Thank you Stephen! As a possible suggestion, could you do a video on using pencil when working specifically with value? I have just started value studies and your marker videos are amazing but I've been perplexed with pencil and how to balance it. Just an idea! Thanks again.
So happy, I just found your channel, and loving your content! Quick question - what are your thoughts on using mechanical pencils (solving the sharpening/tip problem)? Thanks!
Admittedly, NOT Stephen... BUT more than a decade traveling with just mechanical pencils (space was an issue) and so... a plenty of thoughts. I'll try to summarize so not to waste too much time... Mechanical pencils (and "lead holders") have a HUGE variety of graphite widths they can work with. This can get confusing, SO it may well be worth your time to use labels you can read EASILY to differentiate pencils by width, because some companies use the same color scheme across several... and eyes get tired. Narrow widths resolve the sharpening issue with crisper darker lines, BUT they can drawback the shading as you're "stuck" hatching and cross hatching with those crisp, dark lines instead of blending and gradually shading in... They can also leave darker lines when you didn't intend it, if you find use in "roughing in" with lots of light lines that can either be "smudged" into incorporation for texture or value or just erase them later... depending on style... SO a couple wider widths can be VERY helpful, between leaving the lightest of "roughing in" marks that are easily erased away, or incorporated later... Wider mechanical graphites are also a little sturdier and tolerate the sideward shading techniques a LOT better than the narrowest of them... THEN we get into a sticky point... How many widths do you really need versus how much variability is available on the market. Some graphite companies put out several levels of hardness/blackness (H/B #'s) as well... AND there's nothing good to come of your hobby bankrupting you before you even have a chance at maybe selling something or making some "nice gifts" for people... SO first... What's available... well. relatively easy... Most places, you can get metrics 0.5 and 0.7 mm being most popular/prolific, but there ARE also 0.8 and 0.9 if you care to hit art supply or office supply stores... Some office supply shops ALSO offer a 1.3 mm in both the more modern "click" type as well as the older school "twist up/down" types... AND finally, Staedler is a drafting and mechanical drawing supplier CLASSIC that has long sold 2 mm "Architect's" or "Engineer's" or "Draftsman's" Lead Holders... These are worthy a separate entry here, because instead of twisting or clicking anything, You hold a finger at the tip, and release the pencil's grip on the "lead" to let it slide freely in or out to your specific intended length... It's also this particular device that can supply the greatest use of a small piece of sandpaper for "sharpening" and shaping the tip for best use... AND you can still get the FULL range of Hardness/Blackness (H or B) rated "leads" for it. MY recommendations are to skip between the specifics. You're not really going to SEE a difference between 0.5 and 0.7... SO just pick one and avoid that much more confusion when it comes to keeping up with leads and having a kit to travel... or just to carry to "the field" if you're going to do any "live" drawing... AND the same for the 0.8 versus 0.9... Picking one is fine. If you REALLY enjoy collecting, of course, "to each his/her own"... BUT be warned. It's easy to end up with a whole tacklebox full of pencils, mechanical doo-dad's and leads and erasers... The same principle CAN be said of the 1.3 and 2mm devices, EXCEPT that the 2mm offers relatively easy supplies of so many variations in lead. I'm sure you could PROBABLY find such a supply for smaller, and I've seen a few differently rated leads offered. I just haven't personally seen "the whole set" for anything except the big 2mm holders... which I HAVE seen available at office supply stores like Office Max. Of course, as more and more of us just order things through Amazon and Ebay, the whole effort to hit office supply, arts, and hobby shops becomes "moot". I have all the sizes, and a tackle/junk box that holds onto the spares I'm not currently using... BUT that's after more than a decade traipsing about for the hobby, and occasionally sitting down to design things "on the spot" at tat' shops and the like. I think that with 3 or 4 pencils, and a decent quality eraser for certain circumstances, there's really no ending to the satisfaction you can get out of mechanical pencils for sketch and drawing with just a little bit of care and practice to find your own method and style of using them... The sandpaper (if you take it up) can be folded in half (and held with a paperclip) to cover the grit so it doesn't destroy everything else in jostling around and chipping the plastic and graphite into fine dust over time... It also saves on scraps of paper for the regular "tipping"... IF you're going to rough in with the thicker pencils... BUT that's as much about your Style, and the finesse and sense of touch or pressure that goes with it. Hope this helps, as long as it is and all... haha... AND Good Hunting! ;o)
