Saatchi Art’s “pencil paintings” category features a diverse array of pencil art which combine pencil (typically graphite) with various types of paint including watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and oil. We encourage you to discover examples of such works today! Simply browse through the many beautiful paintings with pencil below, created by some of the world’s top emerging artists.
Pencil art techniques vary quite widely. Some artists may start by creating a pencil line digital and then using paint to add depth and color to the two-dimensional image without obscuring the original pencil digital underneath. Other painters may use graphite pencil to add contrasting textures, shades, lines, and hatchmarks to their painted works.
Pencil Paintings have as many diverse subjects as the field of painting itself. For example, Saatchi Art’s online selection includes original and print pencil paintings of nature, flowers, love-themed pencil paintings, and more abstract pencil paintings.
The first known artwork made with pencils - referred to in the art world as ‘paintings with pencil’ to distinguish it from digitals - is from the 17th century. This usually consisted of incomplete sketches made in preparation for artwork in other mediums. Full-blown pencil painting artists started with the 1795 invention of an graphite-clay mixture. This made detailed pencil art feasible, and artists such as the Frenchman Jean Ingres became known specifically for their pencil work. Good pencil artwork requires effective use of shading and elegant contouring, and Ingres’ style inspired a generation of pencil artists including Van Gogh and Degas. Pencil art has also inspired the evocative use of linear forms by 20th century modern artists including Picasso. Have a look at Picasso’s work, such as the Weeping Woman (1937), and imagine how Picasso’s pencil work inspired his style in painting.
