There’s nothing worse than creating a beautiful pencil drawing that you treasure, only to find that it starts to fade overtime. For most art, there’s no doubt that it takes care and effort to make sure it lasts for many years to come. But, what about pencil drawings? Does graphite fade? Graphite has a very …
Drawing from reference falls into a sticky territory. Is it bad? Is it cheating? Is it actually helpful? There’s a common misconception that drawing from reference is the same as copying, but it’s not. In fact, you could end up with a very original and unique piece, even after using a reference photo. Drawing from …
We’ve all dreamed of being great artists; pulling out our pencils and quickly drawing a masterpiece that we can be proud of. But, anyone who has tried to draw a perfect picture on a whim knows that it isn’t easy. Can it be learned though? How hard is it to learn to draw? It is …
There’s nothing worse than pencil stains and indents that won’t go away. When you’re doing a pre-sketch for a drawing, painting, watercolor, or more, you want the lightest pencil that won’t leave a trace behind. 9H pencils are the lightest drawing pencils you can get because they have the hardest lead. That said, 9H pencils …
There’s nothing like opening up a new blending stump, tortillon, or kneaded eraser. Mainly because they are so clean! But, even if you have old blending tools and erasers, there’s still hope. You can clean them and get them back to new. To clean a blending stump or tortillion, rub the tip of it with …
You pull out your brush pens, ready for a great session of lettering or drawing, only to find that your brush pens are all dried up. What gives? Brush pens are amazing tools, but sometimes they can be a bit fragile. You leave them alone for a bit and they simply shrivel up. Luckily, there’s …
There’s something so dramatic and wonderful about pulling out a large drawing pad and opening it to a blank page. So much creative potential! Storing large drawing pads and drawings is about getting creative with your space and having the right storage units and tools that will ensure that your art doesn’t get damaged, but …
Finishing the last page of a sketchbook feels like victory. You’ve done it! You’ve filled an entire sketchbook with art. Now what? There is so much pride that comes with filling up sketchbooks, but we’re often at a loss for what to do with them. Eventually, they pile up on a bookshelf for us to …
Colored pencils and crayons are classic art mediums. We all have memories of both of them dating back to our youngest art years. In a lot of ways, they seem really similar, yet, they have some really important differences well. In the debate between colored pencils and crayons, which one wins? Which one is better? …
There’s a huge difference between light and grainy colored pencil drawings, and dark and vibrant colored pencil drawings. We all want the dark and vibrant option, but it can seem really hard to do. Is there some secret trick to achieving this professional-grade colored pencil technique? To darken colored pencils, focus on putting down multiple …