Learn Stippling: Complete Guide from Beginner to Expert
It is true that in the realm of artistic expression, there are no limits and boundaries. However, certain techniques stand out from the rest due to their appeal in an apparent as well as philosophical sense. One such artistic technique is stippling.
In simplest words, it is just drawing through dots. But in practice, it’s not that simple either, as it includes a lot of subtleties and factors that when combined together, give encaptivating pieces of art. Though it might sound complex, it is just a matter of perseverance and technique.
Once you muster up the first requirement to venture on this journey, we’ll provide everything you need to learn the technique. This guide – or I might say, this artventure – starts from not knowing what stippling is, and ends with being able to produce amazing stippling artworks
So, tighten your seat belt, and let’s get right to it.
What is stippling?
Stippling is the art of drawing by applying countless small dots on the surface. From a distance, the image appears as a whole, but as you zoom closer, you realize that it is closely placed dots in a certain fashion.
As novel as it sounds, this technique actually dates back to the 14th century. Giulio Campagnola, its inventor, translated and preserved many Venetian Renaissance paintings through stippling. Since its inception, artists have used it to make sophisticated art pieces through the meticulous application of countless dots. And now, you are going to do the same.
Renowned artists like Albrecht Dürer and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione utilized this art type to add depth and detail to their drawings. Even today, there is a whole industry of artists that use this artistic style on paper, canvas, and figures.
Essential supplies needed
- Paper suitable for stippling
- Fine-tipped pens or markers
- Pencils for sketching (optional)
- Eraser
- Reference image (optional)
Types of paper
The choice of paper, with various varying factors, significantly impacts the final outcome of the stippled artwork. Generally, and especially as a beginner, you should opt for thicker and heavier paper with a smooth surface to ensure that it does not tear with repeated application of dots.
After getting your hands used to the stippling style, you can then try more sophisticated papers as per your need.
Here are some great options to choose from
- Strathmore Bristol Vellum Paper
- Canson Mixed Media Paper
- Fabriano Artistico Hot Press Watercolor Paper
Types of pens/markers
When selecting pens or markers for stippling, keep the ink quality and nib size in mind. Better ink-quality artworks last longer but prove quite expensive. Therefore, in the practice phase, you better opt for cheaper low-quality ink.
The same is the case with waterproof and fade-resistant inks that ensure the longevity of your artwork. However, always go for the fine-tipped nibs that allow for intricate detail work.
You can also use simple pencils to sketch out the lines before stippling. It can help you keep track of what you are drawing on the paper, especially if you are just starting out stippling. Better choose a soft lead pencil with just enough blankness to be visible to the eye, so erasing can be effortless.
- Sakura Pigma Micron Pens
- Copic Multiliner Pens
- Staedtler Pigment Liner Pens
Types of erasers
The best practice is to stipple in such a way that erasers are not needed in the first place. But we are only humans, and mistakes are proof that we are learning something new. Each paper type and ink has a specific eraser that gives the best erasure.
Plastic erasers are used for precise erasing, while gum erasers give gentler erasure on a larger area. Kneaded erasers can be shaped according to the error to be corrected or erased.
- Prismacolor Kneaded Erasers
- Pentel Hi-Polymer Erasers
- Tombow Mono Plastic Erasers
Reference Image (Optional):
Keeping a consistent image of something in mind can be a tiresome task, especially for a beginner artists. Therefore, all art classes use a model or reference image when teaching art. You better use a reference image too. It does not need to be some complex image, it can be something as simple as an apple.
Maintenance of Tools:
Yes, the messy studios of experienced artists look like art in itself, but keeping your studio and tools like that as a beginner is not a good idea. Keeping your tools maintained and studio organized will make your tasks much easier and simpler and save you a lot of time. Here are a few ways you can do that.
- Keep pens capped when not in use to prevent ink from drying out
- Clean the nibs regularly to avoid the buildup of ink or debris
- Store paper in a cool, dry place to prevent yellowing or warping
- Replace dirty erasers with clean ones for better erasing
Stippling Techniques
Though you can definitely draw whatever you wish for in stippling, the artists have devised some techniques to help you easily understand the process and draw much more easily.
Basic Stippling Techniques
Let’s start with the most basic concepts.
1. Dot Size and Spacing:
Dot size refers to the diameter of a single dot. The thicker the nib, the greater the dot size. The greater the dot size, the less time it will take to complete the artwork. However, there will be less depth, shading, and blending – the main ingredients that make stippling so enchanting.
Spacing means the distance between two adjacent dots on the paper. Dot size and spacing together determine the tone and texture. Changing these parameters changes the angle and overall appearance of the artwork.
2. Pressure Control:
Pressure on the pen intensifies the results. Meaning the amount of force increases the darkness, intensity and in some cases the size of the dots. Mastering the pressure control is the most important aspect of stippling. It adds subtle shading, highlights, and depth to the art.
Mastering pressure control is a must for stippling, equate this technique allows the artist to maintain equal size and space of the dots. Unequal dots on the canvas give immature, and childish art. The more regular it is, the more uniform and cleaner it will look.
3. Layering and Blending:
Layering and blending involve building up multiple layers to give a three-dimensional look to the artwork. Without layering and blending, the picture looks bland, and kind of amateurish.
The realistic touch in art in general, and stippling specifically, is all due to the technique of layering. Moreover, blending allows smoother shifts from one layer to another, making it, again, more realistic.
4. Light Direction and Shadows:
Shadows are always opposite to the direction of the source of light. Depicting this in art, in the right way, is important to making the art look complete.
