Original Article from PencilsandPixelsArt.com - Shading and Blending Graphite

Shades of Gray

Creating graphite art requires a certain amount of patience. Working with graphite involves layering the pigments, building it until you reach the level of darkness you want. As mentioned in the previous article, when beginning a drawing you should start by protecting the white areas, and then begin applying your darker values. The darkest areas of your drawing will require the most layering. As you proceed you can use various materials to begin blending the darkest areas into the middle shades of gray. You can achieve different looks depending on the materials you use to blend the graphite.

Common materials used for shading:

CHAMOIS, SOFT CLOTH, OR PAPER TOWEL - All of these create nice soft shading which works well for skin and some clothing. Chamois is a type of soft washable leather. If you use cloth, remember it may leave a slight texture because of the weave of the material. A soft, durable 2-ply paper towel like Viva blends graphite very smoothly. All of these hold and apply the pigment very well, especially on large areas.

TORTILLIONS AND BLENDING STUMPS - Tortillions are just small specially rolled sticks of paper that form a point. Blending stumps are similar except they are longer, and made from pressed paper and usually have a point on both ends. Both are excellent for blending small areas. Blending stumps come in several different diameters. Both of these can have very firm points when they are new and it takes a while to break them in. If the points on your Tortillions or blending stumps is too hard you can soften it by rubbing it on your sanding block. After use these will hold graphite, and that can be useful for shading small sections in your drawing.

FINGERS - Definitely the oldest and most used blending instrument. However fingers may not be the best choice for your drawing because of the oils in your skin. For example, I have handled a clean piece of paper and accidentally touched the surface with my fingers. When I started applying the graphite there, it stuck quite prominently to my finger prints. I could not even erase it, and my shading always looked slightly darker where the graphite clung to the oils left by my skin. In spite of that, it can be great fun to get dirty with some real hands on blending.

Blending and shading is accomplished in two main ways. First is to rub your tool of choice (Chamois, blending stump, or fingers) around the already darkened area of your drawing. Not only does this soften these areas but it picks up extra graphite that can then be applied to the lighter gray areas of your drawing. Another way to shade is by using your pencils to apply graphite to the shadows. If you do this make sure you use pencils with softest leads and make light strokes. Only use heavier strokes when you want the pencil lines to stay visual for a textured effect. Make sure you keep your strokes going in all the same direction and follow the direction indicated by the lighting. For example if you are applying a shadow that occurs under the chin of your subject, you would want to make downward stokes, not side to side. Follow the cast of the shadow. After shading with a soft pencil it can be blended with any tool. Each blending tool will produce a different look. Be aware that shading with pencils creates harder shadows then applying the graphite to a cloth and then to your paper.

Different Blending Effects:

Now you have some shading basics. Once you have added shadows however you need to clean up those white areas and perhaps add other highlights to your drawing. Erasers are the answer, and their different varieties and uses will be discussed in the next article.