Pencil Portrait Drawing Tips on Blending

Learning to blend is another one of those skills you need to master
to become a good pencil portrait artist. Once you have a line drawing and once you have laid down the different values based on, for example, a five-value scale, you can start blending the different value areas. To blend, you can use a pencil, a tortillon, a paper tissue, and even your fingers.

Here are a few blending guidelines:

* Soft Edges - A soft edge occurs in a situation where an object surface gentle curves away from the light source. Such edges change values gradually and you should blend them accordingly. The area closest to the light source is the lightest and the one farthest away is the darkest.

Always blend parallel to the edges of the subject area. Follow the curves of, for example, a cheek. This allows you to blend into the edges and gives a more natural and rounded look. This adds a lot the illusion of three-dimensionality.

* Hard Edges - Hard edges occur where two surfaces touch or overlap. The edge looks more defined. Do not actually draw lines to depict such edges. Rather, create a hard edge by laying down two different values next to each other.

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a line in nature. We become aware of lines only because of the contrasting values of two adjacent surfaces. And this is also the way lines should be created in your drawings, i.e., by using contrast. Anything that has an actually drawn outline will look flat (i.e., planar) and will detract from the three-dimensional look of the subject.

* Contrast - Contrast is a good thing. It gives much life to your pencil portrait. Use your ingrained knowledge of the five-value scale to observe the correct values. An excellent trick to better perceive values is to look through squinted eyes. I also found it beneficial to draw in dusk-like lighting conditions. Under these conditions the contrasting values are much easier to discern.

* Uneven Values - If you see uneven blending you can use your kneaded eraser to take off some of the darker spots and use your pencil to darken the lighter spots if needed. A kneaded eraser is the sort of eraser that handles like putty and can be shaped in all sorts of forms to fit the task at hand. One of its best characteristics is that it can be shaped in a fine point which allows you to erase very narrow areas and lighten up very small spaces such as highlights on the pupil of the eye.

* Darkest Darks - If you need to create a really dark area you can build it up in layers. Start with a dark layer and spray it with workable fixative. Then put another layer on top. And, if necessary, you can repeat this process until the area is dark enough.

* Kneaded Eraser - Your kneaded eraser is also a very useful tool at this stage. You can use it to draw with into a penciled area by taking out graphite. For example, the kneaded eraser is ideal to introduce highlights on noses, hair, and other places where they are required.

* From Dark to Light - Always try to blend from dark to light. Blend from the shadows into the light. Remember, the highlights are the white of the paper while the cast shadows are the blackest black you can muster.

* Blending Tools - There are many different tools you can use to blend. Here are the most used: pencil, kneaded eraser, tortillon (rolled up paper), tissue, and fingers.

The above guidelines should give you a good start in developing your blending skills. The blending phase is also one of the phases to bring out your artistic talent and to put in your heart and soul. Now it becomes a matter of practice and experience.

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