4 Ways to Draw White Lines in a Pencil Drawing: Do This…

Kevin Hayler: Professional Wildlife artist, author, and traveler.

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Ever wondered how artists draw those tiny white lines in a pencil drawing? How do you draw whiskers? It looks insanely difficult, doesn’t it? But in actual fact, it’s incredibly easy, once you know how. There are three reliable ways of creating white lines in a pencil drawing.

Score the paper with a blunt tool, shade over the indent and it leaves a white line. Use the very sharpest edge of an eraser pen to swipe the drawing to make a thin white line. And use a battery eraser pen, sharpened to a point, to draw a fine white line.

I use all three methods and each has its place. I’ll start with the indenting technique I used when I first got started, then explain why the Tombo-Mono eraser pen is far better, and finish with the battery eraser pen I use now, and that was a game-changer. Keep reading.

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1. Make White Lines in a Pencil Drawing By Indenting The Paper

When I discovered this method I was convinced that I’d made a giant leap forward. I could now produce thin, sharp, white lines, in a way that was previously impossible.

How had I managed before? Did I really draw two parallel lines and shade around them? What a fool.

Now my work was on a different level, or so I thought.

You see this method is great when it works, and a dog’s dinner when it doesn’t. It’s inherently dodgy. Think about it, the technique involves ruining the paper itself. That’s one hell of a risk to take.

Having said that, it’s a great technique when used judiciously.

Indent (Score) the Paper

The idea is simple. You plan out the drawing beforehand and before you do any shading, you score the lines into the paper. For this technique to work properly you must know exactly where you intend to place those white lines.

The lines appear as you shade over the indents with the side of a pencil. It’s like magic. The white lines are crisp and clean. There’s no other way you can get a line to look this white.

If, later on, you want to add some white lines by rubbing out an area of graphite and scoring the paper again, the line will be a faint grey. You will lose the ‘zing’. That’s OK if that’s what you want, but otherwise don’t be surprised if it looks dull.

My first experiments using the indent method were made using a toothpick. The lines were super fine and very effective. Take a look at the monkey below. The cheek whiskers were all drawn using a toothpick.

Can you see how I managed to lighten the tone from the top of the head to the shoulders? The gradation makes the whiskers look fuller around the lower cheeks and chin. Look how thin the lines are over the shoulders.

I use these techniques in this post too: Drawing Realistic Grass the Easy Way: For Beginners

What Things Go Wrong With The Indent Method?

If I had used the wrong tool to score the paper, the whiskers would not look real. The point was to scale, so it worked. Judging the right scale and choosing the right size tool is tricky.

At other times I’ve used an empty Biro or a knitting needle to score a larger line and latterly I’ve used an indenting tool which is a metal needlepoint with a tiny ball at the nib.

These things go wrong:

• It’s not always easy to get a smooth tapering line
• Sometimes you don’t press hard enough for the indent to work properly
• Sometimes you misjudge where the line should go
• Occasionally you ‘kink’ the line and it looks weird

How to Correct Mistakes With The Indent Method

If you go badly wrong at the outline planning stage, you may as well start again. The time it takes to rescue the damage is not worth the effort. Otherwise, it is possible to disguise a mistake most of the time.

Let’s say you drew a wonky line and want to get rid of it. You can’t rub out the indent so you will have to use a sharp pencil point to draw inside the grove. Be careful to match the surrounding tones which may vary along the length.

Maybe the white line was too thick. Use a hard pencil point to draw a line along the shadow side of one edge.

To correct a wonky line or kink, rub out the shading and redraw the line lightly where it went astray. Meticulously shade around the repair, then shade over the original clean groove as before. Disguise the kink with a darker lead and hopefully, the mistake will vanish.

2. Make White Lines in Your Pencil Drawing By Using an Eraser Pen

Before I’d ever heard of eraser pens I achieved similar results by cutting wedges out of plastic erasers. There’s no need to do that anymore because an eraser ‘pen’ is so much easier.

I use a Tombo-Mono zero eraser pen the smallest in the range. You use them as you would a propelling pencil; when the rubber tip gets worn, you propel it forward.

