TOOLS & MATERIALS

One of the great joys of drawing is that you can do it just about anywhere. There is a wide array of time-tested materials available for the amateur and professional artist alike, from pencils and papers to erasers and sharpeners. Choose professional materials, rather than student-grade; they will last longer and ensure a higher-quality presentation.

Pencils

Pencils are labeled based on their lead texture. Hard leads (H) are light in value and great for fine, detailed work, but they are more difficult to erase. Soft leads (B) are darker and wonderful for blending and shading, but they smudge easily. Medium leads, such as HB and F, are somewhere in the middle. Select a range of pencils between HB and 6B for variety. You can purchase wood-encased pencils or mechanical pencils with lead refills.

Wooden Pencil The most common type of pencil is wood-encased graphite. These thin rods — most often round or hexagonal when cut crosswise — are inexpensive, easy to control and sharpen, and readily available to artists.

Flat Carpenter's Pencil Some artists prefer using a flat carpenter's pencil, which has a rectangular body and lead. The thick lead allows you to easily customize its shape to create both thick and thin lines.

Mechanical Pencil Mechanical pencils are plastic or metal barrels that hold individual leads. Some artists prefer the consistent feel of mechanical pencils to that of wooden pencils; the weight and length do not change, unlike wooden pencils that wear down with use.

Woodless Graphite Pencil These tools are shaped like wooden pencils but are made up entirely of graphite lead. The large cone of graphite allows artists to use either the broad side for shading large areas or the tip for finer strokes and details.

Graphite Stick Available in a full range of hardnesses, these long, rectangular bars of graphite are great tools for sketching (using the end) and blocking in large areas of tone (using the broad side).

Paper

Paper has a tooth, or texture, that holds graphite. Papers with more tooth have a rougher texture and hold more graphite, which allows you to create darker values. Smoother paper has less tooth and holds less graphite, but it allows you to create much finer detail. Plan ahead when beginning a new piece, and select paper that lends itself to the textures in your drawing subject.

Blending Tools

There are several tools you can use to blend graphite for a smooth look. The most popular blenders are blending stumps, tortillons, and chamois cloths. Never use your finger to blend — it can leave oils on your paper, which will show after applying graphite.

Stumps Stumps are tightly rolled paper with points on both ends. They come in various sizes and are used to blend large and small areas of graphite, depending on the size of the stump. You can also use stumps dipped in graphite shavings for drawing or shading.

Tortillons Tortillons are rolled more loosely than a stump. They are hollow and have one pointed end. Tortillons also come in various sizes and can be used to blend smaller areas of graphite.

Facial Tissue Wrap tissue around your finger or roll it into a point to blend when drawing very smooth surfaces. Make sure you use plain facial tissue, without added moisturizer.

Chamois Chamois are great for blending areas into a soft tone. These cloths can be used for large areas or folded into a point for smaller areas. When the chamois becomes embedded with graphite, simply throw it into the washer or wash by hand. Keep one with graphite on it to create large areas of light shading. To create darker areas of shading, add graphite shavings to the chamois.

Erasers

Erasers serve two purposes: to eliminate unwanted graphite and to "draw" within existing graphite. There are many different types of erasers available.

Kneaded This versatile eraser can be molded into a fine point, a knife-edge, or a larger flat or rounded surface. It removes graphite gently from the paper but not as well as vinyl or plastic erasers.

Block Eraser A plastic block eraser is fairly soft, removes graphite well, and is very easy on your paper. Use it primarily for erasing large areas, but it also works quite well for doing a final cleanup of a finished drawing.

Stick Eraser Also called "pencil erasers," these handy tools hold a cylindrical eraser inside. You can use them to erase areas where a larger eraser will not work. Using a utility razor blade, you can trim the tip at an angle or cut a fine point to create thin white lines in graphite. It's like drawing with your eraser!

SHADING TECHNIQUES

Once you sketch the basic shape of your subject, you can create realism and form by applying a variety of shading techniques. You'll find that you can use the same techniques with virtually any medium, from graphite pencil to charcoal and ink.

Light & Shadow

On the egg (right) the highlight is the lightest value, where the light source directly strikes the object. The light gray area surrounds the highlight, and the middle gray is the actual color of the egg, without any highlights or shadows.

The cast shadow is the shadow that the egg casts onto the ground. The form shadow is the shadow that is on the object itself. Reflected light bounces up onto the object from the ground surface.

Understanding Value

Shading gives depth and form to your drawing because it creates contrasts in value (the relative lightness or darkness of black or a color). In pencil drawing, values range from black (the darkest value) through different shades of gray to white (the lightest value). To make a two-dimensional object appear three-dimensional, you must pay attention to the values of the highlights and shadows.

