17 Drawing Techniques to Draw and Sketch like a Pro

Art is best learned by doingso feel free to grab a piece of paper and follow along with these 17 drawing techniques. Add depthcontrast and your own unique to your drawings by combining your favourite techniques.

All you need is a pencilpiece of paper or sketchbookeraser and pencil sharpener. If you’re not sure about which are the best pencil suppliesskip to the last section.

By learning and improving your pencil drawing techniquesyou can be more precise when rendering values in your artworks. Get creative with the marks you make and try out some new approaches to drawing.

Layering

Layering pencil marks isn’t the same as layering paint. Graphite isn’t a transparent mediumso you can create a finished looking piece all in one layer. 

The concept of layering in drawingrefers to the process of starting with a light sketch then slowly building in the dark areas to create shadow. Most artists will use this process to plan out where the elements fit before committing to dark lines which are more difficult to erase. 

Underdrawing 

The underdrawing acts as the first layer of an artworkit can form the first stage of the drawing process. This is especially true for pieces that require more accuracy or time investment. 

Draw a finelight line to outline the main features of your subject. Then build on this layer afterwards with layers of shading. 

To improve the accuracy of your drawingyou could create a sketch on another piece of paper firstthen transfer it with tracing paper or with the grid method.

One constructive method of drawing that head that can act as an accurate portrait underdrawing is the Loomis Method. Start with basic shapes to measure proportionsthen use these guides to fill in the features of the face.

Shading techniques

The following methods of hatchingstippling and tonal sketching are all types of shading techniques. These techniques will allow you to create values in your artwork. In arta value is the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. So by using these different shading techniquesyou can create highlightsshadows and give your drawing depth and form. 

Hatching 

Hatching is the technique of creating parallel lines to give the illusion of light and shadow. Draw lines closer together to create dark valueslines further from one another create highlights and mid tones in a drawing. Apply more pressure to the pencil for the darkest areas.

To be successful at the hatching techniquehold the pencil in a loose fashion. This means instead of pressing hard on the lead and using your wrist to drawtry and draw by keeping your wrist straight and moving your elbow. This will create longerlightermore sweeping strokes for the hatched lines. For extra long hatch linestry keeping your elbow in one position and moving your shoulder to create pencil lines. It may seem basic to reassess how you hold a pencilbut especially if you’re a self taught artistbasics are easy to miss out on.

Cross hatching

Cross hatching is a type of hatchingwhereby parallel lines are drawn next to one another to create light and dark values. Perpendicular lines are then drawn over the top of the first lines in a similar hatching . Rembrandt used this drawing technique in his etchingsink drawings and silver point pieces. This is a versatile technique as you can use it with pengraphitecharcoal or pen. Use this technique in conjunction with others on the list to create a variety of effects. Cross hatching creates a wonderful texture when you look at the drawing up closebut when you step awayit will appear as smoother shading.

Stippling

Similar to hatchingstippling is a technique of creating a repeat pattern on the paper to convey areas of light and dark in a drawing. Use a dotting action to render values. Create dots closer together to show darker areas and further apart for the highlights and light tones.

Bear in mind that if you use an unsharpened pencilthe dots will be thicker. A softer pencil 8B to B will give darker markswhereas a hard lead pencil (FH o r HB) will give lighter marks. Mechanical pencils are great for this technique.

Get a good quality pencillike these from Caran D’ache, as cheaper pencil leads are more likely to break. 

To do this technique yourselfhold the pencil vertically and close to the paperthen drop your hand to make the repeat dotting action. Go slower at first to keep it neatbut once you have the knackit’s an easy technique to carry out. You’ll soon feel like you can create a drawing at some speed.

Tonal sketching

This shading technique is pretty simple and the most intuitive of all the drawing techniques. Apply pressure on the pencil where you want to place the shadows in the artwork. 

To create an even shaded appearancehold your pencil slightly at an angle and lightly move it backwards and forwards. Unsharpened pencils create softer linesit’s also essential to use a soft pencil. Anything between 2B and 8B would work perfectlydepending on how dark you want the shading to be. 

