Realistic Drawing Guide

Pencil drawing is monochromatic. It uses a single hue (gray) ranging from light gray to dark gray.

To get realistic results, start by drawing the form accurately. After that, brightness values are the key: how light or dark each area is. You also need to pay attention to edges and transitions between values.

Many factors contribute to a realistic drawing, but this guide focuses on four of the most important ones.

The 4 key factors for realistic drawing are:

1. Precision Drawing
2. Brightness Values
3. Edges
4. Transitions

Note:

At the end of this tutorial, you will find practical drawing tips.

Each object has distinct features and a unique form. To achieve a realistic result, your drawing must be accurate.

To draw precisely, you need to draw what you actually see, NOT what you know.

For example, you know that the top of a candle is a circle. However, when looking at it from the side, you draw what you see: an ellipse. Principles of linear perspective naturally change how shapes appear.

The opposite happens when looking from above. The candle's long cylindrical body appears shorter. This visual shortening is called foreshortening.

In perspective, objects look smaller as they get farther away. When an object is directly in front of you, it keeps its proportions and simply appears smaller without changing shape.

However, when a surface tilts along your line of sight, it becomes foreshortened. The more a surface faces your line of sight, the shorter it appears.

In the next example, see how the surfboard appears foreshortened when facing you.

To get a deeper understanding of foreshortening, read my guide on how to draw objects from imagination. There you will learn how to draw basic shapes, such as cylinders, correctly in perspective.

Drawing happens on a flat, two-dimensional paper. Forget about depth for a moment and look at objects in 2D: width, height, and angles.

Use your pencil as a tool to check the angle of any line before you draw it.

When measuring angles, turn your pencil only left or right against your line of sight. Never tilt it forward or backward, because your paper is flat.

Do the same for complex subjects, like portraits.

In the next example, look at how measuring the angle of the eyes helps build an accurate drawing.

If you struggle with drawing accurately, read my guide on how to draw accurately from observation.

When two people view an object from different angles, they draw it differently. The same thing happens with your eyes because each eye sees from a slightly different position.

To draw accurately, close one eye whenever you use your pencil to measure dimensions and angles.

Look at some coloring pages and try to reproduce them.

Drawing the form accurately is the most important part of realistic drawing.

Learning to draw accurately from observation is crucial for realism.

After you master drawing in proportion, you can focus on the other key factors for realistic drawing.

Understanding brightness values is essential, and it is the subject of the next chapter.

What Are Brightness Values

Brightness values (or simply "values") describe how light or dark an area of a drawing is. They help create the illusion of depth and three-dimensional form on a flat piece of paper.

How Does Pencil Drawing Work

At its most basic level, pencil drawing is simply placing graphite particles on paper using different pencils.

Pencils come in different hardness levels:

Hard pencils (H): Deposit less graphite, producing lighter values.

Soft pencils (B): Deposit more graphite, producing darker values.

How to Use a Pencil

The pressure you apply affects how light or dark your pencil marks are. More pressure creates darker values, while less pressure creates lighter values.

I recommend using pencils with different darkness levels to achieve a full range of brightness values.

Sharp pencils are great for small details, while dull pencils are useful for creating smooth, even transitions.

How to Practice

Get to know your tools! Practice creating gradual transitions from light to dark with each pencil grade you use.

This will help you learn how much pressure to apply and how light or dark you can make your marks with each pencil.

You can lighten values using a kneaded eraser. Gently dab it on the drawing to lift graphite and create lighter values.

How to Identify Brightness Values

Observation is the key to identifying brightness values. Compare each area with the others to determine which parts are lighter or darker.

Tip:

If it is hard to see the values in a complex image, squint your eyes. This helps you focus on light and dark areas while ignoring fine details and texture.

For a list of the materials I use for drawing, visit my pencil-drawing supply review.

As opposed to comics drawing that is characterized by contour lines, which surround the figure, in realistic drawing with a pencil (or in any other way), there are no lines at all.

The edge of an object is where its shape or surface ends. It can end in a sharp way or in a soft way, but it is not a line!

Some objects (like fur, hair, or cloth) have soft edges, while other objects (like rocks, cars, or furniture) have hard edges.

In the next example, examine how the folds in fabric are soft and blurry.

To draw a soft edge is to create a gradual transition (gradient) in brightness values, from dark to light.

Depending on climate conditions and distance, far-away objects might have soft edges.

Remember:

Use lines only as guidelines to draw an accurate form. Draw them lightly, so they are easy to erase if needed.

How to draw soft edges:

There are many ways to soften edges (gradient from dark to light), depending on the effect you want to achieve.

Hereby, three recommended ways:

If you are not around your drawing equipment, you can use dry paper (like a paper towel) or cloth to smooth edges.

Note:

Try to avoid smudging a pencil drawing using your finger. It can transfer body oils or sweat to the paper sheet.

