Last year, we profiled Pixar animator Austin Madison as one of our 52 weekly featured pencil artists. We noted that along with his impressive body of work for Pixar and his blog Austin Translation, Austin also runs an additional blog designated specifically to fantasy football art where he showcased a series of hilarious illustrations throughout […]
What separates the great architects from the rest? Being able to produce awesome architectural drawings, of course! Okay, maybe as a pencil lover my opinion is a little bias. There’s more to being a great architect than being able to come up with a unique sketch, and surely you don’t need to be an architect […]
When it comes to pencils, we all have our preferences. Some like their lead softer and others like it firmer. Some people like their pencils textured for a firmer grip while others enjoy the elegance of a sleek, slender utensil. Walter Glenn at Lifehacker.com decided to ask his readers what their personal favorite pencils are, […]
Have you ever been sitting at your desk, either processing an idea or just bored, only to find yourself making a quiet drum beat with your pencil? Perhaps you’ve never made the beats yourself, but maybe you remember a kid in one of your classes who sat in the back of the room making 4/4 […]
Have you ever been in the situation where you start doodling a popular character for fun, but with no point of reference you realize you aren’t quite sure what the character looks like? Does Mickey Mouse wear suspenders? Does Porky Pigs have a shirt under his jacket? Does Fred Flintstone wear a tie? We’ve all […]
Creativity is often born out of the ashes of tragedy. Modernism took its form in the wake of World War I, the Beat Generation in the shadow of the Bomb, so it comes as no surprise that the tragedies of the past 15 years have inspired art as well. Twelve years ago today, the United […]
If you’re an active Pencils.com reader, you know that we frequently advise keeping a thought notebook or journal around to keep track of daily activities and ideas, and we do so with good reason. Research has indicated that keeping a notebook handy can actually improve a person’s creativity. While the research is fairly new, people […]
Making a video game with iconic heroes, villains, and level-design is no easy task. That’s why gaming developers often need to draft and redraft their ideas to make sure they’ve settled on the right look and feel. Thankfully, most gaming studios typically keep their old concept art around to show off to their loving fans. […]
For all of the lead lovers here at Studio 602, there’s a new biannual zine on the rise that specializes in art created exclusively using pencils. The zine is called Tiny Pencil, and it’s put together lovingly by graphite enthusiasts Amber Hsu and Katriona Chapman. The two decided to seek out artists who worked in […]
As an artist, there’s nothing more frustrating than staring at a blank page with a blank mind. Thankfully, there are ways to boost your creativity. Some claim working backwards can help, others say a messy desk is the secret to unlocking the creative recesses of your brain. If working with your shoes on backwards and […]
