*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) Would you like to start giving your sketches a sense of believable form and three-dimensionality but are unsure about how/where to start? Do you have trouble pinpointing different values (highlights, mid-tones, shadows) in reference photographs in order to translate this information into pen and ink drawings using different marks? What are the best exercises to start off with? In today's post I will be explaining a few techniques that are very useful to know when you are ready to start giving drawings a sense of realistic volume and depth. Once you can create basic outline drawings, the next step is to start practicing further observational skills which will allow you to pinpoint light and shadow areas as well as other details in subjects. This is an essential skill to develop as you work your way towards creating more realistic artwork. I will be including seven different shading techniques commonly used by pen and ink artists. However, I use many of these myself when drawing with pencil and they can be used when drawing with charcoal, chalk, and many other kinds of drawing media. I will not be going into the graphite blending technique that is commonly used to create hyperrealistic drawings because what I want to get across with this lesson is the importance of value placement, more than creating realistic texture. 
Value is an incredibly important Art Fundamental to understand if we're looking to start developing any sense of realistic three-dimensionality and depth in our drawings. It is a wide range of values, starting from lightest lights, to a wide range of midtones, to darkest darks, that give a subject a sense of three-dimensional form. Many artists argue that value is even more important than color. It's common for artists to create sketches prior to starting paintings and, in these sketches one of the most important things to decipher (besides proportion and placement of elements within the composition) is where the darkest and lightest areas will be. Let's begin with the topic! Hatching, crosshatching, stippling, etc. are traditional drawing techniques that have been used by artists for centuries. All of these are nothing but patterns and groups of lines (or dots) placed in well thought-out ways in order to transmit a sense of volume, three dimensionality, depth and texture. Some artists style is more controlled and precise, which lead to cleaner and more organized lines, while others have a more free and expressive style. I greatly recommend looking for drawings by Van Gogh, Durer and Da Vinci to be able to see different results. First off, I want you to take a moment to observe the following etchings created by Giorgio Morandi. 
Giorgio Morandi etching. Still Life with Pears and Grapes, 1927.
Giorgio Morandi etching. Still Life with Five Objects, 1954.
These etchings were created by using a combination of hatching and crosshatching. I want you to notice the lightest areas in the artworks, as well as the darkest. Notice how the lightest areas have nearly no lines in them, so they look almost entirely (or entirely) white. Now notice how the darkest areas are full of lines to the point at which they look close to (or entirely) black. Try pinpointing the different values in between the lightest and darkest throughout the drawings. How many can you count? How many variations in value do you think you can create using only one pen or pencil? Practice creating value strips showing gradual tonal changes using the downloadable PDF at the end of the post (VALUE_STRIPS.PDF). This will help A LOT! 
Value strip exercise
 Jean-Baptiste Greuze red chalk sketch. Head of Caracalla, 1768.
Now take a moment to observe this piece by Jean-Baptiste Greuze created with only red chalk. Notice how this drawing is more complex due to the nature of the subject. Notice the whitest areas and the darkest areas and the values in between. In this drawing, the artist used a mixture of shading techniques. I can find both straight lines, contour lines and even some scribbles which create the texture of curly hair. Understand that different shading techniques can be used together in one same piece. Ok! Moving on! Different Shading Techniques Here are seven different shading techniques that you can use in your drawings and sketches. When using all of these techniques, it's important to keep in mind that, even though lines do not have to be super perfect, you do have to take your time and think about what your doing. It is essential to keep a sense of consistency in terms of the marks you create throughout your piece and to stay mindful of how your mark-making is going to affect its outcome. Keep line thickness, direction, and overall size in mind throughout your drawing process! What's even MORE important, is that the lines you create accentuate the form of the object you are drawing. Increase the density of your lines by placing them closer together or creating a second (or even third) layer overlapping the first in areas that you want to appear darker. If you need practice drawing sets of parallel lines, I recommend practicing until your hand becomes steady enough. Practice each of the following techniques using the downloadable PDF at the end of the post titled SHADING_TECHNIQUES. 1. Hatching/Parallel Hatching This can be considered the most basic of all of the shading techniques included here. It involves creating groups or patterns of parallel lines. These lines don't have to be completely vertical or horizontal. They can also be slanted or follow any angle you'd like, as long as this direction is uniform throughout the area you are shading. 
