How to Stipple for Beginners

Stippling is one method an artist uses to direct interest to an area of his work.

"Stippling" is an art technique that uses dots to shade areas of a drawing. This technique can create shadows on objects to suggest the object's depth, or shade in an object in a more interesting way than using a solid color. There are a few different stippling techniques that are suitable for beginners to try. Experiment with different drawing implements and papers to explore the kinds of textures and effects stippling has to offer.

Instructions

1. Draw a scene or image lightly on your paper with your pencil using lines.

2. Dot areas of the drawing that require a shadow to suggest depth using a pen.

3. Go over areas with dots multiple times to create varying tones of light and dark.

4. Leave some areas completely blank for the brightest areas, and add a few evenly distributed dots to slightly darken an area.

5. Stipple in lines that follow the curve of an object in your drawing to create movement in your drawing. For example, to imply the movement of a wave using stippling, create a series of lines made from dots that suggest the undulation of a wave.

Tips & Warnings

• Try using markers or colored pencils to stipple. Use darker colors like blue or purple to dot areas that require more shadow, and use a mixture of colors like pink, red, orange and yellow to create lighter areas of the drawing. You can space out the dots to make areas of the drawing lighter, or densely stipple an area to create shadow or intense areas of color.

References

• Stippling Technique & Drawing With Dots
• Pen and Ink Drawing: Stippling Techniques
• Pen and Ink Drawing: Techniques for Shading