*Inhales deeply* – Ahhhhh. Do you smell that?
Smells Like Freedom.
Now, I don’t really have the time or patience to go into how the government is gradually taking that away from us, but relatively speaking, we’re still free.
And what better way to celebrate Independence Day than to create a pencil drawing of Uncle Sam? No, it’s not the most beautiful work of art out there, but I think it turned out all right. Keep in mind that this was made back in 2015, so I like to think I’ve made some progress since then.
Materials Used
- Pencil: Pentel Twist Erase III (0.7mm lead)
- Shading: Blending Stumps
- Eraser 1: GPBM2-BP Factis Pen Style Eraser
- Eraser 2: Kneaded Eraser
- Paper: Any Sketchbook
Uncle Sam Pencil Drawing Tips
Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays, and while I certainly wouldn’t consider this “Gallery Material, it felt good creating a pencil drawing for July 4th to celebrate the founding of our nation. Here’s some tips if you plan to recreate this:
- Draw very lightly as you lay out the form of Uncle Sam
- Don’t add too much detail early on
- This will help avoid needing to erase anything that you end up discovering isn’t placed right
- Once you have the form how you want, I recommend adding more detail to the face
- This is a personal preference since the face is often the most difficult piece in a portrait
- Don’t skip shading! I know it can be tedious, but adding shadows brings life into portraits
- Make it your own!
- While I give you free rein to draw this exactly as I have (please mention where you got the reference if publishing online) it’s helpful to add your own unique spin on any drawings you create!
- Finish it in one go if you’re able
- If you’re like me, finding time and motivation to draw can be tough, so if you’re in the mood to draw now, then make sure to finish before that motivation disappears!
YouTube Video of the Uncle Sam Pencil Drawing
I hope you all have a happy 4th of July! Here’s a time-lapse video of my Uncle Sam drawing. Please share if you enjoyed this article and/or video!