A large part of learning to draw, especially for beginners, is learning how to make the pencil do what they want it to. This lesson is designed to teach beginners the first steps in pencil control by the step-by-step creation of a smooth layer of graphite.

You'll need an HB pencil and kneaded eraser to complete this lesson. If you don't have an HB pencil, you can substitute a similar one. There are other ways to create a smooth layer of graphite, but this lesson is intended to teach you control over your pencil, so, please use only one pencil during the lesson.

First make five one inch squares on a smooth drawing paper like student grade Bristol board. (It may be easier to make a block of six like I have.)

1. Using an HB pencil that has been sharpened to a very fine point, try to lay down a smooth layer of graphite in the first box. Do this with only one layer of graphite. Hold your pencil at a low angle, about 20 or 30 degrees from the paper. Keep a light underhand grip (like writing) on your pencil about one or two inches back from the drawing tip. Fill in the layer of graphite with back and forth motions creating swaths of graphite about one half inch wide from side to side. The movement should originate in your elbow and not your wrist. Your hand and arm should swing just off the paper from your elbow. (You will be able to make this motion for longer periods as you practice more.)

2. Do the same thing in the second square. You should see some improvement but if you don't, that's OK.

3. In the third square, use only one layer of graphite again but this time try very hard to blend in the edges of your graphite swatches. You can see that my third square looks a little smoother.

4. In the forth square, you can make as many passes with your pencil as you like. Use a sharp pencil tip to even out the tone. Work out the streaks and even out the smudges as well as you can using just the pencil.

5. In your final square, you can use your kneaded eraser to help you smooth things out even more. Lay down the graphite as smoothly as you can. Take as long as you want and work with as many layers as you need. When you have done all you can that way, pinch your kneaded eraser into a point and gently tap out any dark smudges and spots. If you make any areas too light, fill them back in to the right value with your pencil tip. You can see that my fifth square looks smoother than the others and you should try for a similar result.

If you found this challenging, I promise you that practicing with your pencil regularly will make drawing using any technique easier. Regular practice is the key to good drawing.

As I mentioned, there are other ways to create a smooth layer of graphite. They usually involve using a brush or stump, though, and there are many circumstances where you'll need tighter control than those tools allow. For example, I used this technique to create most of the smooth texture in the drawing of the train at the top of this page.

Happy drawing,
Carol