When shading a subject, always consider the light source, as this is what determines where your highlights and shadows will be. The angle, distance, and intensity of the light will affect both the shadows on an object, called "form shadows," and the shadows the object throws on other surfaces, called "cast shadows."

Value Scale Making your own value scale, such as the one shown above, will help familiarize you with the different variations in value. Work from light to dark, adding more and more tone for successively darker values. Different pencils produce varying value ranges; this scale was drawn with a standard HB pencil.

Shading Styles

Artists use many different methods of shading — most build up tones from dark to light, shading the dark shadows first and then developing the entire drawing. I prefer to refine one section at a time because it helps me concentrate on the individual features — such as the head, arms, or legs. Separately attending to individual areas also keeps me from constantly moving my hand around the drawing, which helps me avoid smudging the graphite. As you can see here, I completely develop the face and most of the head before moving on to the rest of the body — and I finish shading the tail before adding the darkest darks and details such as the spots and scales.

TIP

Remember to shade evenly, using a back-and-forth motion over the same area, often changing the direction of your strokes.

Hatching & Crosshatching These are the traditional shading techniques for pen and ink. To hatch, apply a series of parallel lines; to crosshatch, apply layers of parallel lines. The closer together the lines, the darker the shading will appear.

Stippling Press the end of the drawing nib onto the paper to create small dots. Use this technique for shading or texturing; the closer together the dots, the darker the shading will appear.

Gradated Ink Wash Some artists use washes to accent or shade their pen and ink drawings. To create a gradation, apply a dark wash of ink and add water as you move away, stroking side to side.

Varying Values with Paint & Ink Washes

Adjusting the amount of water you use in your ink or paint washes provides a range of values. When creating a wash, it is best to start with the lightest value and build up to a darker value, rather than adding water to a dark wash to lighten it. To learn how to mix various values, create a value chart like this one. Start with a very diluted wash, and gradually add more ink or paint for successively darker values.

Drawing with Washes You can forego pens altogether and simply work with an ink and brush, similar to watercolor.

Combining Shading Techniques In this simple sunflower sketch, you can see the use of crosshatching (stem), stippling (face), and wash (petals, face, and stem).

The smaller the pen nib, the finer the line will be. To achieve very light lines for gesture drawings, simply add more water to the mixture. Rounded nibs tend to flow across the paper, as opposed to fine-point nibs, which can be "scratchy" in a quick sketch.

CREATING TEXTURES

Before creating a full drawing, it's a good idea to get to know the general shapes and textures that make up each feature. Practicing the techniques shown below will help you create the appearance of textures such as scales and feathers, features you'll find on the dragons throughout this book.

Smooth Scales For smooth scales, first draw irregularly shaped ovals; then shade between them. Smooth scales like these are ideal for the slick skin of sea-dwelling dragons.

Rough Scales To create rough scales, draw irregular shapes that follow a slightly curved alignment. Shade darkly between the shapes; then shade over them with light, parallel strokes.

Spiny Scales For sharp, pointed scales, sketch the form with a 2H pencil, adding details with a black colored pencil. Lightly grip the pencil to create softly curving arcs for the differently shaped spines.

Fishlike Scales To depict scales such as those found on most Asian dragons, draw arcs of various sizes. Partially cover each scale with the next layer, and add a cast shadow below each to show overlap.

Fine Feathers For light, downy feathers, apply thin, parallel lines along the feather stems, forming a series of V shapes. Avoid crisp outlines, which would take away from the softness.

Heavy Feathers To create thicker, more defined feathers, use heavier parallel strokes and blend with a tortillon. Apply the most graphite to the shadowed areas between the feathers.

TIP

It's often helpful to use a photo reference of a real animal with features similar to those you want to depict for your creatures. For example, look at patterns on turtle shells and fish for scale inspiration!

CONSTRUCTING CREATURES

Approaching a drawing becomes a much simpler process when you begin by breaking down the subject into basic forms, or three-dimensional shapes. These simple shapes, with a little refinement, can easily become the body parts of your creature.

Transforming Shapes into Forms Here are four basic shapes and their respective forms. Think of the shapes as flat frontal views of the forms; when tipped, they appear as three-dimensional forms. Use ellipses to show the backs of the circle, cylinder, and cone; draw a cube by connecting two squares with parallel lines

Starting with Shapes This is what a dragon foot would look like rendered entirely with geometric forms. Use a cylinder for the leg, a circle for the ball of the foot, and triangle shapes for the claws.