Hatching
2. Cross Hatching Cross Hatching is like taking parallel hatching to the next level. You create a first layer of parallel lines (in any direction) and a second layer of lines is drawn on top in a perpendicular or nearly perpendicular manner. This technique is probably the quickest of all due to the fact that you are able to create darker values faster than with the other techniques. I tend to go for this method most of the time myself. 
Cross-hatching
3. Contour Hatching This technique involves using lines that follow the curves or lines of the initial contour/outline drawing. When used correctly, contour hatching enhances volume and three-dimensionality in a very striking manner. With this method, it is important to be able to visualize the three-dimensionality and planes of whatever it is your drawing. 
Contour Hatching
4. Stippling When stippling, tone and texture is built up by applying dots in different densities. This technique takes time and you have to make sure that you don't start creating lines instead of dots. 
Stippling
5. Tick Hatching This method is similar to stippling but instead of making dots, you make short lines. In darker areas, lines are placed in an overlapped manner. I personally don't use this method very much because I find the texture it creates looks like hair! However, it is very useful when using oil pastels or similar media to create Impressionist-style art. 
Tick Hatching
6. Woven Hatching Woven Hatching leads to a very interesting outcome when done correctly. This technique involves creating sets of short(er) parallel lines in one direction and then placing another group of parallel lines next to it in perpendicular or near-perpendicular directions. Crosshatching can be later added to add density in areas that require darker values. 
Woven Hatching
7. Scribbling Scribbling is an excellent technique to use when drawing specific subjects like trees or hair because it not only creates values, but also transmits a sense of texture. In the drawing below I used scribbling to create the leaves of the tree and the effect of grass below it. I love scribbling! 
Scribbling
Tree pen sketch by Erika Lancaster. Micron pens on Canson Mixed-Media sketchbook.
Practice the different shading techniques described using the PDF titled SHADING_TECHNIQUES attached at the end of the post. Then, before starting with more complex figures, practice shading simple geometric shapes (use PDF titled GEOMETRIC_SHAPES). 
Various shading techniques used to shade simple, geometric shapes.
Essential Steps to Achieving Successful Shading 1. Make sure you select a good photographic reference What makes an effective photograph? Firstly, make sure it is large enough to allow you to view details. Do not select blurry photos. Secondly, make sure the photo is not over or underexposed and has a good balance of light and dark areas. I recommend selecting a photo that has only one visible light source hitting the subject so that you can easily distinguish where the lightest parts and darkest parts will be. Try going for a simple object first. Perhaps a simple still life photograph with only one or two objects in it? Start out with something like this. You can download this image for free use here or find other great pictures to practice from at www.pexels.com. 
Photograph by Lisa Fotios. Find her photos at www.pexels.com or visit her website here.
2. Create a light pencil sketch including only outlines of shapes Practice your observational/drawing skills to create a simple, outline drawing of your subject. Focus only on the general shapes, proportions and locations of the subject(s) in relation with one another and within the composition. 
Outline drawing of cherries created using the previously mentioned reference picture.
I strongly encourage you to keep practicing your drawing skills and not resort to tracing, but I have included my outline drawing in PDF form for you to download if you wish to only focus on shading techniques today (CHERRY_OUTLINES.PDF).
3. Take a moment to observe the reference picture and answer the following questions: -Where is the light source located in relation to my object(s)? Is the light in front, behind, below, above or to the side of the subject? -Where are lightest/whitest parts of the subject? -Where are the darkest/blackest parts of the subject? -If there are different colors included in the photograph (in this case we have red and green), how do they relate to one another in terms of their value? Is the red included here LIGHTER or DARKER than the green? This is very important! It may be easy to notice different values within one same color, but once more colors are added in, it is important to notice how they compare to one another in terms of lightness or darkness. For example, in this picture, the values of reds in the cherries are darker (for the most part) than the green in the stems. The green in the stems is pretty light when compared to the reds of the cherries and this is something that has to be translated within a one-color drawing. *If you still feel unsure, I recommend you take your time when preparing your initial sketch. Create a map for yourself using LIGHT pencil strokes within your outline drawing. I do something similar when painting with watercolors in order to remind myself what areas will be left completely white and which areas are darkest. 
In this "map" I have created shapes that should be left nearly white and also where my cast shadows will be below the cherries.