Scumbling

Scumbling is another shading techniquewhere small circular marks are layered on top of one another to create a textured appearance. The circles don’t have to be neatapply more pressure to the pencil for darker areas of the drawing. If you’re drawing with coloured pencilyou can layer different colours on top of one another to alter the tones and hues.

Loose sketching

This is an approach to sketching which will give the effect of a more relaxed and effortless . It’s a useful technique to tryespecially if you’re a beginner and only used to trying to achieve precise fine lines. 

By sketching looselyyou can plan compositions and practice drawing accurately without worrying about making mistakes. Create a loose sketch before you start drawing your final outlinesthen you can erase parts of lines that don’t fit with your drawing afterwards. 

With this approachthe aim is to focus on the big picture—the composition and interplay of different elements. You could optionally erase messy lines and add in details afterwardsor you could leave the drawing as a sketch. 

To create a looser drawinghold the pencil further up the casing and sketch with sweeping strokes moving your elbow instead of your wrist or fingers. You don’t need to press too hard on the paper when trying this technique.

Gesture drawing

This is similar to creating a loose sketchbut the purpose is to capture the movement of your subject in an expressive way. Gesture drawing mainly applies to drawing the human form and capturing the action and pose of the figure.

Time yourself when using this techniqueas the purpose is to be quick and not overthink the placement of lines. Aim for around one minute per drawing. Don’t think about the detailslike the facial expressions or handsjust focus on the form of the figure. This can form part of the first stage of figure drawing. It’s especially useful to practise this technique if you plan to do some life drawing. Gesture drawing is a great drawing exercise for portrait artists.

Blending drawing techniques

Graphitecharcoal and oil pencil can all be blended pretty easily. The softer the pencilthe easier it will be to blend. 

For optimum blendinguse 4B to 8B pencils. The blending technique goes hand in hand with creating a tonal sketch. Artists use blending to create realistic effects. 

First create your tonal sketch. Make sure you create a good level of contrast by applying pressure for the darker areas of the drawing. Thento blendget a paper stump and rub into the pencil. You should see the pencil marks disappearleaving smooth blended tonal gradations. If you don’t have a paper stumpyou could use your finger to blendalthough that can get messy.

A great trick to get the smoothest blends with graphiteis to brush some graphite powder onto the paper. Cover large areas of shadow. Areas that you have applied the powder will appear smoothseamless and free of pencil marks.

Erase lines

Use the technique of lifting pencil marks from the paperto reveal white highlights. To create precise highlightsget a Tombow Mono Zero eraser. You can use this to erase ultra slim linesor use it for delicate detailslike highlighting strands of hair in a portrait. 

Another type of eraser that works great for this technique is a kneaded gum eraser. This type of eraser is soft and mouldable. Mould it into a point to erase small areasor roll it across the paper to lift large areas of pencil. Kneadable erasers are softso they won’t completely lift dark pencil marks unless you press it into the paper with some pressure. Get some graphite powder and scatter across the paperthen draw on top with the erasers.

Frottage

Use this technique on textured paper. Hold your pencil at an angleso that the lead is completely sideways and flat on the paper. Then drag the pencil backwards and forwards. When drawing on cold-pressed watercolour paperthe paper’s texture will shine through. 

Optionallyyou could place an object underneath a sheet of paperthen use the frottage technique to pick up the details of the object.

Indenting

The indenting technique involves drawing lines on the paper to make indents rather than coloured marks. Then draw over the dents in the paperby shading with the side of the pencil. The pencil marks will avoid the dentleaving the white of the paper to show through.

There are two ways of creating a dent in the paper. Either get some tracing paper and draw with a pencil over your paper in places you want to show white highlights. Or use a stylus to create a dent in the paper.

Contour line drawing techniques

A contour drawing shows the outline of a subject. Contour lines show the outlines of edges and details. Use line weight to show the three dimensional form of the subject. Darker lines indicate areas of the subject that appear closer and lighter lines represent areas further away from view. 