Intermediate Stippling Techniques
After learning the basic techniques, now let’s move a step further to learn the intermedia stippling techniques.
1. Cross-Hatching:
First, you stipple, then you add layers, then the combination of those layers at different angles to create more complex visual designs is a technique called cross-hatching. The richer the art is in its design types and different techniques combined together, the more beautiful it will look.
To better utilize this technique, draw the first layer by putting dots in parallel lines. Add the subsequent layers at different angles to each other. By the end of the process, the whole stippling product will look, not as parallel lines, but as uniform well-crafted artwork.
2. Creating Textures and Gradients:
Imagine an artwork thoroughly alike in shading, depth, and contrast. It’ll look like MS Paint painting you used to make as a kid, right? Therefore, the textures and gradients are necessary to give the much-needed patterns, transitions, and appeal.
Advanced Stippling Techniques
These are the most advanced techniques. You can call yourself the master of stippling if you can draw these techniques skillfully.
1. Negative Space Stippling:
The concept of negative drawing is giving the shape to the subject by drawing everything around it. Think of this as keeping a bird-shaped stencil, and painting all around it. When you remove the stencil, a bird is drawn, without actually drawing it. The same is the case here, except that the artist stipples around the subject instead of painting.
2. Stippling with Colored Inks:
Traditionally, stippling has always been with black ink on a white background. But stippling with ink is also possible. It involves layers of dots with multiple colors or even different colors in the same layer.
The artist ensures that the overlapping of dots of different colors does not give another unwanted color, therefore ruining the masterpiece. However, the resultant color due to overlapping can sometimes further add vibrancy to the painting therefore amplifying the beauty of the artwork.
3. Combining Stippling with Other Drawing Techniques:
By now, you must have realized that there are a lot of great artistic techniques in stippling. But that’s not it. You can make even more designs by combining these techniques. Each result makes a new pattern.
Combining different techniques in stippling invokes experimentation, innovation, and hybridization of artistic styles and approaches. By doing so, you might end up finding the exact style that will help you express yourself better in all future paintings.
Tips for Improving Stippling Skills
1. Start Small:
We mostly get inspired to do something by seeing a beautiful product from the masters of that field. However, we often overlook that it is the result of years of practice and experience peaking in that result. Therefore, one should aim high, not should start small. Starting big right in the first shot, and getting failed will only demotivate the artist.
2. Practice Regularly:
Like any skill, stippling requires practice to improve. Due to the nature of this artistic technique, repeatedly doing the same thing again and again might feel boring at first. Therefore, make small goals and try to meet them in a single session. Moreover, keep the printed or digital image of the end goal in front of you, to keep you motivated to reach there.
3. Study and Analyze Masterpieces:
“You learn from mistakes”, but what if you learn from those who’ve already learned from their mistakes? I’m talking about the professionals and masters of stippling. Study and analyze their masterpieces, and watch the tutorials of your favorite artists like Seb Lester, Xavier Casalta, and Monica Lee. Observe their techniques, use of dot size and spacing, and overall composition.
4. Maintain the Right Posture:
Painting alone is a tiring task, and stippling, in which the posture is more or less the same for extended periods can feel even more exhausting. Therefore, the posture must be kept such that the least strain is put on the lumbar. Not only the back, but head, arms, and wrist posture matter too. So test around a bit, and find the best posture for your body.
5. Keep Patience:
Stippling is one of those art forms where the progress is not visible until almost the complete work is done. Without those little checkpoints, it feels a burden to keep doing the work. However, the end product is worth all the patience. Therefore, keep the patience and remember that all the great artists had this important virtue to reach where you aspire to be.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Overworking the Paper:
Over-stippling on the same exact spot or area on the paper can result in damaging and tearing of the paper, and loss of quality. If the paper is too thick to tear, it can result in a loss of clarity due to so much overlapping. Avoid any such practice, and try to get it right the first time, and no need to redo it again and again.
2. Using Inappropriate Tools:
Larger-sized pens and markers can prove too heavy for long-term use and can result in inconsistently sized dots, ruining the aesthetics of the stippling artwork. Likewise, low-quality pens can also cause gaps, missing strokes, and flowy ink, resulting in smudges and disturbing the flow of the artist.
3. Inconsistent Dot Size and Spacing:
While inconsistent dot size and spacing might be the need of the specific artwork at places, it is generally to be avoided in stippling. Think of it like handwriting – it looks neat if consistent, no matter what subjectively good or bad. Similarly, stippling looks neater when the dot size and spacing are alike throughout the layer. It makes the artwork look cohesive and regular.
5. Poor Planning and Composition:
Newbies often think of drawing and improvising as they draw. While this might sound like an artistic thing to do, as a beginner this is not the right approach. Not planning the whole artwork ahead of starting can result in a disturbance of the overall balance and harmony of the artwork. Such final work feels cluttered and disjointed.
6. Rushing the Process:
Stippling requires patience, especially as a beginner when your hand and wrist are not as swift as you want them to be. This causes frustration and sometimes the artist feels like rushing the process to realize the visualization in his mind. Keep patience and forward at your pace.
By avoiding these common mistakes and getting your technique and approach right, you can enhance the quality and impact of your stippled artwork.
Conclusion
In the end, just keep in mind that stippling is not something different from art, it’s just a type of art. And just like in art, you have complete liberty to change and modify anything you think represents your mood and style effectively, After all, what is art but the expression of emotions? So, stop overthinking, pick up your tools, and let’s start the stippling Artventure!