4. Start developing those values! I recommend starting your drawings with pencil if you haven't practiced these techniques much and move on to pen and ink once you feel more confident. Pen and ink drawings are wonderful and super fun but each and every line you create is permanent and it is easy to get discouraged if your drawing doesn't turn out the way you want it to. Experiment with different techniques and go for the one you feel comes most natural to you. You can move on to exploring combinations of techniques and more complex subjects as time goes by. The way I usually start this type of drawing is by placing my hatching in darkest areas and go back and forth adjusting values as I see fit. 5. Consistency is key It is essential to keep in mind that the lines you are creating are meant to ENHANCE and not DISTRACT the viewer when the piece is finished. So, again, remember that line length, thickness, and direction should show some kind of consistency. Take your time! These kinds of drawings are very much a mental exercise as much as they are a drawing exercise. 
Pen/Ink drawing of two cherries showing the crosshatching shading technique by Erika Lancaster.
Old country church pen sketch showing a variety of shading techniques by Erika Lancaster.
Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Direct feedback from me -Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics -Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
What kind of shading technique do you like most and why? Do you switch shading techniques depending on the artistic medium you're using? I'd love to hear from you! Comment below.
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*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) Have you ever finished a drawing of a face just to notice that something is off, but you can't tell exactly what it is? Why is it important to start with forwards-facing portraits before moving on to different angles? In this post/YouTube video, I'll be explaining how I create my quick and simple face sketches. It's essential for the beginner artist looking to start with portraits to learn about basic facial proportions and the effective placement of facial elements within the head shape before moving on to adding any sort of realistic shading or texture. Why? Because that preliminary outline sketch is the foundation for everything else and, if proportions/shapes/etc. are not achieved effectively, then the entire drawing is going to be off no matter how long we spend on creating beautiful shading and detail. And, most often than not, it's going to be best for the beginner to get started with forwards-facing portraits, as they are the easiest way to learn about facial proportions. Once we start getting into drawing heads at different angles, foreshortening and knowledge on perspective comes into play to varying degrees, shapes are distorted or hidden, etc., which takes the challenge up a notch. In this post, I've included a section briefly explaining how I draw each individual facial element (eyes, nose, lips, ears and hair) and have also included some notes about how features can be modified when drawing either male or female characters. Before we start, it's important to keep in mind that facial elements come in all shapes and sizes. So long as you stay within these general guidelines I'll be providing, you can and I actually encourage you to experiment by making face shapes, noses, lips, and all the rest in slightly different shapes and sizes. For this tutorial, you'll need: -A pencil (I recommend an HB) -Sketchbook or paper of any kind -Eraser -Ruler I've used all of these products below and highly recommend them! Click on the images to find out more about them at www.consumercrafts.com.
1. Drawing the head shape The way I draw the initial head shape is by starting with a large circle (1). I then make a vertical line dividing the face in half (2) and add a centered, small horizontal line a bit below the circle, which will be the chin (3). *The shorter you make this horizontal line, the narrower/pointer your chin will be. The wider you draw this horizontal line, the wider your chin will be. The further down from the circle you draw it, the longer the face will be. The closer to the circle, the rounder the face. Once that is ready, draw two vertical lines down the left and right sides of the large circle (4). At the point at which these vertical lines touch the circle, I draw two curved lines downwards, connecting them to each side of the chin line (5). At this point, you can erase the vertical lines running down the sides of the head, as well as the bottom half of the circle. Leave the vertical line dividing the face where it is. 
How to draw the head shape.
2. Adding your guidelines As I had mentioned before, when drawing faces, it's essential to be aware of placement and size of facial features within the head shape. In order to achieve this, we will add guidelines that will help us along the way. Make sure to add in these guidelines as lightly as possible, so that you're able to erase them when you no longer need them! Aside from the vertical line we already have dividing our face width in half (which will help us place the nose in the appropriate place), we will add a horizontal line dividing our face length in half. This will be the line that tells us where to place our eyes. This line will then be divided into five parts. The width of five eyes should fit along this line. Eyes should be drawn in the ¨2nd¨ and ¨4th¨ sections of this line. The nose line will be placed halfway down the eye line and the chin. Finally, the mouth line will be placed halfway down the nose line and the chin. *Some artists divide this lower section (between the nose line and the chin line) into three equal parts once again. The first new guideline is where the opening of the mouth will be, in this case. If you'd like to place a few guidelines for your ears, they start a bit above the eye line and end at the nose line. 
