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Pencil advice and Redwing sketch. (1 Viewer)

Sittelle

Well-known member
Looking to get back into drawing and more importantly start sketching in the field (something I haven't done before).
Any suggestions as to what pencils to get for sketches, and do I need different pencils for proper drawings?
Attached is a Redwing sketch I did about a year ago.
Many thanks,
Sittelle.
 

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Nicely done, and I would call that a proper drawing!

A pencil is a pencil, more or less. You can use the same pencils for sketching as you can for more polished work. The very cheap ones tend to get a bit scratchy sometimes, but they all work the same.
 
pencils come in grades of softness. Bs are soft end with i.e. 4B softer than 2B. H is harder, works other way 4H harder than H. HB is common use middle of range. Thus also H tend to be sharper, finer point. Try them and try blurring, hatching, rubbing.

my own preference is charcoal and chalk on a grey background or sepia pencils- but there are other easily available tools such as conté. some smudge better, some you can erase, you have to experiment!

the paper you use is also a consideration as you can use the texture for differing effect, smooth or rough etc.

from your drawing you are using softer 2B but difficult to tell from photos. B range tends blacker.
proper drawing? big topic! try and lose the outlines and move to shade not just being for texture or colour but also for 3D with a light source direction. place something like a neutral colour toilet roll inner on a table near window in daylight and you will see what i mean. you build up depth as well as type of texture and actual shades variation and then also how a colour relates to a tone. juggling three or four factors but it all comes down to observation then practise!
 
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As jape suggests yours is a proper drawing. And your medium is a matter of taste and application. Consider are your drawings or sketches to be works in themselves or are they preparatory work for finished studio drawings or paintings. Are they for illustration and if so is that for bird identification or as part of an illustrated story or guide? These applications are a good starting point for your choice of tools and paper/canvas.

Worth mentioning pen and ink, and water wash/watercolour pencils, which can be really effective tools in the field.
 
By way of an example: If you were drawing to provide means of identification you would use a relatively untextured paper, perhaps quite heavy if it is going to be referenced often, and preferably an acid free paper if you want it to last. The pencils if you were to stick with pencils, could be any basic art set (having the range from soft to hard). The drawing technique you employ is then well guided by jape's pointers. And when you're finished - remember to use fixative to stop smudging.
 
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