Actually, I’ve used them a lot when I drew with pencil a few years ago as they were well suited to the fine lines I needed for detail. There was a tip about them but somehow it got deleted without my noticing until I’d posted the video. 😩
@@stephentraversart Always glad to share... Having amassed my tacklebox full of peculiar and some rarely used implements, I hope to save someone the trouble... and money... unless (of course) they just LOVE collecting graphite craziness... haha ;o)
Hi, I really enjoy the insights, techniques and skill you demonstrate in your drawing videos. On pencils - do you have any views on using clutches as opposed to wood-encased pencils? e.g. I have heard that the “leads” in each have a different composition other things being equal (manufacturer, diameter, grade etc)
Thanks Michael. If you mean mechanical pencils I have used them a lot as they are more suited to the fine detail work I enjoy with architecture. I’ve never heard or thought about a different composition to the lead, but it makes sense as a possibility now you mention it. 😀
Uncle Stephen 😊, I love your wonderful work and I am an early subscriber. I struggle with feeling the urge to draw again after I have put it off for a long while (Due to being busy), but now that I am completely free I still love art and my previous works but I can't dive in again for some weird reason, I just doodle or draw a little window or a head of a character I am familiar with but I never have that drive that I used to have. Any tips on getting out of this mentality? I trust your experience!
Is there a local art group you could join. Sometimes having a set time each week where we create art whether we feel like it or not is very helpful. And doing it with others can also be beneficial. They don’t have to be classes, just being together is enough. But otherwise, just set a weekly time and commit to it regarding how you feel, and have your reference photo and materials ready beforehand so when the time starts you do as well. You can use some of my photos. 😀
@@stephentraversart I don't have an art community but I have 2 friends who are interested in art at least, maybe I could try to hang out with them (I always seeked to find local art communities but I was never able to, maybe I will start searching again) Thank you for your advice, you made me realize that art for me now is like studying when I was in Uni.. I never could study on my own but whenever I had friends around I found myself studying for them and it was no problem to keep going!
It's true about being perfectionist, I think it has inhibited me. For example, I def would have had to correct the dome shape. But getting the scale right with the people is where the artistry shines through.
Yes, I once would have as well. But for a sketch, rather than a detailed drawing, it’s more appropriate to leave in the character adjustments, I think. 😀. If I was drawing one if my big IG works, I would have corrected it. 😀
The initial shape of the dome bothered me, but he quickly corrected it (in my mind) with a couple of more lines, then I forgot about it being off. So perhaps it was the fact that I saw the dome wayyy out of shape, but then saw him correct it (bring it back closer to normal), that put me at ease with the final shape.
I just checked with my wife. She’s a draw-ring girl. I think you’ll find it’s an American vs British pronunciation thing. And if i remember my history right, the British were pronouncing the word before Americans existed. 😀
The "extra thick" sharpeners for Elementary School and "little kids" pencils can still sharpen past the usual tolerance of a "normal point" by a significant amount. Sandpaper can also be employed for "tipping" to shape the very tip of the exposed graphite quicker than paper and without the need of extra scraps... or wasting a sheet... You can fold the sandpaper in half "grit on grit" and use a paperclip to keep it from chipping away your other instruments or covering everything in dust... I've even sharpened my pencils on bricks, sidewalk, and irregular stones with relatively sharp edges when I lost my pocket knife... An artist to the core FINDS or MAKES a way to create. ;o)
One of your videos that I have found most useful (they all help though!). Thanks.
Always encouraging to hear Tom. Thanks 😀
Love the drawing. Makes me want to try it. Thanks.
Great. Go to it. 😀
Love this video! I'm a pencil fanatic😂I would love to see more of these! Cheers!
