Course Highlights


Drawing Tips: Blending

The process of rubbing shading lines with a blending tool to evenly distribute the drawing medium over the surface of the paper, thereby achieving a silky smooth gradation of values. The key to good shading using blending is to start by rendering high quality hatching, crosshatching and circularism gradations before you begin blending. Blending helps to smooth the gradation but it cannot replace the effect of proper shading technique.

Blending Tools

A commonly used blending tool is the Tortillon; a stick made of soft, absorbent paper with a point at either end. Blending with a tortillon is also known as stumping and produces a graying or lightening of areas drawn in pencil, charcoal, pastels, or chalk. It also conveniently fills any areas that were unintentionally free of the medium.

Facial tissues, paper towels, cotton balls or swabs can also be used for blending and produce smoother, more subtle results than the tortillon. Q-tips work very well for small detailed sections.

Felt can be used to blend if a more textured look is desired. Avoid colored felt or you may add unwanted tints to your drawing by mistake.

Foam (Make-up) Wedges are highly suited to ultra smooth blending.

Blending Technique

One technique for blending is to wrap a piece of tissue around the top of your finger. Starting with the lightest values, make small circular movements, working progressively toward darker values. If after some blending, you feel you need to blend the lighter shades more, be sure to use a fresh piece of tissue or you will unintentionally darken these areas with residual markings on the tissue. Be sure to keep an eye on your blending material to ensure it is not wearing out. You do not want to blend with your finger by accident and in doing so transfer oil and other dirt to your drawing.

Many people prefer to blend with their fingers. This is perfectly acceptable as long as you are cautious of washing your hands before blending. Be aware of the build up of color on your fingers so that if you decide to blend certain areas again, you will not unintentionally apply darker shades to lighter areas with your finger.


Post-Blending

When blending is complete, most mediums must be preserved with fixative as soon as possible to avoid smudging. Once fixed, you still have the freedom to add further darks to accentuate existing ones, as well as use the eraser to produce more subtle tones. However, if you make any additions, remember to apply fixative once again.

Other pages of interest

Drawing technique: Mapping
Drawing texture
Rendering form with different mediums
Drawing tips: Blending
Drawing tools: Erasers

 

 

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