Amazing Arts & Artists : Pencil Drawing & Ben Heine

Pencil Drawing

Among all the artistic media, pencil drawing stands out as one of the simplest, yet most varied. Artists use everything from graphite pencils, to charcoals and pastels, in capturing the emotional response that they want to evoke from their viewers. As with other media, no single school of thought has predominated for long, yet the range of sub-genres available in pencil drawing are staggering–ranging from caricature and cartooning, to pure doodling and the more complex designs associated with commercial art. At some time period or another, nearly every great artist has produced notable works in pencil–which only further underlines its universal appeal.

Yet pencil drawing did not become a more serious proposition until the 14th century, when paper becomes widely available. From that time onward, nearly every great artist–from Michaelangelo, to Rembrandt, van Gogh and Picasso, among many, many others–tried some kind of pencil drawing.

Whatever their chosen medium, pencil artists use several key techniques to realize their vision. The art of contour–or focusing on the shapes of things and black and white spaces–is particularly important, in which the artist strives to get the form down without lifting his pencil. Shading, or the ability to distinguish between light and shade, is the next major building block for the pencil artist to master–primarily by manipulating erasure marks with a blending stamp to achieve the right balance. The final task involves the addition of lines and textures to provide greater definition and realism. The manipulation of these techniques forms the basic elements of any pencil drawing, while helping to distinguish one artist’s style from another.

Formal education and training are often cited as an obvious benefit, but many pencil drawing artists have worked successfully without it–often starting by drawing simple black and white photographs, for example. Choosing pictures with a clearly defined light and shade component is considered another useful technique to learn the basics of shading, and composition. For the artist, the most important goal of these exercises is developing an innate sense of composition–or, simply put, the ability to see what lies in front of them–as opposed to pure representation, the dominant concern of commercial art, for example.

Drawing in pencil can be among the most rewarding exercise for any artist, whether a mass audience ever gets to view the results. Working in pencil allows the artist to concentrate on capturing the essence of any image, using simple tools to get the job done. With the advent of computer imaging, the pencil artist has a powerful new tool to help him realize his vision. Interest in multimedia techniques–such as using tree branches or carbon deposits from smoke to put images on paper–is also growing, particularly for practitioners of outsider or folk art that does not fit into established genres. As long as the urge to push the envelope remains strong, the future of pencil drawing seems healthy indeed.

Ben Heine

Ben is a multidisciplinary artist, currently living and working in Rochefort, Belgium. Best known for his original series “Pencil Vs Camera”, “Digital Circlism” and “Flesh and Acrylic”. He has a degree in journalism and also briefly studied History of Art, Painting and Sculpture. He is a self-taught person in traditional drawing and digital photography. Ben has over a decade of professional experience as a graphic creator.

He is selling and exhibiting prints online and in various galleries worldwide. Ben also loves music and meeting new people. Find More about Ben on his Blog http://benjaminheine.blogspot.in/

Few of his Exceptional works from his blog

A quiet tiger, a scary owl and an imprudent artist

Alone on a strange and endless podium

Pencil Vs Camera

Hope all his works Inspires you

The Creativity of an artist is always self taught. It is the passion what drives the artists to search for innovation. Ben is a perfect role model for aspiring artists and young students who are passionate about drawing. Hope Ben’s work inspires you all. Please check more of his works on his blog http://benjaminheine.blogspot.in/

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Courtesy & Sources : Ehow, Ben Heine

Disclaimer: All the images used here are copyrighted to Ben and used here for non-profit, educational and inspirational purposes only.

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