Question #1 - Holding a Pencil

The first question for the Field Book comes from an old friend of mine, Swiblet on DeviantArt.

Q: "What is the optimal way to hold a pencil for best results?"

A solid answer on this topic is difficult to give, since not every artist will agree. However, I can offer my personal opinion and experience here. The best advice I can give is this: never get stuck only holding your pencil in one way. Be open to using more than one method for holding your pencil, because different situations may require different techniques.

Many of us get set in the first method we learn - holding the pencil close to the point, between our thumb and pointer finger. This is a perfectly good approach for handling fine detail or small drawings, but it can be much too confining when sketching in larger shapes. Our fingers and wrist only have so much range of motion at this level.

It's better to hold your pencil farther from the tip when first beginning the larger, rough shapes of your drawing. This allows your pencil tip to move in a larger area with less effort on your hand's part.

For an even better range of motion, you should try the technique that most art instructors encourage students to use. This is an "overhand" sort of pose; you hold the pencil far from the tip, the eraser end pointing into your palm. This method takes practice, and requires that you use your whole arm to move the pencil around the page.

(Anyone intending to take life drawing classes should start practicing this method as soon as possible. Most teachers make it a requirement.)

This method works best for drawing on large vertical spaces, though I also use it for very lose sketchbook drawings or filling in large areas with one value.

There are many more techniques for holding your pencil, and every artist will find different poses more comfortable. As a learning artist, part of your job is to find out what works best for you. Always be open to experimenting with new methods for holding your pencil. I was once very reluctant to try anything beyond holding my pencil close to the tip, but eventually I realized how much more I could do by practicing other techniques.

If you don't feel like this has answered the question for you, or you want to know more, please post a comment to let me know!