This is a bit of a random looking upload, but it has a purpose ... honest

I quite frequently get asked how I make my drawings so dark and since my next drawing is very very dark, I thought I would prep myself and also provide with the info/pics I promised him AGES ago

I provided a little scribble in the past to show the pencils I use, it is here - [link]

I also have a tutorial showing the technique I use, it is here - [link]

But, I still get asked how I make background so black. Well, one of the ways I do it, is in the first link above, but that doesn't always work out since the Mars Lumo is matt black. You can still get a matt(ish) black background without using a matt pencil or charcoal.

So, a waffle on the questions I get and hopefully this will answer them. -

Q1) But you just can't get graphite so black?
A1) Well, yes, you can if you are patient and apply your pencil properly.
Q2) You can't do it without making pencils marks?
A2) Again, yes you can if you do it properly.
Q3) It must be digitally added it's not shiny?
A3) Not strictly true, some people do add the black digitally, but you can tell for the most part and you also don't have to!
Q4) I don't believe you!
A4) Not a lot I can do about this one really


Onto the picture now It's pretty self explanatory really. If you scribble, you get lines and gradient issues and dents in your paper (this makes glare). If you press really hard to mark a dark area black quickly, you get all the same things ... it doesnt work To get a flat matt background (as matt as graphite allows) I do the following -

Using circulism, I layer 2H or HB all over the area to be darkened
Using circulism, I layer 2B all over the previously applied pencil
Using circulism, I layer 4B all over the previously applied pencil
Using circulism, I layer 6B/7B/8B over the previously applied pencil (this one depends on the paper I'm using and on the size of the area I want to cover. The waxier a pencil is, the more difficult it is to prevent graphite glare. In bigger areas, 8B will probably give you shine and marks)
Final layer is the same again but going back to a hard pencil (2H or thereabouts) and it helps to blend everything all together.

On this little square above, I have HB, 4B and 6B. I wanted to show the difference in scribble vs circle and hopefully you can see it here. If I went on to add another layer, the scribble would still have lines but the other would not.

So, I don't know how useful (or not) this is, but that's how I do it. I'm sure there are other ways too.
Any questions, please just ask
Paula

P.S. These are tiny squares in real life (about 1.5cmx1.5cm) I made them bigger for full exposure I will also upload and add to this deviation a couple of shots of my dark drawings in full daylight glaretastic fullview to show what this looks like on a drawing.

Some photos -