Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/21



INTRODUCTION

A Few Technical Hints

Drawing with a Lead Pencil
PENCIL has many excellent qualities. It is a clean tool and easy to handle. It can be carried in the pocket and pressed into the service whenever required. Beyond sharpening, it requires no attention.

To sharpen a pencil you should pare the wood in small shavings with a sharp knife. When a small portion of the lead is exposed place the lead on a piece of paper and whittle down to a firm and not very thin point. A very sharp point is a mistake. With such a point we are inclined to dig into the paper, and thus to add to our difficulties when erasing. A thin point, moreover, snaps easily, needs constant sharpening, and therefore leads to much wasting of valuable lead.

A word or two about the position of the pencil when drawing.

We hold it, of course, as we do the pen, between the thumb and the first two fingers, and half-way up the shaft.

There is a modern fashion of holding the pen between the second and third fingers, and whatever may be said for this position in writing nothing could be advanced in its favour for drawing.

An overwhelming argument for holding the pencil between the thumb and the first two fingers is this: the hand never tires.

I have never heard an artist complain of a tired hand, though his work extended from early morning till late at night; the reason lies in the perfect balance of the tool in his hand.

Take the pencil between the first finger and the thumb