I’ll try. Thanks 😀
Thank you Stephen! As a possible suggestion, could you do a video on using pencil when working specifically with value? I have just started value studies and your marker videos are amazing but I've been perplexed with pencil and how to balance it. Just an idea! Thanks again.
A good idea. Let me think about it. 😀
So happy, I just found your channel, and loving your content! Quick question - what are your thoughts on using mechanical pencils (solving the sharpening/tip problem)? Thanks!
Admittedly, NOT Stephen... BUT more than a decade traveling with just mechanical pencils (space was an issue) and so... a plenty of thoughts. I'll try to summarize so not to waste too much time...
Mechanical pencils (and "lead holders") have a HUGE variety of graphite widths they can work with. This can get confusing, SO it may well be worth your time to use labels you can read EASILY to differentiate pencils by width, because some companies use the same color scheme across several... and eyes get tired.
Narrow widths resolve the sharpening issue with crisper darker lines, BUT they can drawback the shading as you're "stuck" hatching and cross hatching with those crisp, dark lines instead of blending and gradually shading in... They can also leave darker lines when you didn't intend it, if you find use in "roughing in" with lots of light lines that can either be "smudged" into incorporation for texture or value or just erase them later... depending on style...
SO a couple wider widths can be VERY helpful, between leaving the lightest of "roughing in" marks that are easily erased away, or incorporated later... Wider mechanical graphites are also a little sturdier and tolerate the sideward shading techniques a LOT better than the narrowest of them...
THEN we get into a sticky point... How many widths do you really need versus how much variability is available on the market. Some graphite companies put out several levels of hardness/blackness (H/B #'s) as well... AND there's nothing good to come of your hobby bankrupting you before you even have a chance at maybe selling something or making some "nice gifts" for people...
SO first... What's available... well. relatively easy... Most places, you can get metrics 0.5 and 0.7 mm being most popular/prolific, but there ARE also 0.8 and 0.9 if you care to hit art supply or office supply stores... Some office supply shops ALSO offer a 1.3 mm in both the more modern "click" type as well as the older school "twist up/down" types...
AND finally, Staedler is a drafting and mechanical drawing supplier CLASSIC that has long sold 2 mm "Architect's" or "Engineer's" or "Draftsman's" Lead Holders... These are worthy a separate entry here, because instead of twisting or clicking anything, You hold a finger at the tip, and release the pencil's grip on the "lead" to let it slide freely in or out to your specific intended length... It's also this particular device that can supply the greatest use of a small piece of sandpaper for "sharpening" and shaping the tip for best use... AND you can still get the FULL range of Hardness/Blackness (H or B) rated "leads" for it.
MY recommendations are to skip between the specifics. You're not really going to SEE a difference between 0.5 and 0.7... SO just pick one and avoid that much more confusion when it comes to keeping up with leads and having a kit to travel... or just to carry to "the field" if you're going to do any "live" drawing... AND the same for the 0.8 versus 0.9... Picking one is fine. If you REALLY enjoy collecting, of course, "to each his/her own"... BUT be warned. It's easy to end up with a whole tacklebox full of pencils, mechanical doo-dad's and leads and erasers...
The same principle CAN be said of the 1.3 and 2mm devices, EXCEPT that the 2mm offers relatively easy supplies of so many variations in lead. I'm sure you could PROBABLY find such a supply for smaller, and I've seen a few differently rated leads offered. I just haven't personally seen "the whole set" for anything except the big 2mm holders... which I HAVE seen available at office supply stores like Office Max.
Of course, as more and more of us just order things through Amazon and Ebay, the whole effort to hit office supply, arts, and hobby shops becomes "moot". I have all the sizes, and a tackle/junk box that holds onto the spares I'm not currently using... BUT that's after more than a decade traipsing about for the hobby, and occasionally sitting down to design things "on the spot" at tat' shops and the like.
I think that with 3 or 4 pencils, and a decent quality eraser for certain circumstances, there's really no ending to the satisfaction you can get out of mechanical pencils for sketch and drawing with just a little bit of care and practice to find your own method and style of using them... The sandpaper (if you take it up) can be folded in half (and held with a paperclip) to cover the grit so it doesn't destroy everything else in jostling around and chipping the plastic and graphite into fine dust over time... It also saves on scraps of paper for the regular "tipping"... IF you're going to rough in with the thicker pencils... BUT that's as much about your Style, and the finesse and sense of touch or pressure that goes with it.
