It looks like gray putty. You don’t rub with it; you "lift" the light back out of the paper.
Don't get distracted by fancy art store aisles. You only need the "Holy Trinity": The Absolute Beginner's Big Book of Drawing and...
Walk around your kitchen. Don’t see a "coffee mug"; see a cylinder with a curved handle. Don’t see an "orange"; see a sphere with texture. Once you see the shapes, the intimidation factor vanishes. The Golden Rule of Shading It looks like gray putty
Your first 500 drawings will be terrible. Use cheap paper so you aren't afraid to make mistakes. The First Secret: The Four Pillars You only need the "Holy Trinity": Walk around your kitchen
Soft enough for dark shadows, hard enough for light lines.
Everything in the known universe—from a Ferrari to your grandmother’s face—is just a collection of four shapes: (Everything round) The Cube (Everything with corners) The Cylinder (Legs, arms, trees, pipes) The Cone (Noses, mountain peaks, party hats)
Turn to page 12. We aren't drawing a masterpiece today. We are drawing a single, solitary egg. Why? Because an egg has no corners to hide behind—it is the ultimate test of light, shadow, and patience.