Not manga artists this time, but some deviants!
I've always loved pencil drawing. (Although often I wonder if it isn't just that I've been too scared to try anything more permanent that I feel more comfortable working with pencil. Probably it stems from my fear of commitment.) I love the flexibility it gives you, the variations in shade and tone that can be achieved, and I do rather like monochrome art, I don't think colour is always necessary.
But while I've always enjoyed sketching in pencil for myself, I never really thought of it as a serious form of art. I know that's silly, because I have seen some simply incredible drawings done in pencil. Maybe I just thought that I could never produce some serious pencil art.
I joined deviantart a while back (I might set up one specifically for this blog at some point...) and discovered some wonderful artists working in the medium of pencil. In the one above, I love the subtlety of some of her lines (I always tend to go for bold lines, and I forget that less can be more) and the delicate shading.
But while I've always enjoyed sketching in pencil for myself, I never really thought of it as a serious form of art. I know that's silly, because I have seen some simply incredible drawings done in pencil. Maybe I just thought that I could never produce some serious pencil art.
I joined deviantart a while back (I might set up one specifically for this blog at some point...) and discovered some wonderful artists working in the medium of pencil. In the one above, I love the subtlety of some of her lines (I always tend to go for bold lines, and I forget that less can be more) and the delicate shading.
Doria-Plume also does some lovely work in regular and coloured pencil. I think that it was when I saw her coloured piece above that I first thought of coloured pencil as a legitimate form of colouring, not just something you do when you're 5. Before that I always felt like I would have to learn to use paints or ink in order to be able to colour, and I experimented with markers to no avail. Although I would still like to learn to paint, I realised that coloured pencils are actually a medium well suited for me - while I like bold lines I like subtle shading, and I tend to work gradually.
JDarnell is another pencil artist I admire. Her drawings are full of beautiful patterns and textures. She also does use those bold lines which I favour, but much more skillfully. I particularly love the delicate way she depicts the facial features.