"Drawing Materials"

The materials in which you work are of the greatest importance in determining what qualities in the infinite complexity of nature you select for expression. And you will find out the particular ones that belong to whatever medium you select for your artwork, and be careful never to attempt more than it is capable of doing.

Every material you work with, possesses certain vital qualities peculiar to itself, and it is your business to find out what these are and use them to the advantage of your drawing.

Art is not a substitute for nature, ...but an expression of feeling produced in the consciousness of the artist, ...and intimately associated with the material through which it is expressed in his work — inspired, it may be, in the first instance, by something seen, and expressed by him in painted symbols as true to nature as he can make them while keeping in tune to the emotional idea that prompted the work; but never regarded by the fine artist as anything but painted symbols nevertheless.

In the earlier history of art it was not so necessary to insist on the limitations imposed by different mediums. With their more limited knowledge of the phenomena of vision, the early masters had not the same opportunities of going astray in this respect.

But now that whole field of vision has been discovered, and that the subtlest effects of light and atmosphere are capable of being represented, it has become necessary to decide how far complete accuracy of representation will help the particular impression you may intend your picture or drawing to create.

The danger is that in producing a complete illusion of representation, the particular vitality of your medium, with all the expressive power it is capable of yielding, may be lost.

Perhaps the chief difference between the great masters of the past and many modern painters is the neglect of this principle. They represented nature in terms of whatever medium they worked in, and never overstepped this limitation.

Modern artists, often attempted to copy nature, the medium being subordinated to the attempt to make it look like the real thing.

In the same way, the artworks of the great masters were drawings. They did not attempt anything with a point that a point was not capable of expressing.

The artworks of many modern artists are full of attempts to express tone and color effects, things entirely outside the true province of drawing. The small but infinitely important part of nature that pure drawing is capable of conveying has been neglected, and line work, until recently, went out of fashion in our schools.

Although this website concentrates on the use of pencil, yet I think it is important for you to know all the drawing materials associate to producing art that can be used to enhance your artworks.

These are some of the drawing materials I want to discuss:-

• Pencil Lead
• Charcoal Pencil
• Red, Black, White Chalks
• Black Conté and Carbon Pencil
• Lithography
• Pen and Ink
• Etching
• Watercolor
• Drawing Paper

Perhaps you might want to look at these drawing material related products. There are some very good art sets or art kits that you can have before you start your artworks. Simply enter your search term and hit 'Go'...

So, what's next?

Let's go to the next important things in pencil drawings... Do you know the best Drawing Pencil Set consists of? Follow this link to learn more...

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