DrawWithMike.net

Hi - just joined the site and forum today so thought I would share my latest graphite sketch and ask for some advice with regard to using a Blending Stump. It may be that the stick I am using is not the best on the market so any pointers as to what to use would be appreciated.
However, it may be the way that I am using it is the issue so here goes.

With the Robin sketch I started off with defining the eyes with a 2B pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite) and the filled it in with a 14B to saturate and maximise the black colour. I then used my Blending Stump to take some of the 14B pigment and brush it around the eye to create a base layer before using a 4B to create the hair/feather.

The issue is that the graphite does not spread very far so I have to go in with more 14B to try and cover the rest of the hair/feather.

Clearly I could use Graphite Powder but feel that could get messy and not give me the control I am looking for.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks,

David

First, WELCOME TO DWM!

I have a definite issue with the - admittedly common - approach of laying down an under-layer before drawing detail on top. And that's because it removes the pristine white - and using graphite powder threatens to make this problem spread over a wider area. Now you've put yourself in a situation where you no longer have access to the only white we have available.

If you blend because you think you should blend, now's the time to stop. I see it habitually used far too often, and, in my opinion, it's rarely a good move.

Instead, I've developed the habit of preserving white as much as I possibly can. So, in the case of your robin, I'd work the reverse way round. I'd draw the LINE detail first, add the three-dimensional TONE shaping on top, and then - and ONLY THEN - remove any unwanted white with a final light layer of 2H.

Finally, ditch the stump! Well, not entirely - it does have its legitimate uses. I can understand your use on the base layer. But using it in feathers or hair is not one of them - on the top layer, that is.

While your robin's chest feathers might look soft and downy, those wing feathers aren't. They depend on super-sharp edges for realism. So, it's much better to learn to draw soft or sharp and not depend on a blender that will always soften edges and reduce intensity (because they absorb some of the graphite).

I do occasionally use a blender - skin tones and other surfaces that require no visible line. I've put a free tortillon in your clutch pencil order. I use those, my finger wrapped in toilet tissue (for skies and other broad areas), and a conical Colour Shaper for tight areas.