Windows at Keong Saik Road, Singapore.

From time to time I do a colour detox and return to basics. Challenging to ditch brush ans colour but very good practice to focus on good drawing techniques. I always believe an expressive painter is first a competent and confident sketcher. Drawing teaches us to first observe our environment clearly before rushing to paint. Drawing also allows us to compose our thoughts, question & doubt what we are seeing and finally form the visual story we really want to put down on paper. So remember a painting problem maybe actually be a drawing (observation) issue. Carving out time to sketch is definitely worth the investment.

These are 6 sketching techniques I used for this pencil sketch. These techniques are designed to interrupt my visual reading of the sketch, add emphasis/depth and create a variety of textures with different surface qualities. The 3 pencils I used are listed below. Have you tried them and which is your favourite?

1. Koh-I-Noor Sketching Pencil 6B (aka Carpenter pencil)

2. Blackwing Palomino (Soft 4B)

3. Kaweco Classic Sport Clutch Pencil (5B Graphite Lead)