Graphite is a versatile artistic medium for figure and portrait drawing.
Graphite is a common drawing tool used by many artists. Available in both pencil and stick form, graphite allows you to draw with finer detail and a lighter touch than traditional vine charcoal. Lessons in graphite use can help you develop better technique, precision and perception, which will improve your artistic work.
Sphere Drawing
Drawing a simple sphere will help you study basic geometric form as revealed by light and shadow. Set up your drawing with a white ball on a flat surface, illuminated by a single light source such that the ball is two thirds in light and one third in shadow. Begin your drawing by blocking in the basic shapes, first the circle of the sphere and then the plane of the table. Continue by developing the shadow on the ball and the cast shadow onto the table. Refine your drawing by methodical gradations of value to capture the volume and roundness of the ball. Become familiar with create hard and soft edges with graphite pencil with careful shading and blending.
Master Copy Drawing
Copying the drawings of master artists gives you insight into their working methods and use of materials. Select a single master drawing from a book or online source and place it next to your working surface, which must be of the same size. Begin your copy by blocking in the major forms and angles. Work from largest to smallest shapes, regularly checking your work against the original. Fill in shadows next, to develop volumes. Finally, concentrate on your graphite pencil line work, studying how the master artist originally used hatching, shading and confident strokes. Utilize different densities of graphite sticks or pencils to create darker, heavier shading or very fine lines where necessary.
Cast Drawing
Cast drawing allows you to concentrate on more complex forms and refine your ability to translate three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional artwork. Many art museums and art schools have sculptural casts available for artists to study and draw. Set up your drawing paper on an easel near a cast and mark both its position on the floor and your stance in front of it. Start with simplified, lightly applied lines, blocking in and placing the sculptural form on your paper. Concentrate on accuracy of proportions and angles, using a plumb line to check alignment of forms and object height and width. Once the basic drawing is complete, use your developing graphite skills with value and contrast to build an atmosphere of light and shadow.
Figure Drawing
The difficulty of drawing a live model should be lessened once previous graphite lessons have been successfully completed. Spend significant time studying the model's pose and proportions before beginning to block in your drawing. Consider the negative space around the model and concentrate on body angles and proportions before attempting to capture a likeness. Regularly step back from your figure drawing to compare it with the live model, making adjustments as required. Continue developing your skills of perception as well as your own personal style of line work. A completed graphite figure drawing can serve as the reference sketch for a later painting, or stand on its own as a fully realized work of art.
