i do a lot of drawing and i was wondering what is the stuff to use for shading?, Ex: charcoal, graphite, ext.?

Question

i usually use charcoal but i was wondering if there is anything better

Answer 1

i have used something called a blending stub. this has worked great for me. i also do charcoal, pastels, pencil etc. i was taught to never touch the pics as your finger prints will become permanent in the drawings, the reason for the blending stubs. you can also make some with paper towel. just fold in half, then in half again until you have a pretty good reinforced square. then, form paper until you have a small enough point on top. twist tightly, then tape the paper so it stays put. hope this works for you.

Answer 2

Typically what I've always used is just a lighter or darker variation of the medium which I'm using. With charcoals.... maybe some graphite pencils would work well to? Depends on your style and the feel you're trying to create too. I also mix mediums as well, many times that has been excellent for me too. Another thing you might try is just getting all the basics situated properly, then scan your work.... Then shade/highlight with a CG program.

Answer 3

Different media provide different effects, so they are all good in their own way. Charcoal is BLACK, while even the softest graphite is just dark grey. It wouldn't work well as shading over charcoal lines - you'd want to use the graphite from the beginning. Try different approaches and you will find the ones that work best for you.

Answer 4

I love using Conte sticks, they come in earth tones as well as black. It's harder than charcoal and gives a pure black line, and can still be smudged. They're square-edged so you can get a crisp line, and can be re-shaped with fine sandpaper.

Break the stick in half as soon as you buy it (or offer to buy the broken ones cheap!) They're going to break anyway, and you can draw with the shorter ones on their side for bold lines and shading. Caution, it doesn't erase well. Great for life drawing.

Answer 5

grind a bunch of charcoal onto a seperate piece of paper, then fold up a long piece of toilet paper, rub a little of the charcoal you just put on the other piece of paper onto it, and use the toilet paper to dust the charcoal lightly onto the area you're shading. or use tortillians- they are little rolled up pieces of paper that look kind of like joints- you can get them at any art store

Answer 6

pastels, artist crayons, majic markers, chalk....I do a lot of ink drawings and use an ink wash (ink and water) with a brush for shading. You could also use watercolor paint for this technique, but I haven't tried it. Get some stuff together and experiment.