I’ve been trying to create a smooth background for a drawing and was totally frustrated by all my attempts. I tried it with powdered graphite and every brush in the house, but it just didn’t look right or feel right. Finally, I grabbed a pencil and started laying in the background with a smooth hatching technique and that felt right!
I have nothing against using powdered graphite and a brush to create tone, but that technique just wasn’t right for this piece. In listening to the ever changing tune of my intuition, I’ve found one constant and it’s this: If something isn’t working, it only wastes time to wrestle with it. Instead, do the most simple thing possible to solve the problem. That usually means reaching for my pencil and simply drawing the thing I’ve been trying to create by some other means.
There are no shortcuts in drawing for me, and that’s okay. I’m happy with my pencil in hand, simply drawing what I’ve envisioned, and that counts for a lot.