MUCH ADO ABOUT WHITE HAIRS

(Was down with a temporary illness lately, all good now #winks) This is not a funny issue.., this literarily drives me and I’m pretty sure, a whole load of self-trained artists insane. How in the world will one be making hair on a paper in a mode that isn’t black? Till date it’s still kind of baffling. Any time I search for reference pictures, I make sure to avoid pictures involving white hairs, especially those with white beards.

I’ve downloaded countless videos but I haven’t yet seen one that actually nailed it. I bought a Staedler typewriter eraser, thinking it would end my woes but Lo and Behold, all to no avail. (The white line doesn’t come out very clear and pure) Now drawing white hairs naturally involve negative shading, shading where the hair isn’t thereby creating an illusion. This methods works but its tedious, a couple of days ago, I happen to stumble on a technique that actually nailed it. I can’t remember the name of the savior nor the site but I do cherish the technique. It’s called the “indentation technique”; this involves making white hairs through indentation on paper.

How? Get a blunt item rounded item, pen without ink, biro head-cover, something of the sort. It mustn’t be sharp so as not to damage your drawing paper. Gently indent on the paper, a stroke, straight or curved then shade over it in a totally different direction than the stroke you made.

You’ll see instant results like the whiskers of the cat referenced! The only con is that once the indent is made, it’s irreversible. So be very careful.  (If you can see the site on the picture, good for you! check it out)