On Drawing/Drafting

I am quite adamant about telling my pupils not to scar their paper with their marks. It doesn't matter how much you push down on a pencil it will not make the mark any more beautiful. It is only a form of murdering the paper senselessly.

Draw your pictures lightly with the pencil... small flicking that connect to make a longer line is more effective than really bearing down with all your weight on the pencil and expecting a masterpiece. You need to understand the softness of your pencils and the tonal value scale.

If the picture is done only in graphite pencils, you are essentially using only shades of grey, from light to dark. Learn about light and shadow, as lighting makes up 90% of a picture. Effective lighting can create astounding results in the picture you are drawing, even if it's only with a humble  pencil.

 I usually do two pictures, one is a draft in my sketchbook, and if I really like it and want one in colour, I would copy the draft to watercolour paper.