Facial proportions. Placing your guidelines.
2. Drawing the different facial elements We are all good so far, but many of us (myself included) have trouble drawing at least one of the facial elements, whether it's the eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, ears or hair. Do not attempt to leave something out simply because you think you're not going to be able to draw it properly. Remember, practice makes perfect and if you want to ever be able to create a realistic drawing, you have to start at some point. Here's a brief description of how I go about drawing simple versions of all of these necessary facial elements, as well as some tips to distinguish female features from male features. 
How do draw simple eyes and eyebrows.
How to draw a simple nose.
How to draw simple lips.
How to draw simple ears.
Once you have finished drawing your facial elements, erase all your guidelines. 3. Adding in the hair
There are many different ways to draw hair, depending on the hair style you'd like your character to have. It can be long, short, straight, curly, wavy, etc.
Remember, though, that hair has volume. Because of this, it should be drawn slightly above the head shape. I cannot go into all the different hair styles here, but I strongly encourage you to experiment with different types of line (curved, straight, wavy, etc.) in order to transmit the characteristics you'd like. 
How to draw simple hair.
4. Bringing it all together
By this point, your face should be completed. Here are two examples I have drawn for you showing the differences between male and female characteristics.
Complete male and female faces by Erika Lancaster. Soft graphite in Canson paper sketchbook.
5. Final Details
Add as many details (textures, shading, etc.) as you'd like. I personally don't add many details to this type of face drawing and prefer the sketchy look.
For tips on how to make a drawing look realistic, visit my blog post titled 6 Essential Tips for Realistic Drawing. Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Direct feedback from me -Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics -Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) How are watercolor and gouache different? How are they similar? What's the best way to test out two different painting mediums in order to arrive at solid conclusions about them? One of my objectives during this phase of my art journey is to experiment with as many kinds of paint and supplies I can get my hands on. I think this is an essential part of discovering one's personal preferences and style. It is only through firsthand experimentation that an artist can discover which types of media are most enjoyable for him/her and, most importantly, which complement personal style most. If you've followed my work you probably already know that I have mostly been focusing on watercolor and mixed-media. I have recently started painting in oils and am enjoying working with them very much. I have experience with acrylics and know that I'm not particularly fond of them. After viewing a few very talented artists on YouTube (the great James Gurney being one of them), I became curious about gouache, especially because I heard it being compared to watercolor so much. So I bought myself a set and was very excited to try it out. 
A Useful Way to Compare Two Different Painting MediumsWhat I did for this experiment was to first find a reference image that I could use to paint two separate studies, one with watercolor and another with gouache. I went for an image that wasn't too complex, so that I could allow myself to focus more on getting to know the paint than on creating a masterpiece. I chose this pear image from www.unsplash.com and created the two paintings below. You will see that the styles are very different. 
Click on photo to go to original source at www.unsplash.com.
Gouache pear painting by Erika Lancaster
Watercolor pear painting by Erika Lancaster
After completing my separate studies, I take time to analyze them side-by-side and take notes. I think about differences and similarities I noticed throughout the painting process, as well as how the end products look. Because I am a visual person, I sometimes like creating Venn Diagrams to organize my thoughts. :) 
Venn Diagram showing differences and similarities between Watercolor and Gouache.
Final Conclusions About Watercolor and GouacheArtwork outcomes will greatly vary depending not only on the type of paint used, but on HOW it is used. Results with either watercolor or gouache can vary greatly even amongst their own kind depending on how ¨loose¨ or ¨tight¨ an artist's personal style is. The quality of paints, paintbrushes and paper/substrate really can affect a piece as well. I would say that gouache has a greater versatility than watercolor in the sense that it can be used within the same painting to create a mix of transparent, blurred effects and thicker, bolder blocks of color. It's also very useful that one can easily fix mistakes and add lighter values at the end instead of having to worry about protecting the lightest parts of the piece from the beginning. This said, I personally find fast drying paint annoying at times and the fact that gouache reactivates so easily when layering kind of irritated me in the beginning. Also, with watercolor, a large variety of values can be created by simply adding more or less water to a color. With gouache, if one intends to create a more realistic piece, a good amount of time has to be spent preparing colors and values on the palette before starting to paint. Especially because the paint dries so fast. It is important to know that realism can be achieved with both types of paint, provided the artist has enough practice and patience. With gouache, I definitely need it! To finish up, gouache is an excellent option for those looking to create very stylized, graphic artworks. It can also work great for lettering, visual journaling, and quick sketches. Artists who like bold color, outlines and expressive styles should definitely give this type of paint a try! Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Direct feedback from me -Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics -Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
Have you given both of these types of paint a try? Which type do you think enhances your artistic taste and style most? 
