Pencil drawing in monochrome is the foundation of any budding artist. Many new artists make the mistake of skipping foundation building and go right on to learn how to paint or draw in colors. They do this by learning tracing the shapes and forms and then paint over them.

Unfortunately, this process cannot produce a good drawing. That's because when the artist starts to paint over the lines, he or she starts to trace as well. As a result, spontaneity is lost. The drawing looks unnatural, and the artist is only cheating himself.

How then do we avoid this? The answer lies in learning how to draw and sketch properly, so that when the drawing comes out, it looks naturally instead of mechanical.

Contrary to popular believe, learning how to draw or sketch naturally is not as difficult as it seems. I do agree that there are more complicated subjects such as portraits, hands, etc. that require more skills but all that can be picked up with proper training.

The first step to learning how to draw in monochrome is to pick the right paper. If you observe good sketches, you'll notice that they often contain near perfect blendings and classy details. So much so that the others can only observe in awe. Well, now you don't have to. You too, can draw like that.

You see, the drawing paper that you choose plays a big part. There are two types of paper that we can generally choose from. The choice is a little more complicated if you're drawing in color, but for monochrome drawing, just keep in mind that you want to choose drawing paper that has a smooth service.

You can feel the paper with your hands when choosing the paper. The other type of paper are those with a mat surface. This kind of paper feels grainy and rough. In your local art supplies store, you'll find both of these types of paper. Also, most multi-purpose paper feels rough rather than smooth. That's because the paper has to provide for the needs of using colors. Choose a sketch pad that's smooth for practise. Don't worry if it feels thin. You don't need a thick piece of cartridge paper for sketching exercises.

The next step is to choose drawing tools that allow you to work on both the broad lines and the fine details. It doesn't matter what type of monochrome tools that you're going to use (charcoal, pencils, etc), but you do need to know that you must keep pointed tools with you at all times for the fine details.

These are the tools required for drawing in monochrome. Once you have them, you're ready to start.