Originally Posted by
SkyWhale
Exactly what I was going to say. It would be best to make an outline for all (or almost) the whole drawing and then return for shading. That way, you will be able to have crisp edges and it won't look so messy. I see that you're using your fingers a lot, and this makes shading look flat (which is the opposite of what shading is supposed to do- add depth). Try using a wider variety of pencils. Use a 2H for the light spots, and something like a 4b-6b for the darker areas (that is, if you have/can get a decent pencil set).
Still though, keep going!
Might I ask your age/grade? What's your reference image (if any)?
I'm at the age of 14, so I'm at the end of my 8th grade.
As I said in the OP, the refrence pic will be up here next week.
I do have a good set of bruynzeel expression graphite pencils but I've always been a little afraid of using them as they often become an ass to erase if I mess up. I'll keep this advice in mind for my future drawings but I'm pretty sure it's too late to change methods on this one.
Thanks, you two.