The Choices are Black and White

As an artist, a problem I face every day is: is a mechanical pencil better than a regular pencil? I have come to the conclusion and proudly state that I will take a mechanical pencil for my art any day over a regular pencil. A mechanical pencil can do detail finer, do various shading textures and gradients better, along with stark line weights and contrast while keeping your hand cool and comfortable.

Detail in an art piece, to me, is what really shows what an artist can do, it unlocks their full potential in every aspect, and therefore I love to do as much detail as I can (in certain places, that way it draws the eye into a part of the drawing I want it to but not able to do that with a regular pencil without sharpening it constantly). Furthermore, contrast can be achieved starkly with this utensil of choice because of not only its ability to draw dark, but the tip is fine, creating spots of shine and the gain of the shading to be a lot shorter. As you can see in this picture, an artist did one side of a face she drew with mechanical (right side) and the other with a regular pencil (left side); this shows just how much greater the contrast can be with a mechanical.

In order to accomplish a drawing to the best of your abilities, you must be interested in the piece, which can partly be done by having comfort while drawing, specifically in your hand. A mechanical pencil is nice because some do come with the grips (which you can put on a regular but you have to get it/take it off from a mechanical) making it softer and extending the width of the pencil, making it harder for cramps to appear in fingers. Even if one does not come with a grip, it is just the same as a regular pencil. But not only is the width and texture important for comfort, but length is too. A #2 pencil, as it is sharpened, decreases in length, which when at a certain point, it can affect how you hold it- some may like it shorter, but in both ways, your grip will still have to adapt to the length of it. “The great thing about mechanical pencils is that they stay the same length, making it easier to get a consistent grip” (GEDDES).

Shading is what makes a piece pop- it makes a piece have value and look 3 dimensional, in turn creating a surrealistic piece when done right. Everything has a texture, smooth, rough, reflective, dull, and in turn changes the texture and gain of the shadow it casts- with a regular pencil, only some textures can be achieved. But with a mechanical, many more are possible, the consistent, fine thickness of the lead helps very much in maintaining a consistency within not only the shadow but the object casting it. This can even be observed in the photo as well, the skin and hair have a distinct texture difference, not only just in value.

From all of these things, I have come to the conclusion that a mechanical pencil makes an art piece become an art masterpiece when handled correctly. The mechanical pencil takes the training wheels off and unlocks your full potential. The mechanical pencil is better in every way, from value to comfort to consistency to definition. When doing your next black and white piece, try a mechanical pencil. It just may make you the next Picasso.

 

 

 

Works Cited

https://www.raymondgeddes.com/mechanical-pencils-vs-regular-pencils

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top
Skip to toolbar