I use mine primarily to draw layers of fur or hair. I will drag the nib over the surface of the shaded area, in the same direction as the fur. I’ll shade over lightly and then do it again.

Each layer adds depth until you get to the final stage. The highlights can be picked out using a sharp edge of the eraser

To get the very thinnest lines, you must ‘sharpen’ the nib. Cut a sliver off the tip with a craft knife for a fresh sharp edge. Use it by swiping the pen across the shading. I’ll twist the pen for a new edge and repeat the action. After a few swipes, the edge will be lost and I’ll sharpen it again.

If you go wrong you can draw over it and start again. You’re not damaging the paper so no harm is done. The worst thing that can happen is losing the bright white. After reworking the paper the chances are the line will be grey.

3. Make White Lines in a Pencil Drawing By Using a Battery Eraser Pen

This is my preferred method.

A battery powered eraser pen is a spinning rubber nib that rubs out graphite more effectively than anything else. It removes the graphite almost perfectly. If I want to restore the sparkle in a lost highlight I will use this tool.

The idea is to sharpen the end to a fine point, just like you would with a pencil.

I’ll whittle a new nib with a craft knife and refine the point by spinning it, at an angle, on some emery paper (wet and dry). I want to make the finest point possible.

I will draw the lines with this pen.

Used skillfully, a battery-operated eraser is a precision tool. I can make a line as thin as human hair if I so wish. It’s insane.

The trick is to remember to keep the point sharp, it blunts very quickly. To get the most out of the tool you must develop the habit of constantly resharpening it after every few strokes. It will become 2nd nature.

You’ll get through a lot of nibs so make sure you have a good supply of refills to hand.

If you’re drawing whiskers, there’s no need to pre-plan. Leave the task to the final stages and draw them in, by erasing them out. If it all goes wrong, no problem, pencil over the mistake and do it again. And keep doing them again until it looks good.

If a battery pen is brilliant for white lines, it’s just as good for the highlights.

What happens if you draw an eye and the sparkle goes wrong? There was a time that you would never get that shine back. Now you can, with one dot of your pen – PING

I use a Jakar eraser pen. Get one, they are only a few dollars, and you won’t regret it.

4. Making White Lines With a White Charcoal Pencil on Tinted Paper

Erasing a fine line, or highlight, on tinted paper serves no purpose. The paper itself is your mid-tone and your highlights must be added with a pencil. In such cases, I use a charcoal pencil sharpened to a point with a craft knife.

Try using General’s charcoal white pencils #558 or white chalk pencils. Generals black charcoal pencils have a graded range with 4 choices, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B. The softer grades are richer but crumble more readily.

You can erase and blend them as you would with graphite.

A Word of Caution

Be aware:

• You cannot scratch the ‘lead’ off the paper in the same way you can with colored pencils.
• White pencil crayon doesn’t work over soft graphite
• Ink gel pens are not permanent and will yellow with age.
• Acrylic and gouache paints may flake off when painted over graphite.

How to Draw White Lines: Final Thoughts

I’ve experimented and made all the mistakes you can now avoid. Use a combination of all three techniques using these super cheap tools. They’re all you need to create fine white lines in a pencil drawing.

They can all be purchased for around $15, it’s a no-brainer.

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If you want to dramatically improve your drawing skills, I urge you to watch Stephen Bauman. He’s classically trained and his techniques are superb.

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If you like the way I draw and want to try things for yourself, this is my basic kit

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If this post has helped you, I’ve got more for you. I can help you to sell your art too. I’ll show you how in the most practical way. Take a look!

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There are more tips in the following posts:

• How to Draw Realistic Shadows in Pencil (All The Best Secrets)
• How to Create Depth in Your Drawing and See it Improve
• Are Online Drawing Courses Worth it? I Chose 5 of The Best For You!
• Is Drawing from Photos Bad? Are you Cheating?
• Best Mechanical Drawing Pencils For Artists in 2023
• How to Make Your Drawings Interesting: 14 Hacks to Add More OOMPH
• How to Draw Water: Drawing Water the Right Way
• How to Prevent Your Drawing From Smudging. ( 5 Good Tips, Especially Number 3 )

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