I needed a small break from painting recently after working on my new course for several months, so I went looking for a fun way to unwind and try out new materials. I was particularly interested in something that didn’t need refilling, cleaning or frequent change of painting water. My choice fell on graphite sticks.
I discovered graphite sticks a while ago as an interesting tool for drawing in a very spontaneous, loose way. With big graphite sticks you use a broad edge for drawing, so it’s great for getting down big shapes and relationships very quickly.
I found restricting myself to mostly big shapes is a great way to quickly sketch animals, flowers (not too delicate ones) or even simple landscapes, and get a feel for what they look like.
There are interesting products out there that you can use for this approach: there are sticks in different sizes made from pure graphite that look like gray chalk, colored graphite sticks, toned charcoal blocks, big fat pencil-shaped tools and even water-soluble sticks or blocks, and also pastel sticks. All of these can be used in the same way: with the broad side for bold strokes that cover a large area, and on the edge for thinner lines. I didn’t add water in my experiments and I didn’t layer them for color effects, but that’s certainly something you can try. I just wanted a tool for making spontaneous, loose marks.
The sticks can be a bit messy (particularly the water-soluble ones and the pastels), I found pure graphite easiest to handle and also very expressive. It’s fun to use a broad-tipped tool and sculpt shapes with it, instead of creating thin outlines. I hold the sticks in a different way than a regular pencil: similar to how you would hold a knife. This lets you work from the wrist, which is nice.
Some of the products I tried:
- Art Graf graphite stick
- Lyra graphite pastel stick
- Derwent Graphitint XL block + Graphite XL block
- Stabilo woody
- Art Graf tailor shape water-soluble graphite
- Faber Castell mini pastel sticks
You certainly don’t need all of these products if you want to try to create sketches in a similar way, a single one will do! If I had to choose one if them it would probably the Art Graf or Lyra graphite stick. A similar effect could also be achieved with a broad marker. Of course you could also use a big brush and any kind of paint, but my intention was to take a break from painting and focus a bit on dry media for a while.
The sketches I produce with these graphite sticks are not meant to be finished pieces, and they don’t go into my sketchbook, but rather on big inexpensive drawing paper. I treat these sketches as warm-ups and as such, they’re a way to train myself to see big shapes instead of an assortment of small details – which is fun during the later stages of creating a sketch, but not helpful at the start.
This way of drawing with a broad tool forces you to simplify and concentrate on big relationships of shapes.
Here’s one of my study pages of a cat in movement on A3 paper (ca. 11.7×16.5in):
Simplification, focusing on the essence of a subject, and pulling shapes together also plays a big role in landscape sketching, so I found this a very natural approach after painting so many landscape in recent months.
You can still add some details by turning the stick slightly and using the edge to add thin lines and accents. A slightly bigger and somewhat blunt tool will force you to follow a very simple rather loose approach, and use what I like to describe as economy of line. This approach forces you to think about where you place your lines and shapes – making this a conscious process helps training your observational skills. You can also turn the sketches into value studies by bringing out highlights and dark accents.
Overall, I really enjoy warm-ups with graphite sticks. This is not my usual way of drawing, but I like this fresh way of exploring a subject, and experimenting with different materials from time to time.
Graphite sticks are great fun! I’m limited in the well-known brands I can find in Australia, even using Amazon, but there are other brands that fill in the gaps from fine to broad. I like the watersoluble ones as if I have a waterbrush with me I can manipulate the graphite to get in the finer details like ears, noses, etc, and lift it if i need a highlight. But they certainly force us to rethink about how we record an image, particularly if the sketch is timed, and they are brilliant for cats with all their fluid poses.
Yes there are so many different products out there these days, even when you have a limited range to choose from. I definitely have to try combining the watersoluble sticks with water and brush marks, I hope my thin large paper sheets will behave. :)
thank you very much for you space and your drawings. It’s really cool and beauty. I’m from Costa Rica, i’m learning english jaja and drawing
You’re welcome Carlos – I’m happy if my blog can be a space for you to practice drawing and English. :)
Thank you so much for sharing this. It really is inspiring.
You’re welcome Caro, I’m glad to hear that!
I love the way you simplify art Julia. To an older novice you provide very clear and encouraging advice and suggestions. I haven’t tried graphite sticks but I’m quite motivated to do so now, thanks
Thanks Mike! I hope you’ll enjoy the sticks. As I wrote, you can also use similar alternatives, the main aspect is just a broad tip or edge for drawing.
Julia, i think your irises are absolutely gorgeous! I have minuscule handwriting, and i love Seyes-ruled paper because my handwriting (with a Rapidograph) fits perfectly between two purple lines. I think this is a handicapping condition when it comes to my (novice) art practice – way too small, way too tight, obsessive concern for every. little. detail. For me, this post of yours is truly inspirational – go big! look for fundamental shapes! go monocolour! This could be, i think, revolutionary! Thank you – i must get back to your Sketching Fundamentals … with media that makes larger marks. Best, -k.
Thanks so much Karen! I know the obsession with detail, I’m the same. I think it’s the way out human brain/eyes work. We have to consciously untrain this when we draw, at least for getting down the rough shapes and proportions. I haven’t included this technique in my course as I hadn’t tried it back then, but I think it would fit in quite well with gestural sketches, or blind contour drawings, it’s a similar approach. I’ve found squinting also helps a lot for focusing on big shapes.
I am fairly precise in my drawing & in my watercolor work, but it does feel good to do broader stuff. I like the 5.6 mm leads in fat mechanical holders, in red, brown, & black, to do monochrome work & figure out foundational shapes. Good cat work, Julia!
Thanks for mentioning this – I have a holder like this somewhere, I need to see if I can do these large shape drawings with it, too. Great to hear you enjoy this approach, I usually like precision too, but this loose technique is definitely good to get a break.
That DOES look like fun! I have two different sets of the Art Graf tailor shapes which gives me a variety of colors to work with and have seen demos of using them to make those big bold shapes but I guess I’ve been too uptight when trying that for any kind of similar result. Instead I’ve been using them like watercolors, just picking up the graphite with a wet brush which I’ve actually enjoyed. Must try to be braver and do some of your warm-ups. :-)
Interesting! Although you say, “not meant to be finished pieces,” do you keep them? And if so, do you need to apply some kind of fixative?
Thank you!
For now, I keep the sketches so that I can at least document them on the blog, but knowing myself I will probably toss them out in a year or so. And yes a fixative is highly recommended!
Hi Julia and thank you for your wonderful blog, I found it i n feb and started sketching a little bit every day. (im 73) but really have discovered a new world of satisfying expression and relaxation. / Joe