I recently was working on a figure drawing, something fast for practice. I thought it would make for a short yet informative blog post.
From critiquing artwork in the members area I often get questions concerning modeling. How to make the transition between values smoother. A lot of artists struggle with having their drawings look too rough in the shading department.
Through the use of a circular blending motion both with a brush and pencil, I’m able to create a soft transition from light to shade.
One very informative tip is to rest most of the weight your arm on your hand, not the pencil point. When you take the weight off of the pencil point you are able to to shade and blend in a soft nonintrusive way.
Of course you will want to use diverse pencil strokes throughout your figure drawing. If everything is too blended you run the risk of having your figure drawing look like a cotton ball.
Balance is the key to using diverse pencil stoke direction. However for this drawing tip, for a soft blend, try using a circular blending motion.
Let me know what you think about this technique. Leave a comment below. Also if you are looking for feedback on your drawings checkout our member site.
H Matt,
This little tutorial is just the kind of instruction that suits me, as a supplement to your courses. I’m currently working on your new Drawing Techniques class, and I can’t wait to try it out. Very helpful.
I LOVE how you combine visible pencil strokes with soft brush blending.
Hi Cindy, Thanks so much for your feedback. This is the exact type of new content I’d like to post in the members area. Short and to the point with an assignment attached.
If you have topic ideas email them to me.
Thanks Matt for the drawing tip I think it will be a great help to me with my shading for my figures.
Glad to offer this technique to you Carol. thanks so much for watching!