Experiment with different types of strokes and techniques to create various smoke effects, such as thick, billowing clouds or delicate wisps. Then, we can move on to step 4 of the guide where we will start adding some inner details. So first, you should hatch the cloud with light strokes and, then, using shading tools, shade the hatching. You should perform hatching smoothly and avoiding any accidental errors. Observe the movement of smoke in real life or in photographs and try to capture its direction and flow in your drawings. Use curved and swirling lines to create a sense of movement and dynamism.
Drawing Dense Smoke
You will only need a simple HB pencil and pencils with a softer core, like B2 and B3. Besides, you will need a sheet of paper or a paper pad where you will draw the smoke. Some stages will require additional tools such as a sharpener and a shading tool, and don’t forget about the eraser.
Adding Details and Shading
However, it must be admitted that the most difficult part of this tutorial is the hatching and shading. That is why you should pay attention to these techniques and practice them. When you master them, you will definitely achieve the picture you want. We can now start using our 2B and 3B pencils to add darker shading within the clouds. This time, we want to move from the shadow side where the light source would be less present, slowly shading the cloud with darker tonal values. The key thing to remember is that we want the lines to all sprout from a single point.
Desert Pencil Drawing: A Timeless Art Form
From there they can form a mushroom shape and curve all over the show. Either way, we will break down each process into a few digestible steps, helping you to advance your smoke drawing skills. Make any final adjustments or additions to enhance the realism of your smoke drawing. The best way to improve your pencil drawing skills is to practice regularly.
These details will be very similar to the other ones that we added on the other side of the smoke. These can really help to make the drawing come alive in different ways. You will notice we only filled the left side of the outline with details for now. These look chaotic, but we would recommend putting a bit of thought into where you place them. For now, we will stick to the design that we’ve laid out in our guide, as that will be the easiest way to show you the method behind creating a depiction of smoke. Matthew Matthysen is an educated multidisciplinary artist and illustrator.
Improve your drawing process as you explore, imagine, and experiment in your sketchbook on a daily basis
This can be said for both ways of drawing smoke, whether it is explosion smoke or a soft wisp of smoke from a blown-out candle. We’ll take you through the steps to get rid of the smoke smell by washing fabrics, cleaning floors and walls, and adding odor-absorbing products. These are all simple ideas, but it shows how you can take a fairly simple drawing further with just a few fun additions. Now that we have given you a few ideas, you can show us some of yours by adding them to the drawing. You can also add different kinds of lines and have them interact with one another in different ways.
We have the first section of the smoke drawn, and now we can draw the next section. The point where this flame would be will be the thinnest area, which we already see, even at this early stage of the drawing. When considering smoke, you will see that there is always a point of origin.
Step 3: Add the rest of the smoke outline
You can use colored pencils or digital tools to add color and lower the opacity to create a soft, ethereal effect. A soft eraser brush can be used to erase areas of the cloud, giving it a more natural, dissipated look4. For denser smoke, you need to create a more voluminous and textured appearance. Begin by drawing a cloud-like structure using miniature cloud shapes stacked together. These shapes can be circular or oval but should have jagged lines to suggest motion and thickness. Start from a smaller point and build up the cloud shape, making sure to add sections that protrude outwardly in different directions.
Thick smoke often has a more jagged and harsh line structure, which means we want to make sure that the lines aren’t smooth. The way we start is by drawing a basic cloud shape, which we then will compartmentalize by drawing different sections within that shape. Two key points to remember are the light source and how this creates shadowing within the smoke.
Step 1: Drawing the Outline of the Cloud of Smoke
- We do this by creating strands within the curved lines with only shading.
- This stage also requires adding wide smog flow, which, let’s say, pierces the smaller ones.
- You can also decide how many little sections within your smoke cloud you would like.
- For example, you could draw some of these details with different colors and mediums.
- Smoke tends to form wispy, swirling patterns that can be challenging to depict, but by breaking them down into simpler shapes, you can simplify the drawing process.
With the green shapes you establish the volume of your smoke/cloud, while the first example looks more like a flat twisted ribbon the second one is puffy like a cloud. With practice, you’ll be able to depict smoke in your artwork with confidence and artistry. Please feel free to share your drawing of smoke on our Facebook and Pinterest pages for us to check out. Then, you could also incorporate some darker mediums for highlights and shading. There are many possibilities, and you can try out all sorts of combinations of your favorite mediums. Now, we will add some detailing to the rest of the smoke on the right-hand side.
- With a little practice and patience, you can master the art of pencil drawing and create beautiful and expressive works of art.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different subjects and techniques.
- Either way, we will break down each process into a few digestible steps, helping you to advance your smoke drawing skills.
- Mastering the basic shapes and proportions of smoke is the foundation for creating realistic and dynamic smoke drawings.
As you will see in our reference image, the smoke pillar will get thinner the more we go to the right. It will end at the point of origin, which will be the smallest part of the design. This part will go on the left-hand side of the drawing, and it will be one of the thickest parts of this plume of smoke. It can be surprisingly difficult to draw convincing smoke convincingly, because if you don’t get the shape and details right then it will look off.
A smoke drawing can be used in so many different ways and can be a great addition to other artworks. A smoke drawing can also have a strong visual meaning and can contextualize a scene in a very strong way. However you use a smoke drawing, understanding how to draw it softly and more strongly is a great addition to your drawing skills. Light and shadow are essential for making your smoke drawing look realistic. For dense smoke, remember to include shadows within the smoke itself, which helps to create volume and depth.
Use different pencil grades and techniques to create a range of values from light to dark. Pay attention to the way light falls on your subject and use shading to create highlights and shadows. Pressing too hard can damage the paper and make it difficult to erase mistakes. Instead, use a light, feathery touch to create your lines and shapes.
This is a great way to have some color variety, so it’s an extra incentive to add some of your own details and ideas. This is one way that you could add some brighter colors to the composition, but there are others as well. For instance, if you added any additional details then you can color those as well. You might think that coloring in smoke would be a simple and straightforward task, as smoke is generally various shades of gray.
Mastering the basic shapes and proportions of smoke is the foundation for creating realistic and dynamic smoke drawings. By simplifying complex smoke patterns into manageable shapes and focusing on the overall movement and direction, you can capture the essence of smoke in your artwork. Experimenting with different tools and mediums can add variety and dynamism to your smoke drawings.