Hope this helps, as long as it is and all... haha... AND Good Hunting! ;o)
Actually, I’ve used them a lot when I drew with pencil a few years ago as they were well suited to the fine lines I needed for detail. There was a tip about them but somehow it got deleted without my noticing until I’d posted the video. 😩
Thanks again G’narth
@@stephentraversart Always glad to share... Having amassed my tacklebox full of peculiar and some rarely used implements, I hope to save someone the trouble... and money... unless (of course) they just LOVE collecting graphite craziness... haha ;o)
Hi, I really enjoy the insights, techniques and skill you demonstrate in your drawing videos. On pencils - do you have any views on using clutches as opposed to wood-encased pencils? e.g. I have heard that the “leads” in each have a different composition other things being equal (manufacturer, diameter, grade etc)
Thanks Michael. If you mean mechanical pencils I have used them a lot as they are more suited to the fine detail work I enjoy with architecture. I’ve never heard or thought about a different composition to the lead, but it makes sense as a possibility now you mention it. 😀
Uncle Stephen 😊, I love your wonderful work and I am an early subscriber.
I struggle with feeling the urge to draw again after I have put it off for a long while (Due to being busy), but now that I am completely free I still love art and my previous works but I can't dive in again for some weird reason, I just doodle or draw a little window or a head of a character I am familiar with but I never have that drive that I used to have.
Any tips on getting out of this mentality? I trust your experience!
Is there a local art group you could join. Sometimes having a set time each week where we create art whether we feel like it or not is very helpful. And doing it with others can also be beneficial. They don’t have to be classes, just being together is enough. But otherwise, just set a weekly time and commit to it regarding how you feel, and have your reference photo and materials ready beforehand so when the time starts you do as well. You can use some of my photos. 😀
@@stephentraversart I don't have an art community but I have 2 friends who are interested in art at least, maybe I could try to hang out with them (I always seeked to find local art communities but I was never able to, maybe I will start searching again) Thank you for your advice, you made me realize that art for me now is like studying when I was in Uni.. I never could study on my own but whenever I had friends around I found myself studying for them and it was no problem to keep going!
It's true about being perfectionist, I think it has inhibited me. For example, I def would have had to correct the dome shape. But getting the scale right with the people is where the artistry shines through.
Yes, I once would have as well. But for a sketch, rather than a detailed drawing, it’s more appropriate to leave in the character adjustments, I think. 😀. If I was drawing one if my big IG works, I would have corrected it. 😀
The initial shape of the dome bothered me, but he quickly corrected it (in my mind) with a couple of more lines, then I forgot about it being off. So perhaps it was the fact that I saw the dome wayyy out of shape, but then saw him correct it (bring it back closer to normal), that put me at ease with the final shape.
Curious, why you mispronounce drawing as “draw-ring”? What ring are you drawing, I don’t get it…
I just checked with my wife. She’s a draw-ring girl. I think you’ll find it’s an American vs British pronunciation thing. And if i remember my history right, the British were pronouncing the word before Americans existed. 😀
Stephen, not all of us are allowed to have blades.
The "extra thick" sharpeners for Elementary School and "little kids" pencils can still sharpen past the usual tolerance of a "normal point" by a significant amount. Sandpaper can also be employed for "tipping" to shape the very tip of the exposed graphite quicker than paper and without the need of extra scraps... or wasting a sheet... You can fold the sandpaper in half "grit on grit" and use a paperclip to keep it from chipping away your other instruments or covering everything in dust... I've even sharpened my pencils on bricks, sidewalk, and irregular stones with relatively sharp edges when I lost my pocket knife...
An artist to the core FINDS or MAKES a way to create. ;o)
And some of us shouldn’t! I gave myself a terrifying moment once with one!😱
Yep, I’ve used the nearest bit of anything handy that’s suitable at times as well to sharpen. 😀