Learn How To Do 3D Drawings

Creating Depth with 3D Drawing



Learn How To Do 3D Drawings

One of the most aspired to techniques of pencil drawing is learning how to create shapes and texture using 3D drawing.

3D means ‘Three- Dimensional’. Three-dimensional refers to the number of axis running from an origin point. Like 2D has two axis, X and Y are running from one origin point, 3D has three axis, X, Y and Z run from one origin point.

The most visible difference between 2D and 3D is a 2D drawing is flat, whereas a 3D drawing stands out from the page. This is because the added Z axis has added a perspective angle to the drawing.

Create 3D Shapes

This will show you how to draw a 3D square; called a cube, and is very simple.

For it, you will need;

Your 2B Pencil
A Sheet of Paper
A Ruler
Your Shading Guide that you created in the Shading Techniques with Pencil tutorial



1. ) Draw a  5cmx5cm square. This is square A.

Tip; A square has four 90° angles where each two sides meet.

Use the corner of your ruler to ensure you create these 90° angles, and create a proper square.

2.) Now draw another 5cmx5cm square slightly higher and to the left of the first square, making sure the two squares overlap. This is square B.

You should now have three points on square B outside of square A, and one ( bottom right) inside square A.

4.) Using a ruler, draw lines to connect each corner of square A to the corresponding corner of square B. For example, top-left corner of square A should connect to the top-left corner of square B, and so on. Refer to the diagram on the left to avoid confusion.

What you now have is a transparent cube. However, to add the illusion the cube is ‘standing out’, we will need to do a bit more work and add some shading.

5.) First, erase the three lines which emerge from the one point we have in square A.

We don’t need these, as the cube will no longer be transparent once we have shaded it in.

You should now have something like this, with 3 sides; or, 3-Dimensional. Or, 3D.



Now, remember that Shading Guide we created a few tutorials back?…Grab it, because we are going to use it to add three shades to our cube, each to every side.

A Bit More About Shading Elements That Create 3D Shapes

Before we do though, I would just like to introduce you to Highlights, Shadows and Mid-tones.

These are essentially your building blocks for creating depth and texture within a pencil drawing.

Highlight; This part of the subject will be the part which is directly facing the light source.

Shadow; This part of the subject will be the part which is facing away from the light source.

Mid-tone; This part of the subject will be the part which is neither directly facing the light source, or the part facing away from the light source. It is the bit in the middle.

With our shading guide, this is how the highlight, shadow and mid-tone would look.



We are going to add these tones to our new 3D cube we have created.

6.) First we will add the highlight. This is the side of the cube facing the light. In this case it is the front which I have labelled Side 1.

For this we will use shade 3 on our Shading Guide.

7.) Next, we will add the shadow. This is the side of the cube facing away from the light.

For this we will use shade 7 on our Shading Guide.

8.) And finally, we will add the mid-tone. This is the side of the cube which is neither in the light or the shadow. It is in the middle.

For this we will use shade 5 on our Shading Guide.

And there you have it! …a very basic, but effective 3D drawing.

In the next tutorial, we will learn more 3D techniques. If you like this tutorial then please let me know your views on it. Also I would like to know that what you want to learn in my next tutorials. Please share your art with us.
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Blending Pencil Techniques

Blending Pencil Techniques

In the last part of our blog, we created a Shading Guide, and familiarised ourselves with the different shades we can create using different gradients. We are now going to use one of our shading guides to learn blending pencil techniques.

Blending is basically merging different shades together, so that each shade flows smoothly into the next creating a very soft and realistic tone. It is especially useful for fill colour and creating depth and texture which we will cover in the next and final part of Step 1.

Blending pencil is another controversial subject amongst pencil artists. There are many who believe the medium simply isn’t suited to blending, and such techniques should be left to pastel and charcoal artists. However, I am not one of them.

Blending the pencil is by far my favourite aspect of drawing. Get the technique right, and you can create some awesome pieces of pencil art.

Pencil Blending Tools

To blend pencil, you will need either a Blending Stump or a Tortillon. If you are not sure what these tools are, then you can read about them in Choosing Art Supplies.

Again, another debate within pencil drawing is whether or not to use your finger to blend. I say NEVER!

Your finger is rich in natural skin oils, and every time you touch the paper with your bare skin you are transmitting these oils to the surface of the paper and these oils will not let go of the graphite, almost acting like a glue. That’s not a good idea, because adding or taking away graphite to these areas then becomes a little tricky, and can compromise the whole piece!

It is for the same reason I suggest you use a piece of tissue to rest your wrist on whilst drawing in pencil. This will also minimise smudging.

I use a home-made tortillon or Blending Stump. You can save money on a Blending Tool right mow, by checking out my ‘Make Your Own Blending Stump In 60 Seconds Hack’ from the HTD Toolbox!

How To Blend Pencil

For this you will need

A completed Shading Guide from the previous drawing tutorial A Blending Tool such as a Blending Stump or Tortillon

Tip; Using a small circular motion like scumbling with your blending tool helps to keep the blending nice and tight.

Holding your blending tool lower down and minimising pressure exerted on the tool can help gain a good control of this technique.

The diagram on the right demonstrates the motion you should make whilst blending.

Notice how the shading has now become very smooth.

1.) Using the small circular motion mentioned above, use your blending tool to blend the second block on your Shading Guide.

Don’t fret about going over the lines, and attempt to softly merge with block one.

Tip; It is important to note when shading, that you should always go from light to dark, as a lot of graphite can ‘stick’ to your blending tool, and will carry to the next shade or gradient.

2.) Now gently merge block two into block three, using the same circular motion, and ensuring the blending is kept very tight. You can increase the pressure slightly for each block.

3.) Repeat the above process for the remainder blocks, moving in the same circular motion and keeping the blend tight between blocks. You should now be left with something like this…



And that’s it! Easy, hey!

If your blending doesn’t look like it has merged nicely, and you can see a clear distinction between two blocks, then continue blending using the small circular motion. It will merge smoothly eventually, just have some patience with it and don’t put so much pressure on that you wear away the paper!

In the final parts of Step 1 of this blog, we will be using all the techniques we have learned up to now to look at how to create depth using 3D drawing.

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