Cross contour line drawing techniques

This is similar to a contour drawingbut instead line weight and the spacing between lines represent the volume of a subject. Parallel lines are drawn across the form of the subject or object. Practice this technique by observingthe contour lines won’t be visible on the subjectbut move the direction of your pencil with the form and mass of your reference. 

Continuous line drawing techniques

To practise the continuous line drawing techniquedraw a single line to create your image without removing the pencil from the paper. The line should be completely unbroken. This is a great tactic for developing observational skillsas it will force you to analyse your reference for longer before starting the drawing. You may find yourself creating cross contour lines to represent the volume of your subjectall without removing your pencil from the paper.

Detail work

Details add depth and realism to a drawing. For detail workmake sure your pencil is sharpened to a fine point. Use a quality pencil sharpener like this one. It will sharpen pencils to a long pointpreserving more of the pencil lead. 

Hold the pencil fairly close to the tip for extra precision. Drawing highly detailed work requires careful consideration and it takes time. You’ll find that you get into the flow of drawing details pretty quickly—it’s an enjoyable process.

Extra drawing techniques

Vary pressure applied to the pencil

By applying more pressureyou can create darkerthicker lines. To create the darkest linesget a softer graphite pencil. 8B pencils will give you the darkest lineswhereas a harder lead pencil like H or F will give you lighter lines.

It feels quite intuitive to shade in this wayby increasing the pressure on the pencil for darker areas. By varying pressureyou can create anything from light sketchesto highly contrasted drawings.

Vary line thickness and

With a softer pencil you will have more flexibility in creating variation in line thickness. Choose an unsharpenedsoft pencil to create thick lines. A harder lead pencil that has been sharpened will give you the sharpest lines for the finest details. 

Vary line thickness within a drawing to create a pleasing composition. Make elements stand out by emphasising them with thick lines.

Drawing precise lines will make an artwork feel neat and precise. To create ultra neat linestry drawing with a harder pencil firstas the lines are light and easy to erase. Then you can go over these lines with a softer pencil. Alternativelyyou could create a sketchy appearance by going over a line several times.

What supplies do I need for drawing?

• Pencils: Quality graphite pencils from H-8B are a great choice for artists. Caran d’Ache and Faber-Castell pencils feel smooth to draw with. Experiment with charcoal and coloured pencils if you want to execute a variety of effects with your drawing techniques. Find a review of the best pencils for drawing in our guide.
• Sharpener: a decent sharpener will preserve the pencil leadprevent breakage and sharpen pencils to a swordfish-like point. 
• Eraser: The Tombow Mono Zero eraser allows artists to erase ultra fine details. Kneaded erasers are softer and gentler on paper fibres. They are also really effective at erasing graphite. With a light touch you can lift some of the graphiterevealing mid tone highlights. With more pressure you can completely erase pencil marks.
• Paper: Drawing paper comes in a range of textures and thicknesses. Bristol Board is smooth and thickwhich makes it an excellent choice for detail work and smooth shading.
• Sketchbook: this sketchbook by Etchr has thickquality cotton pages.
• Paper blending stump: Tortillions are sharper and better for blending smaller detailssharpen the stump with sandpaper to remove graphite marks.

For a more comprehensive list of drawing supplies for artistscheck out our guide!

Further reading

1. Artist’s Drawing Techniques: Discover How to Draw LandscapesPeopleStill Lifes and Morein PencilCharcoalPen and Pastel 

Buy here

Discover 80 drawing techniques and step-by-step tutorials for beginner to advanced level artists.

2. Drawing Dimension – Shading Techniques: A Shading Guide for Teachers and Students

Buy here

Learn to shade effectively and add dimension to your work. Accurately render lightshadows and mid tones with a look at different techniques and the possible applications.

3. This tutorial by Arteza gives some wonderful examples of mark making techniques you can make with pencil.

4. The Virtual Instructor gives some in depth examples of how to put different drawing techniques to practice.

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