Must Knows in How to Hold A Pencil When Drawing and Sketching

How to Hold Your Pencil When Drawing and Sketching

When learning to draw, sometimes it's difficult to know what techniques are available to artists, which ones you should use, and which ones you should not use. How to hold a pencil seems to be trivial in nature but can make a huge difference in your drawings and sketches.

In this article you will learn a few different ways to hold the pencil and how to adopt them into your drawing practices. This is important because most people don't realize that there are more ways than one to grip a pencil when drawing and sketching. They generally pick it up like they were taught in school for writing. But writing and drawing are a lot different. So the way you hold your pencil should be different as well. A lot of problems such as hatched lines and unsteadiness originate from holding the pencil incorrectly.

The first grip is the basic tripod grip. It is the technique that they teach young children in school. It's probably the same one that you use for writing. You grip the pencil with the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger to form a tripod or triangle. This tripod is usually supported by your ring finger and pinky fingers. The grip allows the pencil to be controlled when making fine strokes and is great when applying fine details.

The fingers are in control of the pencil when using the tripod grip. It's also nice when doing the finer details because your hand can rest on the page as it lays these in.

Sometimes smudging can be a problem, but no fear, just lay down a sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from the smudges.

The problems of this grip are that it is a frustrating way to draw. A flowing line is impossible to do this way, your hatching and cross-hatching isn't done correctly and the lines become curved, the pencil pressure is off, and it's not the most comfortable.

The position that is closely related to this position is called the extended tripod grip. It is essentially the same as the basic tripod grip with the exception that the tripod is formed further up on the pencil. This benefits the artist because only a small movement of the fingers can produce greater movement of the pencil tip. One thing to remember with this is to not squeeze it too tightly.

The technique that a lot of artists use is called the overhand grip. This grip is where the pencil is held almost as if you were holding a bow for a violin. Your hand goes over the pencil and is held lightly against the fingers and the flat of your thumb.

This overhand grip is ideal for sketching with the side of the pencil and is the preferred grip among artists. It doesn't need a propped arm and the limitations are only your arm span. Not nearly as many limitations as the other grips have.

This overhand grip produces flowing, sweeping lines and is great for sketching, hatching, cross-hatching, value work, with the side of the lead. It is a huge preference for academic drawing. It's great when using a drawing surface such as an easel. One common rule in whichever grip you choose to use and whatever works for you is to never, ever choke the pencil tip. This is never a good thing to do for artists.

Just remember to use a grip that you are comfortable. There are many variations of these grips and do what you are comfortable with and you will see your drawings come alive.

Todd Harris is a master artist who is currently working as a concept art director for a multi-billion dollar corporation. He is trained in the Florence Academy Method. Learning2draw.com is a resource based website devoted to aspiring artists wishing to master figure drawing. Visit http://www.learning2draw.com to get tips, tricks, and techniques to master the human form

Pivot Points in Forex: Mapping your Time Frame

It is useful to have a map and be able to see where the price is relative to previous market action. This way we can see how is the sentiment of traders and investors at any given moment, it also gives us a general idea of where the market is heading during the day. This information can help us decide which way to trade.

Pivot points, a technique developed by floor traders, help us see where the price is relative to previous market action.

As a definition, a pivot point is a turning point or condition. The same applies to the Forex market, the pivot point is a level in which the sentiment of the market changes from "bull" to "bear" or vice versa. If the market breaks this level up, then the sentiment is said to be a bull market and it is likely to continue its way up, on the other hand, if the market breaks this level down, then the sentiment is bear, and it is expected to continue its way down. Also at this level, the market is expected to have some kind of support/resistance, and if price can't break the pivot point, a possible bounce from it is plausible.

Pivot points work best on highly liquid markets, like the spot currency market, but they can also be used in other markets as well.

Pivot Points

In a few words, pivot point is a level in which the sentiment of traders and investors changes from bull to bear or vice versa. Why PP work? They work simply because many individual traders and investors use and trust them, as well as bank and institutional traders. It is known to every trader that the pivot point is an important measure of strength and weakness of any market.

Calculating pivot points There are several ways to arrive to the Pivot point. The method we found to have the most accurate results is calculated by taking the average of the high, low and close of a previous period (or session).

Pivot point (PP) = (High + Low + Close) / 3

Take for instance the following EUR/USD information from the previous session:

Open: 1.2386 High: 1.2474 Low: 1.2376 Close: 1.2458

The PP would be, PP = (1.2474 + 1.2376 + 1.2458) / 3 = 1.2439

What does this number tell us? It simply tells us that if the market is trading above 1.2439, Bulls are winning the battle pushing the prices higher. And if the market is trading below this 1.2439 the bears are winning the battle pulling prices lower. On both cases this condition is likely to sustain until the next session.

Since the Forex market is a 24hr market (no close or open from day to day) there is a eternal battle on deciding at white time we should take the open, close, high and low from each session. From our point of view, the times that produce more accurate predictions is taking the open at 00:00 GMT and the close at 23:59 GMT.

Besides the calculation of the PP, there are other support and resistance levels that are calculated taking the PP as a reference.

Support 1 (S1) = (PP * 2) - H Resistance 1 (R1) = (PP * 2) - L Support 2 (S2) = PP - (R1 - S1) Resistance 2 (R2) = PP + (R1 - S1)

Where , H is the High of the previous period and L is the low of the previous period

Continuing with the example above, PP = 1.2439

S1 = (1.2439 * 2) - 1.2474 = 1.2404 R1 = (1.2439 * 2) - 1.2376 = 1.2502 R2 = 1.2439 + (1.2636 - 1.2537) = 1.2537 S2 = 1.2439 - (1.2636 - 1.2537) = 1.2537

These levels are supposed to mark support and resistance levels for the current session.

