How to Draw an Oak Leaf on Stipple Paper

stipple board textureCareful stipple (creating shading with fine dots) is a beautiful but time intensive way to add value to pen and ink drawings. A faster approach is to use stipple paper. The surface is textured with fine bumps and divots. If you rub the paper with a black Prismacolor Premier pencil the bumps pick up the color while the divots remain clean white (see enlarged inset). The harder you press, the narrower the white areas become. Drawings shaded with this technique reduce and reproduce well in black and white.  Study the step by step demonstration to see the illustration workflow and more tips on using stipple board. Click on the first image to start a step-by-step slideshow.