Would you like to start drawing the human figure, but find it a bit intimidating and don't know where to start? Are you aware of how important it is to have, at least, a general knowledge about proportion and location of body parts when trying to draw the human anatomy? Drawing any part of the human anatomy (or an entire body) is incredibly difficult and requires a lot of study and practice, especially because it entails knowledge on specific proportions. In this blog post, I will explain how I personally got started understanding proportions involved in the human anatomy, as well as how I started practicing drawing the human figure. I initially started learning about human body proportions around six years ago, when I came up with the idea of teaching a Fashion Sketching Extracurricular class at the school I was working at. Even though back then I was focusing much more on creating templates that my students and I could use to design clothes on, I learned as much as I could about proportions of the human body and how to go about drawing one. 
Female pose studies in sketchbook.
Understanding Basic Human ProportionsThe most important thing to do in the beginning, is to make time to study the general proportions of both male and female bodies using both full-body photographs and direct observation in your everyday life. Notice the distance between peoples' limbs and how the lengths/widths of a specific body parts compare to others. Notice how joints align, and the range of movement they allow. Forget about what you THINK you know about the human body, and actually arrive at conclusions by OBSERVING. Take notes. Create quick sketches. Even though there are a million different body shapes and sizes, there are certain general measurements/proportions that are universal. For example, adult bodies are around 7.5 heads tall, the crotch marks half of the length of the entire body, the knees are halfway down the crotch and the bottom of the feet, the wrists should fall at the bottom-most part of the crotch, etc. Because there is all this information we have to make sure to apply in order to create a believable human figure, it is advisable to start out by using a ruler and actually taking time to measure out the different parts. Start by creating over-simplified skeletons of the human figure using lines and shapes. You can find a lot of different ways of drawing this skeleton, and in my opinion it doesn't really matter how you do it, as long as it represents realistic proportions and it allows you to visualize your drawing so you can eventually work from it. 
Simplified human "skeleton" made from lines and shapes showing believable proportion. Front view.
These images included here are recreations of what I used to start practicing the human form and are included as letter-sized .jpgs at the end of this post for you to practice with! Start by drawing the skeleton in front view and then move on to the side view. When you've got that down, start moving that skeleton to represent different positions a human body could have. What would it look like dancing? Sitting down? Kicking a ball? Once you can do this, it will be time to start practicing each individual part of the human anatomy! Each part of the human anatomy has its own intricacies that you'll have to learn about and practice over time, but be patient with yourself and you'll notice improvement as you go. 
Simplified human "skeleton" made from lines and shapes showing believable proportion. Side view.
Simplified human "skeleton" with believable proportion in a slightly more dynamic pose.
Female pose studies in sketchbook.
Female pose studies in sketchbook.
Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Direct feedback from me -Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics -Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
Use the downloads below to practice basic human proportions and drawing the body in different positions! 
Which part of the human anatomy do you find most difficult to recreate? Leave a comment below! Hey all! So nice to have you here! Here are some pictures of yesterday's event. Another very successful student art show! Everyone was so happy. The weeks of hard work definitely paid off! With this, I end my final year as full-time Art Teacher at this wonderful school I've been working at for the last five years. My work here is done and I am off to start with personal art projects full-time as soon as I turn in my classroom keys. It's all very bittersweet for me, as I grew SO much, at both personal and professional levels with this job. However, I am eager and excited to get started with so many personal projects that I have! Please enjoy the following pictures and if you are an Art Teacher do not hesitate to take ideas and/or get in touch with me to ask any questions about specific projects or Art Show prep. Simply click on the "About Me/Contact¨ page and write me a message! I'd love to hear from you. :)                                   |
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