Keep a Pencil Drawing Tidy
Keeping your drawing clean through completion is incredibly important. The last thing you want is to work hard on your drawing only to have your hand smear the work you created. Your hands contain oils that mix with the material and make the smearing that happens hard to erase and ugly. There are a few measures you can take to ensure that your drawing will remain clean, clear and crisp throughout it's completion.
Tips to Keeping Your Drawing Clean
1. Work on your drawing from top to bottom - Starting at the top of your paper and then working down will help keep your hands out of the way of the drawing action. This will go a long way to keeping your drawing clean.
2. Work on your drawing from left to right (if you are right-handed) - Starting on the left side if you are right-handed and from the right side if you are left-handed will keep your hands clear from the work.
3. Place a paper towel under your hand - By placing a paper towel under your hand, you will keep your hand from making contact with your finished drawing surface.
4. Erase any smears as you go - As soon as you see anissue with cleanliness, take care of it immediatelyby erasing it.
5. Use the right eraser for the medium - Certain erasers are right for certain mediums. Make sure you are using the right eraser. For more on the different types of erasers see this post-> Different Types of Erasers
FAQs
Tips to Keeping Your Drawing Clean
Work on your drawing from top to bottom - Starting at the top of your paper and then working down will help keep your hands out of the way of the drawing action. This will go a long way to keeping your drawing clean.
How do I stop my drawings from smudging? ›
The classic way to guard against smudging a drawing is to place a piece of CLEAN paper under your hand whilst you draw. Use plain smooth paper, photocopy paper will do, or tracing paper. Avoid creased or heavily textured paper, they don't work.
How do you care and maintain drawing media? ›
- after using a tool and instrument, clean it with a damp cloth and wipe it throughly.
- always clean the drawing board before use.
- sharpen and store your pencil properly after use.
6 Tips on How to Draw Anything Accurately
- Start by drawing shapes, not identifiable objects. ...
- To draw anything well, consider the negative shapes as much as you do the positive shapes. ...
- Visualize and draw the lines you can't see in order to draw visible lines accurately. ...
- Draw connected shapes, not disconnected shapes.
Set a time limit
Especially if you have trouble staying focused, then set smaller chunks of time. Drawing every day doesn't mean you need to have a finished artwork every time you sit down to put pencil to paper, but what's important is that you do the time.
What is the best time of day to draw? ›
Get up earlier. In the spirit of Danny Gregory's Art Before Breakfast, set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier than normal. Sure, you're trading some sleep, but getting an extra 30 minutes of drawing time in before the rest of the world wakes up is invaluable!
What is the hardest thing to draw? ›
What are the hardest things to draw? Some of the most challenging things to draw include facial expressions, foreshortening of the human body, drapery folds, drawings based on your ideas instead of a direct reference, hands, movement, and gestures.
How many minutes should you draw a day? ›
Some may want to draw 20 minutes while others 2 hours or even all nighter. If you wanna progress fast (even if you have a busy shedule, a family…), do not focus on HOW LONG you need. But draw as long as your heart tells you to. That way, sketching is going to be your lifestyle and be part of your daily routine.
How to keep your drawing clean? ›
Paper mask: A piece of paper placed under the hand can serve as a shield to prevent transferring skin oils to the drawing, and can protect against smudges. Any piece of paper will do in a pinch, but thin, smooth stock is best. Carefully place the mask over the drawing, under your hand, and move it gradually as needed.
How to take care of drawing pencils? ›
Caring for your tools with leads
When working with several pencils at once, avoid constantly laying them down and picking them up again. It's better to hold them in the hand that isn't drawing. To properly clean your color pencils after sharpening them, pass over the lead with a paintbrush to remove the color residue.
Still life drawings are drawings of non-living objects, arranged in a specific way, to create meaning or a visual effect. Common still life objects include things like flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other foods and beverages. Dead animals (like wild game and fish) can also be included in a still life drawing...
How do you keep art clean? ›
You may use a dry cloth or a clean soft painter's brush to dust your artworks, be it painting or sculpture. However, make a note to avoid feathers dusters as their fibers may latch onto canvases and the edges that paint leaves on an artwork. Consider framing your artwork under glass.
How do I keep my drawings safe? ›
Make sure to line the drawings with glassine. For framing the drawings, always matt them first. For storing the framed pieces, make sure to use foamy material to protect the frame and line it with bubble wrap. Place the drawings in low humid and dry areas to prevent damage.
How do you keep your drawing room clean and tidy? ›
How to Thoroughly Clean a Living Room: Step-by-Step Guide
- Gather the trash in the living room. ...
- Remove all the clutter in your space. ...
- Reorganize the sofa. ...
- Dust off. ...
- Clean the light fixtures and ceiling fan. ...
- Treat window coverings. ...
- Clean The Windows And Mirrors. ...
- Clean up the furniture.
High-quality work on paper, therefore, is typically placed under UV protective glass or plexiglass. The non-glare, UV protection glass not only protects your artwork from sunlight, but the non-glare glass also makes it easier to see the artwork surface when it is displayed.
