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masterclass


9


AVOID SMUDGING I’m often asked if I use “smudging” on my drawings and my


answer is generally no. Like everything in art, this is just my


personal preference; I think smudging pencil with your fingers can cause a drawing to lose its freshness and often makes it appear dirty and flat. To maintain that soft finish takes practise but using hard pencils such as a 2H or 5H with a blunt point will create a lovely effect and lightly brushing the pencil on the paper’s surface is far better than rubbing it with a greasy finger.


10


PICK OUT HIGHLIGHTS As most of the bear has been drawn in by this stage,


I take my eraser, sharpen it at one end with the


Stanley knife and gently pick out a few hairs and highlights from the drawing – you can get some great effects by doing this. As long as the graphite from the pencils is not too strong or dark, it’s amazing how effective it can be to erase some graphite from the paper in order to create highlights and relief in the fur.


11


ASSESS YOUR PROGRESS The drawing is now nearing completion and it’s a good


time to really put your pencils down, stand back and


half close your eyes on your masterpiece. This is a great technique that many artists have used over the centuries. Defocusing your eyes slightly helps remove all the finer details and can very quickly show up any weaknesses or faults in your artwork. If you’ve not tried this before, it sounds a strange thing to do but it really works. Having done it here, I quickly identified a couple of areas that looked a little bit too sharp for my liking. To fix this, I took my blunt 5H pencil and just rubbed over any sharp or hard lines, which instantly softens the drawing.


12


FINISHING TOUCHES This is always the most difficult part for me – knowing


when to stop fiddling! I’ve always struggled to know


when to finish a piece of art, but it is a skill worth learning as an overworked pencil drawing can very quickly go downhill. If I’m unsure, I generally put the drawing away for a few days and look at it later with fresh eyes. If nothing glaring stands out at me, well that’s it… you are done!


Artists & Illustrators 61


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