ART GUIDE - Tips on blending in pencil art ⛅️

When it comes to blending a pencil, the possibilities are endless. I will give you a few hints about what has worked for me but I encourage you to explore what will be natural and pleasant for you. Everyone will gravitate towards different directions in art. You don't need to master in every way of blending or hatching to be good at art. However, it is worth trying many approaches and mix them, to find what will be good for you.

1. TRY DIFFERENT PAPER TEXTURES

Different papers offer different possibilities. That's why I use several sketchbooks at the same time. Paper with a crisp texture will pick up more graphite and the lines will be more blurred on it. Smooth paper, like in the Talens Art Creation sketchbook, will blur less and the lines will be clearer - more visible, even after blending. Try different possibilities and see what you like - what you feel is naturally pleasant. This may change over time, but in my opinion it is worth following what naturally attracts you in art.

2. TRY VARIOUS TOOLS

I drew an eye four times :) I used the HB pencil for the base and the 6B for the depth. Then I blended three of them with different tools.

1. I left the first eye without blending. It’s a very good exercise for your hand to try draw blended area, without any blending tools (especially without smudging with a finger).

2. I treated the second with a new, clean paper stump. I think this way shadow gained even more depth. A new paper stump keeps the drawing sharp and clean. Remember to not go all in - do to blend everything :) Balance is a key.

3. I blended the third eye with a used paper stump and as you can see - the effect is much more blurred.

4. The last option is a Promarker blender. This is an alcohol-based marker blender - great for a pencil and gives a slightly watery, blurred ink effect.

I both encourage you to draw the same thing several times and to try different blending methods - you can mix them too. Have fun!

3. BLENDING OR HATCHING?

Regardless of whether you prefer to hatch or blend, the rules will be similar:

✍🏼 Try to create the lines in the direction of the planes - it will keep you drawing more clean and organized. Also you’ll be able to show more convincing forms.

✍🏼 Do not close shapes, especially in blending, which gives more realistic results

✍🏼 Know these rules and break these rules when you think it will be good for your drawing in a given situation. You decide!

4. SHARP vs SOFT

I’m not a fan of pure hatching or pure blending every time. I believe that it’s better to adjust the technique accordingly to the reference. Sometimes I wanna show more smoothness and sometimes sharpness. (That’s just my opinion of course, every artist will have their own approach).

Very important in every type of drawing (traditional and digital) is to find the balance. Blurred area shouldn’t be completely blurred - it should have some sharp edges and some soft. You can also draw lines on the top of blurred shape to add a bit of sharpness. Again - try and see what you like :)

As you can see here, there are blurred elements (like on iris) but they’re in a relationship with sharp objects like the eyelid or eyelashes.

That’s all for now. If you’ll be more interested in this topic, we can do a video with some deeper explanations 😉

Remember to try many things, experiment and find what feels pleasant to you specifically 🍀

Have a lovely weekend! 🧡

Gaby