Lesson One, Drawing, The Artists Way of Holding the Pencil.

Lesson One, Drawing, The Artists Way of Holding the Pencil. 05/30/2010

Lesson One ` Drawing ~ The Artist’s Way of Holding the Pencil.

Hold the pencil firmly but lightly two to three inches from the point.

Try the various methods show here and get someone test your grip, if the pencil is tugged by the free end, it should be able to be withdrawn from your hand. Your firm grip should only be firm enough to hold a pencil without any counter force, still in your hand; it should not be so tight as to stop an external force from removing the pencil from your grasp. It is easier to master this if you are a beginner than if you have been holding a pencil incorrectly to draw for a long time. There are lot’s of advantages to being a beginner and learning the right way, the first time.

The way you hold a pencil to write is very different to the way you hold it to draw. You will find some positions suit certain pencil marks more than others do. When writing you only make short hand movements in drawing your pencil moves all over the paper and you may be swinging your entire arm, not just your hand.

We will be learning now to do free sweeping movements across paper using your not only your hand but your arm, now you are really needing all those newspapers and scrap papers you have been collecting to practice free movements with the pencil and varied pencil holding positions.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Kathy Shell is available as your tutor, for on line, art tuition advice.

In the next lesson, I will describe these pencil-holding positions. It is important to get the beginner lessons down pat, regardless of where you are at, beginner, intermediate level or advanced, it still always pays to check if you have learned the basics correctly as even a slight improvement in pencil grip position will improve your drawing ability.

Experimental Flowers in Watercolour