Windmill Project using Academy Sketching Pencils

by artist Linda Stevens

Materials used Academy sketch pad or book Academy Sketching Pencils: 5H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B Paper stump (optional)

Use your shapes to guide you to draw your design. Circles, squares, triangles and oblongs are the basics of drawing. Using an Academy HB pencil draw the windmill onto your paper by using circle and oblong shapes. For the top of the windmill you need a circle, draw a line across the middle of this which will leave you with a dome shape. The base of the windmill comes from an oblong shape; draw a slight curved shape at the top and bottom of the windmill and then complete the body of the windmill by gradually pulling out your lines from top to bottom to create the shape of the body. The windmill blades are three oblong shapes positioned where you want them to be. Now draw the shapes for the windows and door.

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Once you have drawn your outline add detail to the blades, windows and doors as seen in the picture.

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At this step we start adding brickwork. For this use a 5H pencil as this is quite a hard pencil and will leave an imprint on the paper of the shape of the brickwork, once the imprint has been left go over this with a 4B pencil. Clouds and background can then be added, use different degrees of pencil for this depending on how light or how dark you wish the areas to be. The blades of the windmill should be crisp and sharp so use a H pencil for this and then a 2B pencil for the shadows.

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We are nearing completion of our picture; we just need a little more blending and shading. One side of the windmill should be lighter than the other. The base and the top of the windmill have dark bands around them so use a 6B pencil for these. On the darker side use the 6B again and with your finger or paper stump rub some of the pencil to create the medium and lighter tones.The windows are squares filled in with a 5B pencil; for the door and roof use the cross hatching technique and with a 4B pencil make a few marks on the blades. Use a 6B pencil on its side to shade the clouds and then use your finger or paper stump to create different tones. The reeds have been created using the 6B and 2H pencils, for large shadows use a 5B and 6B pencil. For the trees in the distance use a 2H and 2B pencil (2H to get the sharp crisp lines and the 2B to create the foliage). Your drawing is now complete!