Dominicque's Sketchbook

[Noone]

Have you tried Blackwings, the 602 or the Matte black? They layer very well to get to very dark, and are just beautiful to use. Tombow mono 100s are also very good pencils that layer up dark well.

A main strategy to get darker is to draw in light layers using multiple dirrctions (circular and hatched) and creep up to the darks rather than try and blast in the dark heavily in only a single pass or two. It allows the paper to take more of the graphite as it gets filled slowly and more completely, and the weave of the paper hasn't been destroyed by heavy pressure. The paper you use also matters.

Regarding taking good graphite 'scans'. The best way to get high quality images is to use a polarised light source and a polarising filter on your camera.
You need a dslr or mirrorless camera (as good quality as you have access to). You need a CPL Circular polarising filter on the lens, and lights that also have a polarised filter on them. You can use a relatively cheap hotshoe circular led flash / fill light for the camera and get some polarising filter sheets to put in front of the light to polarise it.

The polarised light and the C/PL on the camera work to cut out any reflective glare that comes with trying to capture graphite drawings by camera in normal unpolarised light. Can provide more info if you wish.

It is some setup and cost if you don't already have access to a camera or these other things, but it really is worth doing it if you really do want to have high print quality digital copies of your work. I have a setup and it is amazing how much better it does at capturing the work accurately.
Might not be worth it if you aren't going to be using them for professional purposes, like making prints.

[Dominicque]

Have you tried Blackwings, the 602 or the Matte black? They layer very well to get to very dark, and are just beautiful to use. Tombow mono 100s are also very good pencils that layer up dark well.

A main strategy to get darker is to draw in light layers using multiple dirrctions (circular and hatched) and creep up to the darks rather than try and blast in the dark heavily in only a single pass or two. It allows the paper to take more of the graphite as it gets filled slowly and more completely, and the weave of the paper hasn't been destroyed by heavy pressure. The paper you use also matters.

Regarding taking good graphite 'scans'. The best way to get high quality images is to use a polarised light source and a polarising filter on your camera.
You need a dslr or mirrorless camera (as good quality as you have access to). You need a CPL Circular polarising filter on the lens, and lights that also have a polarised filter on them. You can use a relatively cheap hotshoe circular led flash / fill light for the camera and get some polarising filter sheets to put in front of the light to polarise it.

The polarised light and the C/PL on the camera work to cut out any reflective glare that comes with trying to capture graphite drawings by camera in normal unpolarised light. Can provide more info if you wish.

It is some setup and cost if you don't already have access to a camera or these other things, but it really is worth doing it if you really do want to have high print quality digital copies of your work. I have a setup and it is amazing how much better it does at capturing the work accurately.
Might not be worth it if you aren't going to be using them for professional purposes, like making prints.

Hi Noone, I have a random Blackwing: Natural, because I heard of the hype and wanted to try them. I swatched it again after your recommendation. It seems pretty similar to the darkest pencil grade I own, which is a Derwent 9B. I assume the 602 and Matte Black are those with artists in mind? I'm so used to associating 'Tombow Mono' with rubbers, I didn't know they had an artist's range of graphite pencils! They look to be easily available in the UK, but I can only see a 6B as part of the set. So, I'll need to check out open stock. Thank you for the name! 

Yes, what I've been doing lately is start with a 5H, then a H and build up the values that way, ala the Atjazz pic. My blackest pencil is my Black Polychromo, but it would be great to have a black or near enough graphite pencil. A large departure from just depending on mechanical pencils. Great for details, though most are HB by default, dark grades are hard to find and of course painful for filling out larger areas. I only started really getting into them in the wake of my mini 'atelier' type short course at an art centre, where I learnt the actual use and application of a blending stump. I love them now, but they are still a bitch to clean/sharpen. I'm also been searching to the best paper, but related to taking layers of coloured pencils. Is 100% cotton, acid-free the recommended ones for graphite, too? I'll have to pause my art buying, tho, already spent almost £80 on coloured pencils. 

Thanks for the info, but all that info is going over my head, as I only have access to a canon scanner and buying a camera with all that sounds pretty expensive. I'll note it, tho, in case I get involved with photographing my images. (Perhaps a matte black pencil, like the Pitt range, would be a cheaper alternative?)

[cgmythology]

Fantastic updates! You're figure work is getting better and better, and the use of light on your latest is very convincing. Very well done, keep it up!

[Jephyr]

Loving your new stuff especially Atjazz

[JavierP]

Hi Dominicque! I think your feelings are very valid, especially considering the state of the world these days. I think it is due to our access to so much media all the time. When I was much younger, there was no internet and I had very little access to printed media. I drew the things I liked and was unable to compare myself to many, much better, artists. I think that point in time helped me to develop as an Illustrator, mentally more than anything else.
I would really suggest you foster that kind of environment for yourself. Stay away from the noise of social media and focus on the things you want to make. Don't let the weight of the world's problems and preoccupations be a factor in your creative journey. At the end of the day, we are making these images for our own satisfaction and enjoyment. Try to find that place again. It will make your art journey so much more satisfying and less stressful. You do great work! Don't worry so much about the rest. Good luck.

[Noone]

The Pearl and Natural/Matte is supposedly for sketching, the 602 for note taking, holds a point better, so for me better if you want very sharp linework. Just marketing, you can use a lump of burnt wood to draw with. They are just high quality pencils in general.

Paper is a wide ranging topic to get into. Totally depends on what you prefer. Ofc if you want your work to not degrade the minimal label you want is acid free. Most artist focused papers will be anyway. For me, basically the smoother the paper the more sharp  and smooth detail you can achieve: bristol paper /board for example. Totally depends on preference. Moleskines for example take graphite beautifully and they are more on the smooth side. I use Fabriano paper of various types that are good, Stonehenge and Canson also. I've also drawn on paper from rolls I stretched myself, and gessoed wood or Acm panels with nice results and easier to frame than loose sheets. Totally up to you to try and figure out what you like according to budget over time. Find artists you like and see what they use to get their results can be a way to narrow down.

Eventually the question of how to take good quality digital scans/photos of your work will rear, and then you can revisit what I've said and do some research then. In general, I think a good quality camera is better than a run of the mill document scanner still, these days.The main issue you will find is dealing with the glare from graphite, which is what using a polarised light and a polarised camera lens filter removes.