How to Draw a Pencil
In How to Draw a Pencil you learn how to draw a cylinder shape with a twist as you draw a pencil step by step in several positions. So helpful in drawing on your own.
Servings: 1 drawing
Cost: $1
Equipment
- Pencil sharpener
Ingredients
Instructions
- Let’s start by drawing a pencil that is on the table with you looking at it straight on from the side. I’m excited to show you how to draw a pencil in several positions because it always intrigues me to see how making a few lines and bits of shading can make a drawing on a flat piece of paper look more 3D. From this viewpoint a cylinder-shaped pencil looks like a long, narrow rectangle with a pointed end.Draw a long narrow horizontal rectangle and then add the triangular pointed end. The pointed end is actually a cone which is another shape we have already learned to draw.
- We add the eraser and metal end with the ridges of the metal part of the eraser. Then replace the straight line of the rectangle with a jagged line to give the look of where the pencil is sharpened. Darken the pointed end to look like pencil lead.
- The shading and details on the pencil are what make the drawing seem more 3D. So pretending that the light source is to the upper right, there is a shadow under the pencil where the light is blocked. Lay the pencil you are using to draw with over to the side and use the side of the lead to shade the underside of the pencil. I do a little smudging with my finger when I’m done.If the pencil you are drawing is round, leave it as it is, if it has the flattened sides, draw lines the length of the pencil excluding the point and the eraser.You can add whatever lettering is on the pencil if you want.
- Now, let’s draw a pencil in another position.Place the pointed end of the pencil to your left and push it back about 2 inches. The eraser end will be closer to you than the pointed end.This change in position changes how we draw the pencil.Now the two vertical lines of our cylinder pencil look slanted with the left side higher than the right side. Draw these two lines. Also draw the pointed end on the left end.
- We can now see the end of the eraser on the right end which looks like an oval (a foreshortened circle). Draw this oval that is the end of the eraser. The oval is vertical and fits between the two lines we just drew.Note: If you are looking at the pencil with the eraser straight at you, it looks like a circle. This circle shape changes to an oval as you slant the pencil in different directions.
- Now draw the rings of the metal part of the eraser by making “smile” lines that are the same “smile” slant as the left side of the oval. The video helps you to see what I mean by this if that is confusing.Lightly draw the same slanted smile line on the other end of the pencil to show where the painted part of the pencil ends, and the pointed end begins.Make this line kind of jagged to look like where the sharpener cut into the wood and erase the light line you made before. Darken the end of the pointed part to look like pencil lead. Pretend that there is a light source to the upper right and shade the lower part of the pencil and the area below the pencil where the light is blocked as we did before.
- Let’s look at one more pencil position and draw it on paper.Take the pencil and move the pencil tip (lead) on the left closer to you and the eraser end on the right further away on the table.Now the two vertical lines of our cylinder pencil look slanted with the right side higher than the left side. Draw these two lines. Also draw the pointed end on the left end.
- Now we CAN’T see the end of the eraser on the right end- draw a smile line that bows to the right to look like the rounded end of the eraser. You will not make the full oval this time because you can’t see the end of the eraser.Now draw the rings of the metal part of the eraser by making “smile” lines that are the same “smile” slant as the one we just made. The video helps you to see what I mean by this if that is confusing.Lightly draw the same slanted smile line on the other end of the pencil to show where the painted part of the pencil ends, and the pointed end begins.
- Make this line kind of jagged to look like where the sharpener cut into the wood and erase the light line you made before. Darken the end of the pointed part to look like pencil lead. Pretend that there is a light source to the upper right and shade the lower part of the pencil and the area below the pencil where the light is blocked as we did before.Add the details of the pencil as we did last time if you want.
Video
Notes
Note: There is a practice exercise on the website for getting more experience drawing the pencil.
Also, this is the way to draw a crayon or other long cylinder object!