Materials List for Drawing Portraits using Graphite

Portrait of Nicole (detail) by Mel Ahlborn; graphite on paper, 24"x18"

A few weeks ago Nicole and her sister and brother were selling lemonade in their front yard. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, their faces were smiling brightly – and their lemonade was delicious!  I asked their mom for permission to take a picture of each of them, in order to draw their portraits. And I promised that I would return the favor of their lemonade with three graphite drawings, one of each of the children, smiling in that vibrant late spring sun.

Drawing Portraits with Graphite
Graphite is a wonderful medium for portrait drawing. The Derwent ‘Graphic’ line of drawing pencils is my preferred brand because the Derwent graphites are consistently durable, reliable, and finely ground. I use a range of graphite hardnesses for a range of values, which I will talk about in a future post. My pencil sharpener sits inside its own receptacle to collect shavings, and I replace the blade about every six months. This enables me to keep my points very sharp. The kneaded-style eraser allows me to ‘lift’ graphite from the paper, which I prefer to a ‘rubbing’ eraser that can grind the graphite into the paper’s surface and mar its finish. Occasionally I will use a white stump, mostly for smaller areas where my fingers cannot reach. All in all, my fingers are my buffers, smoothers, and shaders.

Materials List for Drawing Portraits using Graphite

• Derwent ‘Graphic’ Drawing pencils: 7B, 4B, 2B, HB, 2H, 4H
• Pencil sharpener
• Kneaded eraser
• Stumps
• Strathmore Premium Recycled Drawing Paper, 24″x18″

~ by unionsquarestylist on June 24, 2010.