Fruit Basket Sketch
Some of the most creative freedom can be had through drawing. All school-age children realize this and sketch on every surface available. Learning to sketch can be intimidating for the beginner. It is a skill where practice makes for better pictures and techniques. Requiring only a few pencils, an eraser, and some paper, sketching is one of the most portable art forms.
Equipment
A serious beginner will have a few different pencils. This would be an H pencil with medium hard lead, an HB pencil with medium soft lead, and a 2B pencil that has very soft lead. The lead hardness is important because it determines the amount of lead put on the paper. A softer lead creates a darker line with a little bit of pressure. An eraser is a must for any pencil artist. The best eraser is a kneaded rubber eraser. This eraser feels like silly putty. It can be pulled apart and squished back together. Just tapping it against a piece of paper can lightly erase pencil marks. Another must is paper. Almost any paper will work, but it is best to purchase a sketch pad. This is a notepad of bound paper that has a slight texture. The texture allows the lead to cling to the paper for a better drawing surface. A sketch paper is a good tool because it keeps all of your sketches together and you will be able to look back at the first sketches to see how much you have improved.
Getting Started
Do not expect to sit down and create a magnificent piece of museum art. Quality pencil art takes practice to achieve. The first step is to become familiar with the equipment. Take each of the pencils and draw a value scale with them. A value scale is usually a long rectangle that is shaded from nearly white to almost black. Do one of these scales for each lead hardness. This will give you a good idea about the limits and capabilities of each pencil. Label each value scale with the type of pencil used.
Warming Up
Shapes are the basis of drawing. Everything can be broken down into shapes. It may seem simple, but it is important to master the construction of shapes. A good sketch artist retrains the way they see the objects around them. For example, a sketch artist sees a cat as a series of ovals and triangles. Draw simple squares, triangles, rectangles, and ovals. Now take each of the shapes and envision where your light source is coming from. That point will stay white, but the opposite side will be very dark. Shade your shapes starting from the light source to the dark. Shading is important since it can make any pencil sketch look impressive. It also brings an illusion of depth to your sketches.
