the scratches then being transferred to paper or parchment.

Metalpoint – Metal rod or wire dragged across a rough ground surface. Produces a line of fixed thickness and with no tonal variation. Best used for small and detailed work. The most commonly used metal is silver, appropriately called silverpoint and usually alloyed with copper for added hardness. Gold, tin and lead can also be used, with tin being the hardest and lead the softest in application. The surface drawn upon may contain ground seashell or eggshell to achieve the necessary tooth required. The colour of the line changes with time as the metals oxidize.

Though the surface upon which drawings are made is usually paper, other less common materials such as parchment or primed wood panels may also be used. For rough sketches and practicing any paper will do. A popular variety is common newsprint that comes available in large formats. However, for final artworks it’s best to use paper that is acid-free to prevent yellowing and brittleness from setting in.

Mixed Tones on Coarse Surface

Make use of the wide variety of paper textures, colours and weights available to experiment with the look of your drawings. For example, use a dark medium on a mid-tone paper, then add highlights with a lighter coloured medium. Also, all the dry media come in a selection of hardnesses. Try soft graphite or pastel on a coarse-grained paper as compared to a harder medium on a smoother surface. The same subject and approach will lead to very different end results.

Mixed Tones on Smooth Surface

Looking back, I think I can recognize in that one instance what I consider to be the hallmarks of the art of drawing:

An interest in the visual world around you.
- Learn to look. Look at everything all the time and not just when you’re drawing: what shape, what size, what angle, how do things attach, is there symmetry, how many shades, what is the lightest and the darkest part?

A need to competently record images by your own hand.
- There’s a feeling of tension when something in your drawing doesn’t look right to you and you just have to resolve it.

The ability to let go creatively.
- Be brave. Make marks boldly and trust that your hand will get it right. If you don’t like it you can always try it again. Recognize lucky accidents. You have to get a lot of what you may consider bad work out of the way before the good work can start to come through.

We draw because it gives us pleasure to create an image. The more control we have over the process and outcome the more enjoyable it is. Control, however, shouldn’t necessarily be the goal. With enough work, eventually theory and technique can become part of your makeup, and an uninhibited approach will allow you to create art as opposed to just mere drawings.

Keep in mind as you take in the theory that reading about drawing gives you insight about how to proceed but that ultimately you really have to practice in order to develop your skills. By working through the tutorials and exercises, the ideas presented here can hopefully be integrated into your personal style and help you grow in the understanding of what you see and how you set it down on paper.

Cheers and happy drawing!

www.nickvallinakis.com