Imagination and a pencil are all you need to bring to life the ancient creatures of the Mesozoic Era. All of the drawings in this book can be completed using nothing more than a simple no. 2 pencil and some paper. What is commonly referred to as a no. 2 pencil actually contains HB lead. This is a perfect balance of softness for dark marks and blending, and it has good hardness to hold a point for detail. I like to keep several sharp pencils on hand so I don’t have to keep going back to the sharpener.
I like to use a medium weight drawing paper sized about 14" × 18" (36cm × 46cm) such as bristol board. This paper is heavy enough to endure fairly rugged erasing and can handle a variety of expressive texture and tight detail work. The size is not too big to be cumbersome, while not so small that it hinders detail work. This size also fits nicely on the flatbed scanner in my studio so I can bring my drawings into the computer for painting and enhancement. Here are a few examples of some of the more common drawing techniques I use throughout this book.
Directional lines add contour and form to your work.
Shading with the side of the pencil adds value and shadows to your drawings.
Crosshatching adds texture and form.
Use more pressure to create darker shading.