- 1). Copy the outline and main features of your chosen image onto you paper using a pencil. These lines act to guide you as you draw art using the pen. Use thick paper to add extra quality to the drawing.
- 2). Create the outline of your image first. Use the pen to trace over the top of the pencil guidelines. These are the solid lines that give form and composition to the artwork. For example, if you are drawing a building, use the pen to draw the outline of the walls, roof and windows first.
- 3). Fill in the finer details of the drawing. Change your pen so that it has a thinner nib to draw intricate detailing more effectively. Stick with the same color pen to add consistency to the image.
- 4). Notice the areas of lightness and darkness more actually than you would if drawing with pencil. You need to build these into your drawing, so always draw shadowing where it would occur naturally. Refer back to your image to make sure you notice where the shadowing is on that image, then continue.
- 5). Cross-hatch to create texture on surfaces. Use a thin or medium-sized nib pen for greater control. Unlike pencil, which can be smudged to vary the depth of shading, cross-hatch your pen strokes to build up texture and darker areas. First, draw a series of vertical lines, then draw a series of horizontal lines directly on top. The lines should be close together, but not touching.
- 6). Shade the artwork. Change the angle of the cross-hatching to vary the shaded texture. For example, draw lines diagonally instead of vertically. Overlap them with diagonal lines going the opposite way. Try not to use a ruler to improve your freehand drawing technique.
- 7). Add depth and shadowing by coloring block areas with the pen. For example, if you need to create shadows on an arm, shade color in a long strip of black on the underside of the arm.
- 8). Use light strokes of the pen to continue drawing the artwork. This will give you greater control of the direction of the nib. Before you draw the line, make sure you are sure it will be in the same place. Don't forget, it can't be erased.
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