blending pencil drawings.

#1 
    the other day my art teacher said that she didnt like tortillions and using your thumb to blend the shading in a graphite drawing. because according to her a tortillion and thumb blending is a sign that the artist doesnt know how to blend with a pencil alone. I wanted to smack her because its my belief that a tool is there for and artist to use and that tool can be used to speed things up or to make effects not possible with other tools. but since im the student and not the teacher i didnt say anything.


  what is you guys expert opinion on the subject? :shrug:
#2

different strokes for different folks I guess - in the end who can say whats wrong and right in art and expression?

but as a student - HEED YOUR ELDERS! … atleast file it away and start to build what you believe in and do not - thats part of your artistic identity :thumbsup:

#3

because according to her a tortillion and thumb blending is a sign that the artist doesnt know how to blend with a pencil alone.

Indoctrination than actual instruction. :sad:

Hope you get your money’s worth.

#4

You could’ve replied with:

“Knowing how to scribble uniformly with a pencil isn’t nearly as important as accurately depicting values and shapes.” :smiley:

#5

thanks Lunatique that could of been the most intelligent reply i could of given her. but like i said with my naivety towards art at the moment i didnt want to argue. but i will continue using what works for me.

#6

Seems like it’s just a difference of opinion to me. Perhaps you should give her technique a try before you go off and say “I’m doing it my way”. After all, you went to the art school to learn. Think of it as expanding your repertoire of techniques. That way you’re empowered later to choose the appropriate technique for any artwork you’re working on.

Tools are there for the artist to use (and abuse), but making the appropriate choices technically for a piece of art (commerical or otherwise) is a lot easier when you have a knowledge of what certain techniques can achieve (or what their downfalls are) to convey the message/feeling of your art.

You can go on continuing on with what works best for you, although sometimes the best thing for you is to get out of your comfort zone.

#7

both are valid methods of shading- i will however point out that the use of “rubbing” with the finger or otherwise will give a “polished” smooth surface which is unsuitable for most surfaces. using strokes is much more effective as it can convey many different surfaces.

#8

I avoid the finger if possible… it can introduce oils from your finger in to the work, which can make it harder to erase or rework an area. Also, your hand can get messy, which can lead to it accidentally hitting another area you didn’t intend if you aren’t careful.

erasers make great mixers too… especially kneadable ones.

I’m personally not a gigantic fan of graphite. Too much reflective glare if you look at it from the right angles since it’s a reflective material… which can make a really dark area look like a highlight under the wrong lighting. I hate that because it kills the realism in the shadows under the wrong lighting conditions.

That issue for me, led me to love pastels and charcoal much more than graphite… but you can get really great results with graphite and charcoal mixes if you are careful, and lots of folks do love and use graphite, so do what you like and what works for you.

#9

Some painting instructors would say not to be so fussy about blending paint either, and yet many work very hard to obliterate the brush strokes, because paint lets you do that quite well. Use the art medium in whatever way it allows you to get the look you’re after. It doesn’t have to be any one way, or the way someone else wants your work to be, but however you want it.

If your trying to get a shaded area over a large space with only the point of a pencil, wake me when you’re done :P. Nonetheless, there’s a great benefit in learning how to control your hand to get nicely blended shades in pencil (or any other dry media.) I rather like the affect of making the mark as obvious as possible, so that the art looks more like what it is - marks on a surface. Also, there are large graphite sticks that you could use, wider pencils, graphite powder, combine with charcoal, etc.

#10

I don’t really know what a tortillion is, but if it’s the semi pointed cloth pencil like thingie, I find that a fine way to blend.

I don’t do much at all the way i was taught in umpteen high school or university level art classes. I MUST do things my own way. It’s the way my mind works. HOWEVER, having said that, I must state that it’s extremely important to learn the rules before you start breaking them. Instead of breaking the rules from sheer stubborness or because you think something looks good, you need to learn why those rules exist and what their purpose is. That’s your foundation. Once that foundation is solid, you can build anything you damn well want on it.

#11

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