Final Drawing Now use basic shapes as a guide to develop the final drawing, adding details and more shading. Although the foundational shapes have changed, you can still imagine them underneath the shading.

Transforming Basic Shapes

Here is an example of how to use simple shapes and forms to develop a dragon. In the first step, use a circle for the head, an oval for the torso, and cylinders for the legs. In the next step, connect the shapes and erase the guidelines to develop the forms of the body. Add facial features and define the snout. In the third step, build up the shapes and forms to refine the body, adding details such as the plates and toenails and erasing construction lines as you draw.

PROJECT ONE

FIRE DRAGON

Elemental dragons are those that are related to the elemental spheres: fire, earth, air, and water. These dragons tend to personify their respective element. The fire dragon, often dwelling in dormant volcanoes, is red, orange, or yellow in color. Its body is thick and heavy, and its legs and tail are long and snakelike.

Begin drawing the fire dragon using a 2H pencil and basic shapes. Start with an S shape for the body, adding a circle and a triangle for the head. Then draw cylindrical legs and boxlike hands.

Add more cylindrical shapes to form the legs and arms. Rough in the feet and the wings, using long, tapered lines and circles. Add horizontal lines down the belly. Then add facial guidelines to help place the features.

Now focus on the head. Add two curved horns and the wide ears and draw the sloping eyes and the birdlike beak, erasing guidelines as they're no longer needed. Next develop the reaching hand, converting the box shape into the palm. Draw pointed fingers, complete with long nails.

Draw the rest of the dragon's limbs. Add a curve to each segment of the belly to make it look three-dimensional. Refine the wings. Then, with a blunt HB pencil, define the creases and recesses of the face. Use a sharp 2B to add tone to the facial features; then add dark spots on the head.

Move to the neck and belly, using a 2B pencil to shade with fine, horizontal strokes. To show that the light is coming from the left, leave highlights along the dragon's right side, gradually darkening the value toward its left side and underbelly.

Next shade the wings, the back of the neck, the arms, and the hands. Draw spots on the neck and arms, and add thin, branching lines for the veins on the inner wings. Then make short strokes for the wrinkles on the hands.

Continue shading the rest of the body with a 2B pencil. Then add spots to the legs and the top of the dragon's left foot. Remove any remaining underlying pencil lines with an art gum eraser, and then reinforce the darkest areas with more shading, as shown.

PROJECT TWO

HATCHLING

A hatchling is a baby dragon — not to be confused with a dragonet, which is a miniature adult dragon. A group of dragon eggs is called a "clutch." Apply the same methods and techniques here, starting with basic shapes, then refining the lines and adding textures and details.

Use a 2H pencil to create the form of the hatchling with basic shapes. Start by sketching the oval of the hatchling's egg. Although most of this shape will change, it helps to achieve the correct proportions by drawing the entire

Erase your construction marks. Then refine the body. Make the pointed snout reminiscent of an alligator, and draw the curled tongue and sharp teeth. Give your creature long, thin arms with taloned hands.

Add sticky fluid that gives the hatchling that "just born" look.

Switching to a 2B, shade and refine the hatchling. Add details on the face first, accentuating the ridges around the mouth and eye. Then shade the iris and the large pupil.

Create texture on the body using horizontal lines near the neck and curved lines through the chest and belly. Next shade the tail and the pointed talons, and add a sharp spike on the elbow.

Develop the shell and the embryonic fluid that surrounds the hatchling. First add a light gray tone to the inside of the shell. Then add oval spots on the outside of the egg, refine some of the broken pieces of shell on the ground, and add highlights to the fluid.

Use a drop of correction fluid to create highlights in the eye and on the lower teeth.

PROJECT THREE

DRAKE

Often mistaken for an adolescent dragon, the drake is merely a type of dragon without wings. A drake usually is referred to by its element, such as the earthdrake you will render below.

Start by drawing the basic shapes of the drake with a 3H pencil. Draw an oval for the torso and a circle for the head. Then block in the legs. Add a curved horizontal guideline to the head, which indicates that the drake will be looking to the viewer's left.

Now add the rest of the basic shapes. Connect the shapes to form the thick snout and jaw, the curved neck, the large tail, and the bulky feet.

Begin to refine the body, tail, legs, and feet, erasing the construction lines as you go. Then start rendering the facial features, including the large, cowlike nostrils.

Add the curved mouth and the floppy ears. Think of a stegosaurus as you add the plates that extend from the forehead to the tip of the tail. Refine the feet, adding three toes with long, sharp nails.

Outline your pencil sketch with a .2 mm waterproof ink pen. Add details to the head, such as the pointy teeth, the ridged nose, the dark eye sockets, and the notched ear.