Using soft edges for far-away objects creates a sense of depth.

Pencil drawing example:

Shadows and reflections:

In many cases, shadows and reflections have soft (or less defined) edges.

Lost edges:

Sometimes, the value of two areas is the same.

In most cases, it is safe to draw these areas with the same value without an edge between them.

Cylinder bodies are built from ellipses (foreshortened circles).

To learn how to draw these structures, visit my ellipse drawing guide.

In addition, check out my ball drawing guide.

Keep in mind:

Contrast in values (between dark and light) is important for a drawing (or painting) to stand out.

Additionally, contrast between hard and soft edges makes the drawing interesting and with presence.

In the next example, there is contrast between the hard edges of the helmet and the soft edges of the feathers.

When drawing with a pencil, it is important to pay attention to brightness values (how dark or light each area is) and edges (how each area or surface ends, either with a soft edge or a hard edge).

In addition, pay attention to transitions.

On a certain surface, areas that are closer to a light source are lighter, and areas farther away from the light source are darker, meaning the surface has a gradual transition in values.

Therefore, look for the brightness values of a particular surface compared to other surfaces, but also the transitions of values ​​within the surface itself.

Pencil drawing example:

In the next example, I used transitions in brightness values to draw the folds in the neck area.

Remember:

Every part of each drawing has transitions. An area with no transitions looks flat and unnatural.

How do I draw smooth transitions?

After you draw the form accurately, it has no depth without brightness values.

You can draw smooth transitions with smudging tools, like a blending stump or a synthetic brush.

To get natural results using pencils only, think of your pencil as if it were a brush.

Draw gently, in a continuous way, with no spaces between marks.

Use light pencils for transitions in light areas (H levels) and dark pencils for transitions in dark areas (B levels).

Where to start drawing?

If you are right-handed, start drawing from the upper left and gradually move to the lower right.

For left-handed artists, start at the upper right.

In this way, the palm can rest on the blank surface of the drawing paper and not smudge what has already been drawn.

Where to place the light source?

If you are right-handed, place the lighting (table lamp) on the left side so your palm does not block the light source.

If you are left-handed, place the lighting on the right side.

How to avoid smearing?

Place a blank sheet of paper under the drawing hand to avoid smearing, transfer of body oils, or sweat.

How do I use drawing supplies?

Try not to press hard when drawing so you do not damage the paper sheet you are drawing on.

Use thick paper for your artworks; it is more durable. Thin paper sheets are great for practice.

I prefer paper with at least 150 g/m thickness, ideally 180 g/m or more.

Do not lean hard on paper (with any hand) when drawing to avoid dents.

Here is my review for drawing paper brands and types.

Commission drawing process:

I start by drawing the form accurately.

Then I pay attention to the other 3 factors (brightness values, edges, and transitions).

I am right-handed, so I draw from left to right and from top to bottom.

Anatomy Tip:

Eyes are located at the center of the face (between the chin and the top of the hair).

For more tips, check out my fine art painters gallery for exclusive painting tips by professional painters.

Which paper size to use?

Realistic drawing is time-consuming.

Therefore, I do not recommend drawing on a large paper sheet.

Depending on the project, I use these paper sizes: A5 (small), A4 (medium), and A3 (large).

How to draw straight borders?

When only part of the paper is used for drawing, you can border it with masking tape.

When the drawing is ready, remove the masking tape, and you will have a straight border.

Reference images:

Draw from reference photos with color (not monochromatic photos).

Get used to seeing the correct brightness values while ignoring the color or texture.

Draw from big and quality images. Do not use your phone screen; it is too small.

Frame:

To protect your finished drawing, use a quality picture frame.

Glass can be smooth yet reflective or matte, which has no reflection but adds texture.

In addition, use a passe-partout (mat) to prevent your drawing from touching the glass.

For more techniques, check out my realistic insects drawing guide.

While there are no lines in nature or in realistic pencil drawing, pen drawing is characterized by drawing lines.

I use a technical pen (fine liner) for drawing.

For recommended pen brands to use, visit my review on drawing pens for artists.

A pen has a fixed brightness value!

The way to create the illusion of different brightness values ​​when using a pen is to draw more lines in the same area for a darker value and fewer lines for a lighter value.

If you like drawing with pens, you might like my guide for flower drawing.

And my guide for drawing trees.

Realistic drawing is all about transitions in brightness values and different types of edges.

For realistic painting, check out my realistic painting guide.

To understand depth, read the article on how to draw with a sense of depth, which includes 15 methods to draw depth and has many examples.

While it is convenient to draw from images, I recommend practicing drawing from direct observation. Read my still-life composition-drawing tutorial to see how to plan your composition.

In addition, you can compose anything, including a combination of drawing from imagination and observation, like the following self-portrait.

After mastering accurate drawing (structure and values), you can take your drawings to the next level by learning how to draw textures.