Tips for drawing using Bic graphite pencils
Drawing is a fundamental skill for children to learn as it’s the basis of a lot of art. It can be difficult for children to grasp the different techniques involved with drawing, and they can struggle with their art. To help them learn and practice, use our tips for drawing and let pupils have fun creating whilst not worrying about making mistakes. To aid them further, use BIC graphite pencils so that they can easily hold them correctly and comfortably to draw. Plus, children can erase any mistakes made with ease and without ruining their work.
Practice pencil pressure
A perfect place to start teaching children to draw is by helping them with applying the right pressure when holding a pencil. Most children will hold pencils too tight and press down very firmly when drawing. Due to this, it can be difficult for them to erase pencil lines which leads to them feeling frustrated.
Show your pupils how to hold a pencil correctly for drawing. Make sure to point out the difference between pressing too hard and being lighter makes. Let pupils know that when drawing, it is a balance of both light pressure and harsh pressure. Show them when they should draw lightly and when they should apply more pressure. Doing this helps children to utilise pencil pressure so that they have better control of their values in line art, shading and colouring.
Learn good posture
One of the best tips for drawing is to learn good posture. Many children tend to lean forward whilst drawing, hiding what they are doing from view and also straining their back. It is important to sit with a straight back and to be an arm’s length away from their drawing. It not only helps children with their drawing and their eyes, but it improves their spinal health. Having good posture also prevents their artwork from distortion. This is because looking at art too closely gives pupils tunnel vision which can make it difficult to draw accurate proportions.
Practice observation and set them challenges
For children to become confident with drawing, they need to practice observation. This involves teaching children how to draw from the appearance of items rather than their knowledge or imagination.
The best way to teach observation is to not push it upon children. It is easy for them to feel uncomfortable with a new drawing style. Give your pupils inspiration to draw such as objects around the classroom. Once they have chosen an object, allow them to draw it as many times as they want. Gently advise against the use of erasing and let them use their imagination to help them become comfortable with observational art.
When your pupils get the hang of observation art and build their skills in observing, you can set them challenges. An example of this is showing them wood or trees. Get them to observe all the colours that are in the bark. Then challenge them to draw a tree or a wooden feature like a bench without using the colour brown. This makes them focus and observe all the other colours in wood and trees that we don’t usually see past the brown. To get a wooden effect, they can blend coloured markers so it still looks realistic.
Teach children by questioning and observing
To aid children with their drawing and boost their confidence, it is always best for teachers to question them and observe. These questions should be open-ended and about what they see rather than what they imagine.
Ask questions like where is the object darker and lighter? Where are the harsher lines? Where does the line bend? When pupils answer correctly, praise them and encourage them to find other details about the object.
Make sure you avoid showing how you draw objects to your pupils as imitation isn’t helpful for drawing, unlike other areas of learning.
Focus on one medium at a time
Drawing can be done with various supplies; however, it is extremely important to focus on one at a time. The best way to start is through graphite pencils. For every drawing your pupils do, get them to use their pencils and build their skills through them first before moving on to any other supply. These are best to use first, as any errors in their drawing can be easily erased. Plus, they can explore shading and lines easier with no worries about ruining their drawings.
However, it is good to show children that other supplies can be used for different art forms. Show them that their drawings could be done with chalk, watercolours, paint and even felt pens.
Once they have built their skills up using graphite pencils, you can gradually move on to other mediums. Make sure that children only ever use one supply at a time though as they carry on improving their drawing skills.
Teach proportion
Proportion is the hardest aspect of drawing to grasp. Anatomical proportions can usually be misinterpreted in drawings so it’s vital to teach children accurately so that they improve their drawing skills. Start with the face as this is where people think the head is bigger than what it is, eyes are higher than where they are and bigger than they are too. Show children an accurate representation of drawing the face and then task them to draw themselves or their classmates faces. Use mirrors to help with this and shadow your pupils to guide them on where their features should be and the sizing of them.
Focus on spatial issues
Build children’s drawing skills by teaching them perspectives through focusing on spatial issues. Challenge your pupils with spatial sequences such as drawing horizon lines, an object from three different angles and objects in piles. Allow children to practice their shading too by arranging neutral-coloured objects and shapes together.
Observe shapes
Observing shapes is the bulk of most drawings and will give your pupils the basics to work with. Get children to draw an object from one side and one angle. Trace your finger around the object for a visual representation of the shape for your pupils. Your class can repeat the shape you make in the air with their pencils. Once they understand the shape from that angle, they can begin to draw the shape onto their paper.
Draw freely
Drawing freely allows children to express themselves and use their imagination whilst practicing drawing techniques, expanding their drawing skills. This is also great for those pupils who aren’t ready or interested in drawing realistically as you don’t force them to do so and, therefore, won’t be put off from drawing.
Children have the ability to draw from their heart, but it isn’t always seen as art. Allow them to express themselves and enjoy creating whatever they would like. Drawing in the classroom should be supported however pupil’s artwork turns out.
Draw new objects
Children tend to build a way of drawing things and so can be difficult to teach them new ways and techniques. To assist with this, encourage pupils to step outside of their comfort zones by getting them to observe new objects that they aren’t used to drawing. Primary pupils have already found a way to draw objects such as trees, pets, houses and flowers. Show your class other objects and let them choose which new object they would like to try and draw. Doing this prevents them from reverting to old drawing habits while also not pushing them to unlearn their habits.
Make a sketch book
One of the best tips for drawing is to let pupils make a sketch book where they can draw whatever they please. Doing this encourages children to build upon their drawing skills and have fun creating stories with their drawings. Supply your class with sketch books and plenty of graphite pencils to use and allocate some free time for them to draw during the school day. Allow them to take their sketch books home too to continue practicing their drawing skills.
Each pupil can decorate their sketch book too so that they’re personalised and mean something to them. This makes them want to use their sketch book and they will more likely be excited to draw and show off what they’ve created.
Use these tips for drawing to encourage children to draw and learn new techniques to build their skills. Drawing can be difficult to grasp for children especially when they go into realistic drawing. To help them use BIC graphite pencils that are easy to grip and use for drawing, plus any errors can easily be erased out too.
