Free Drawing Lessons

Lesson 2: Video 2 of 3

Building Patches with the Tapered Stroke

Now that you’ve learned the tapered stroke, done the tracking exercise, and understand how our paper texture will help us out, it’s time to take it to the next level.

We’re going to build on the tracking exercise and make gradation patches for each individual pencil. The strokes will gain their full value by utilizing the tracking procedure. Then, leaving a clean edge on one side of your patch, they will become progressively lighter as you move away from the darkest value of the pencil. As you lay them side, by side, you should see a gradation of values. It should fade away to nothing. As you become sensitive to the pressure and visual aspects of your patches, this will add the next dimension of contour and curve to your stroke.