On the example above, the PP was calculated using information of the previous session (previous day.) This way we could see possible intraday resistance and support levels. But it can also be calculated using the previous weekly or monthly data to determine such levels. By doing so we are able to see the sentiment over longer periods of time. Also we can see possible levels that might offer support and resistance throughout the week or month. Calculating the Pivot point in a weekly or monthly basis is mostly used by long term traders, but it can also be used by short time traders, it gives us a good idea about the longer term trend.

S1, S2, R1 AND R2...? An Objective Alternative

As already stated, the pivot point zone is a well-known technique and it works simply because many traders and investors use and trust it. But what about the other support and resistance zones (S1, S2, R1 and R2,) to forecast a support or resistance level with some mathematical formula is somehow subjective. It is hard to rely on them blindly just because the formula popped out that level. For this reason, we have created an alternative way to map our time frame, simpler but more objective and effective.

We calculate the pivot point as showed before. But our support and resistance levels are drawn in a different way. We take the previous session high and low, and draw those levels on today's chart. The same is done with the session before the previous session. So, we will have our PP and four more important levels drawn in our chart.

LOPS1, low of the previous session. HOPS1, high of the previous session. LOPS2, low of the session before the previous session. HOPS2, high of the session before the previous session. PP, pivot point.

These levels will tell us the strength of the market at any given moment. If the market is trading above the PP, then the market is considered in a possible uptrend. If the market is trading above HOPS1 or HOPS2, then the market is in an uptrend, and we only take long positions. If the market is trading below the PP then the market is considered in a possible downtrend. If the market is trading below LOPS1 or LOPS2, then the market is in a downtrend, and we should only consider short trades.

The psychology behind this approach is simple. We know that for some reason the market stopped there from going higher/lower the previous session, or the session before that. We don't know the reason, and we don't need to know it. We only know the fact: the market reversed at that level. We also know that traders and investors have memories, they do remember that the price stopped there before, and the odds are that the market reverses from there again (maybe because the same reason, and maybe not) or at least find some support or resistance at these levels.

What is important about his approach is that support and resistance levels are measured objectively; they aren't just a level derived from a mathematical formula, the price reversed there before so these levels have a higher probability of being effective.

Our mapping method works on both market conditions, when trending and on sideways conditions. In a trending market, it helps us determine the strength of the trend and trade off important levels. On sideways markets it shows us possible reversal levels.

How we use our mapping method? We at StraightForex (www.straightforex.com) use the mapping method in three different ways: as a trend identification (measure of the strength of the trend), a trading system using important levels with price behavior as a trading signal and to set the risk reward ratio (RR) of any given trade based on where the is the market relative to the previous session.

Raul Lopez is the founder of www.straightforex.com A site dedicated to provide high quality training for Forex traders.

The Art of Etching Through Time

Etching is the method of engraving using acid on a metal surface. It is also a printmaking method wherein the image is carved into a surface of a metal plate with the use of an acid. This acid bores into the metal surface, and leaves behind rough areas or lines if the surface is too narrow.

Etching is a process which is believed to have started in Augsburg, Germany, by Daniel Hopfer who used the technology in armor making. Later on, the method was applied to printmaking.

The metal plate used in etching is usually copper or zinc, which has a thin coating of resin that is resistant to acid. This coating can also be made of some waxy material. The metal plates are usually smoked so that the engravings and lines become clearly visible through the resin. A sharp tool then scratches the metal and exposes it without actually penetrating it.

As the etching design is completed, the plate is immersed in an acidic solution that attacks the exposed metal parts. During this process, called a bath, the plate is immersed, but frequently removed until the lines are etched to their satisfactory depth.

A coating varnish is then applied to stop the acid from attacking the metal surface further. In this process, the lines which were exposed to the acids longer get the darker prints. Other etchers also apply the acids directly on the plate's surface.

In printmaking; however, the varnish is removed, and the plate is coated with ink after being warmed or heated. The ink is then wiped carefully so that enough amounts remain the etched depressions. A soft, moist paper is then used to cover the plate, and ran through an etching press.

There is a wide range of modifications in etching techniques. Some etchers modify their products by removing undesired lines. They do this by burnishing or by modifying the original state of the plate after their trial print.

Prints appear differently in various stages, and only a few first prints can be made out of a single plate. Etchers also destroy these plates after making a number of prints.

Several methods of etching produce different effects. Soft-ground etching looks like a pencil drawing, while aquatint produces an effect similar to wash drawing. Aquatint is usually used in combination with hard-ground etching.

Pictorial etching, which evolved from burin engraving also originated from Germany, where artists etched on iron as the earliest example of this delicate form of art.

Nowadays, the popular methods of etching are wet and dry etching. Wet etching is a simple method that requires a container or bin with a solution that is meant to dissolve the metal used.

The downside of this process is that it needs a mask to selectively etch the plate, and one has to find a mask that will not dissolve in the prepared solution. This process is fairly suitable for etching on thin films.

Dry etching, is divided into three classes, namely, reactive ion etching (RIE), sputter etching, and vapor phase etching. Several gases are introduced in the RIE method, where plasma is mixed in the gas to break gas molecules into ions. The ions are then accelerated and start reacting to the metal surface.

Sputter etching is similar to RIE, but without the reactive ions. Vapor phase method is the simplest dry etching technique. In this method, the metal plate is placed inside a chamber, where gases are introduced. The design is then dissolved at the metal surface by the chemical reaction with the gas molecules.

The most popular vapor phase etching techniques are silicon dioxide etching (uses hydrogen fluoride) and silicon etching (uses xenon diflouride).

James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of EtchingHouse.com and writes expert articles about etching.