There are various ways to grip a pencil for drawing. There is not a single ultimate way, but several alternatives, depending on what you are trying to draw.
The Various Ways to Hold a Pencil for Drawing
* Hold your pencil like a writing instrument, close to the tip, when sketching outlines or adding details to your illustration. This allows maximum control of the pencil.
* To illustrate long, steady or flowing lines, hold the pencil near the middle with the end steadied in your palm. This provides stability and control to produce long, even lines.
* While shading bigger areas, take full advantage of holding the pencil midway, inclined sideways so it is almost parallel to the sheet. This allows you to use the side of the graphite to create even strokes.
* For areas needing darker shades, grab the pencil close to the tip (the pencil is under your hand) and press the side of the tip to the paper. This makes deeper, darker colors for little areas of dark shading.
The Perfect Amount of Pressure for Sketching With Pencils
The quantity of pressure needed when drawing with pencils differs depending on the preferred effect and the hardness of the pencil. For laying out the basic sketch, use a hard pencil with light pressure.
Softer pencils result in lines with darker tones, so depending on how dark you want the area to be; you will have to regulate pressure. For instance, a 9B pencil with a bulky hand will result a very dark line and with a lighter hand it will still be dark but less so.
There is no common rule for the magnitude of pressure to give. Test with different pencils and pressures to achieve the effects you want.
Just one thing you should keep in mind: for sketching darker lines always favor using a softer pencil over applying more pressure. The reason: excessive pressure may smash up the paper.
Learn Drawing With Swift And Smooth Pencil Movements
The most significant element of famous drawings is the aptitude to draw with swift and smooth actions.
This requires practice and confidence. To prepare drawing smoothly and with confidence, start with your first sketches with a hard pencil. Use a gentle hand for this is a straightforward outline of your drawing.
These lines may not even be able to be seen in your completed piece. Do not be too much worried with every stroke; let your intuition provide guidance. As you gain more experience, you will become more confident of your skills and techniques. This self-confidence will help you to make quick smooth strokes of your tools.
Have a sketchbook with you and when something inspires you, use it! These will help you greatly in learning pencil drawing.
Inspite of you being qualified and drawing for years, it won't be wrong to ponder on these guidelines once more. In fact I'm forgetting these guiding principles very often - and bringing in errors into my drawings that could have been prevented. And you'll notice these guidelines are even more helpful, if you've just set out to learn drawing.