Pencil Sketching, 2nd Edition

and by how much you can afford. Remain neutral on the issue of

cotton fibers versus wood pulp and the whole business of recycled

paper, as the differences between them will not affect the outcome

of your sketch.

My own definition of a good sketching paper is one that has a mod-

erate degree of roughness: its surface should have a little bit of

“grain” or “tooth” that can grab and hold onto the lead. The surface

of a very smooth illustration board, however, is not recommended for

general sketching. It is too smooth and is therefore given to deep

grooves or indentations from the pencil markings which makes it diffi-

cult to draw back over them. Although some argue that a smooth

surface is better for building up textures, I do not think it is ideal

for beginners.

On the other hand, cold-press watercolor paper has a very rough

surface and can easily wear out a typical pencil point. It is so rough

that the pencil has a very hard time navigating it. A beginner will

have trouble controlling the line quality and making a decent sketch.

A well-intended straight line often turns out broken and the shaded

area becomes laced with small white dots. Rough paper is very diffi-

cult to master and is only recommended for advanced artists who are

looking for a certain kind of effect.

My favorite paper is the plain sketching or drawing paper in moder-

ate weight (around 80 lbs.). It often comes in several sizes, from

small sketching pads to large easel-size sketch tablets. I often

carry a small 8^1 ⁄ 2 " x 5" sketch book with me for quick visual record-

ing on the run. This is a habit that I developed in my early college

days and it has proven to be a most useful practice for someone

who loves to draw.

LIGHTDARKLINES

Charcoal

Ebony

pencil

314

2/HB

Mars
Lumograph
H

Shading and lines on sketching vellum