Regular school type pencils don't have the necessary graphite content to get very good contrast. The typical school pencil also doesn't have the longevity needed for art.
Artists use pencils to do their sketches and line variety and to work out ideas that can be easily erased. Regular #2 school pencils are great ways to begin your art! And if you get enough pencils together in one place, you might have enough wood and graphite to build yourself a nifty cool pencil sculpture! Pencils also create Lines.... the most basic element of art.
Pencils do not need to have graphite, pencils are nothing more than a tool to make a mark onto something. Ever go to the beach and draw in the sand with stick? Your stick was your pencil!
Most artist do!
They shade in their work because it can give a drastic effect in the art.
An Artist's Perspective
The ability to use shading accurately is what will take a line drawing into a picture that appears to have dimension. As you build up shade the objects you are drawing look more real. Shading can also add texture to a drawing.
To experiment with this idea draw several (5) circles on a piece of paper.
1) Leave the first one blank.
2) Colour the second one in with a pencil, be sure the colour is all one intensity.
3) Colour the third one in, using any colour but black/grey, but again be sure the colour is consistent throughout.
4) Shade the fourth one in with a pencil, as if it were a sphere. (follow the instructions below)
- Choose the direction of your light source (from the upper left - for example).
- Establish your highlighted area (leave this area untouched).
- Give the entire sphere a base coat of pencil (use the side of your 2B pencil - be sure not to encroach into the highlight).
- Use an artist's stub (a blending tool) to soften the overall look of the sphere, use curved strokes on a rounded surface and straight strokes on a flat surface.
- Add more colour to the edges and blend well.
- Add more colour to the aide furthest from the light source and blend well.
- Finally add a cast shadow below and to the side of your sphere away from the light source.
5) Do the same thing with the fifth circle, this time using colour.
6) Stand back and look carefully at the results. You can see how a plain circle looks flat, as does a circle with a uniform colour within it. The shaded circle looks much more dimensional.
The materials used for sketching can vary depending upon the paper which is used and also the objective for the sketching. Many times, when doing simple sketching of figures, people use charcoal to help get the movement of the body. For just sketching in a sketchbook [a normal sketchbook you could find], many people use soft lead pencils.
Outdoor sketching with pencils and an easel might be considered a hobby or an art form. Sketching could also be a project or even a relaxation technique.
All real charcoal is achieved by burning sticks in an oxygen-free environment. This charcoal is then shaped into bars, "vines" or inserted into wooden shells to make charcoal pencils.
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I'm assuming you meant sketching pencils? If so, they're pencils specialised for the purpose of making quick, hard pencil strokes. They come in numerous brands, often in a pack of various grades, so it's always good to practice with the different brands for optimum personal comfort.
The materials used for sketching can vary depending upon the paper which is used and also the objective for the sketching. Many times, when doing simple sketching of figures, people use charcoal to help get the movement of the body. For just sketching in a sketchbook [a normal sketchbook you could find], many people use soft lead pencils.
Outdoor sketching with pencils and an easel might be considered a hobby or an art form. Sketching could also be a project or even a relaxation technique.
Charcoal pencils are used by artists for drawing. The charcoal pencils come in different levels of softness and each level creates a different effect when applied to the paper.
Graphite is a drawing medium made from a soft form of carbon and was discovered in 1564. It is commonly used in pencils for sketching and shading due to its smooth and versatile qualities.
There will still be pens and pencils. Computers can't replace every job. Drawing and sketching will still require both.
Pencils are useful for writing, drawing, and sketching because they are versatile, easy to use, and have a soft lead that makes it easy to correct mistakes. They are also portable and do not require sharpening.
Jeff Kinney uses Paper Mate SharpWriter mechanical pencils for his writing and sketching.
All real charcoal is achieved by burning sticks in an oxygen-free environment. This charcoal is then shaped into bars, "vines" or inserted into wooden shells to make charcoal pencils.
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Graphite is commonly used in pencils as the writing material. Charcoal, on the other hand, is typically used for drawing purposes due to its darker and more smudgy nature compared to graphite.
charcoal, pens pencils markers things like that, anything that you can actually draw with
It's used to sharpen and refine points on charcoal pencils. :)