Since I shared the article: Pencil drawing for beginners: All you need to know, I have had a heartwarming amount of requests from beginner artists asking me for pencil sketches that they can use for inspiration. While I do share a lot of those over on my Pinterest account, I decided to dedicate an article to this subject – Beginner-friendly pencil sketches for inspiration– so it is easily accessible to you and better to bookmark.
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Beginner-friendly pencil sketches for inspiration
If you want to start a habit of pencil sketching regularly, here’s what you’re going to need:
- A mechanical pencil. I use The Pentel Graph Gear 1000.
- A wider lead pencil for more variety. I use the 2mm Koh-I-Noor Toison D’or Lead Holder.
- A Premium sketchbook, I prefer using off-white color pages, so I bought this Strathmore 400.
- A fixative spray to keep your sketches from smudging.
Eye study sketches
My favorite pencil sketches for inspiration are the eye study sketches you can find on Pinterest. I am listing some pictures for reference, but you can always do your research and practice with the references you like the most or find to work best for you and the art style you want to develop.
Pencil portraits for inspiration
My favorite pencil artist, whom I love using as a reference, is Efrain Malo. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen his art online before and you have probably used it as a reference, so make sure you check him out. Out of all his mesmerizing works of art, the following ones are some of my favorites and that I would recommend you use for inspiration.
Experimenting with the different side profiles will help you master angles and develop your portrait drawing skills.
Experimenting with poses and figures
This is one of the best ways to find pencil sketches for inspiration. In a previous article, I mentioned three free websites to practice drawing poses and figures. Over there, you are going to find great ideas for inspiration as well as lessons and exercises for better practice.
You can go as loose or as defined as you’re feeling. Practicing poses and figures helps you develop a sense of proportions, space, and dimensions, as well as how items or subjects relate to their environment.
Random pencil pages on your sketchbook
You can use your sketchbook to recreate things you like, such as old masters’ artworks, scenes from your favorite TV shows, your cat, your favorite foods, etc. It matters that you have fun with it because positive emotions fuel inspiration, and if you enjoy your session, it helps you become more productive.
Conclusion
These pencil sketches for inspiration are ideas that you can use for your practice. You can find more ideas here: +20 Easy drawing ideas anyone (including you) can try today!
Enjoy creating <3
