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Today we're going to explore the use of a soft brush and how it can help you create
smoother, more realistic textures and shading.
Not many people consider using a brush for drawing, since brushes are usually reserved
for painting.
Brushes are actually used in multiple ways for drawing, but for the purpose of this video
we'll stick with creating layers and blending.
It's important that the brush you use is soft, such as a goat hair brush. First, we'll talk
about layers.
Layers are very helpful when your drawing hair, especially facial hair.
By applying the brush to each layer, you engrain the graphite into the paper while also ridding
the paper of excess graphite without smearing it and ruining the drawing.
This goes far in adding real depth to your drawings.
The last technique we'll discuss in this video is blending. The same principle applies as
using a blending stump, but a soft brush isn't as harsh.
Unless you purposefully dip the brush in an excess of graphite, the brush will spread
very little graphite outside of the area that graphite is already applied.
Charcoal, on the other hand, will spread a bit more easily, so use caution.
Often times when I use a brush, the background becomes covered in a small layer of graphite,
so if you want your portrait to really stand out you must eraser the background.
This will increase the contrast between your subject and the background.
Do you ever use a brush in your drawings, or is this the first time you've heard of
it? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for watching and becoming a subscriber. Stay tuned for more art videos and tutorials
from The Sketchbook Artist.