How to Hold Pencils the Artist's Way

Although you’ve been holding pencils your whole life, as an artist, you can achieve more by using a specific grip. Artist Savannah Tate Cuff stresses that this small change is important, and she shares several professional tips to help you refine your technique. You should draw with the side edge of the pencil, holding it with the back of your thumb on the side facing you, and your index and middle fingers wrapping around the other side of the pencil. As you start your drawing, Savannah suggests keeping a little distance between your hand and the paper.

Savannah explains how she aims for light, loose marks by drawing with her whole arm and shoulder, rather than just using her wrist. This technique helps create longer, broad lines, which are perfect for starting a drawing. As she begins to model and refine shapes, she switches to gripping the pencil near the top with her index finger while maintaining the grip with her thumb and third finger at the back, all while keeping the pressure light. You can adapt this grip to what feels most comfortable for you at this stage.

To summarize, begin with broad, sweeping lines using light strokes and your full arm, then adjust your grip as you move on to more detailed rendering. Savannah also mentions that a mahl stick or dowel is useful to keep your paper clean, allowing you to rest your hand without smudging the drawing.