Hello Pencil
This book is all about discovering your own unique
drawing style—the dashes, scribbles, strokes, and
dots that you favor. To do this, I want to equip you
with a toolbox full of possible marks which you can
select from and apply at will. In time, your favored
marks and approaches will autograph your drawings
as uniquely yours.
This book has been designed for you to draw directly
into it, allowing you to keep all your drawings in one
place, and in time to serve as a record through the
chapters and the progress you have made. For this
first adventure the only thing you’ll need is a pencil.
Pencils vary in hardness from around 9B (very soft
leaving a thick, black stroke) up to 9H (very hard
leaving a thin, pale gray stroke), and everything in
between. At school you might have had an HB, the
standard pencil for writing, which is right in the
middle. But for drawing I recommend you start out
with a 2B as it’s flexible and can be manipulated to
create a wide range of effects. Remember to always
buy the very best art materials you can afford. Don’t
be distracted by the giant tins of cheap pencils—
invest in one really good 2B and a metal sharpener.
Please don’t just read through this chapter as you
won’t create a personal language of drawing through
theoretical study. Instead,
be brave,
take part,
try,
begin.
So here we are then, time to start.
Take a deep breath and grab yourself a pencil...
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