The higher the number, the darker you can go. For example, 6B is much darker than 2B. If you want a really light line use an H pencil. The higher the number the lighter the line. For example, 6H is much lighter than 2H.
Burnishing comes from smoothing the surface of the paper with the pressure of the pencil until it becomes reflective and appears light rather than very dark. If this is a problem for you, choose softer pencils and don’t press down as hard.
Never rest any part of your hand on any part of your paper that has pencil on it. In other words never rest your hand on your actual drawing. Try to keep your hand on the blank parts of the paper. This prevents blurring your lines. Lay a piece of scrap paper between your hand and the art if you need to work on an area that isn’t near any blank space. Wear gloves. This way, you don’t have to worry as much about washing your hands. You can use gloves that only cover half of your hand and are designed for drawing.
It might help to warm up first. Sketch without judging the outcome, to loosen up before you start on your picture.
The more effort you make to draw the forms correctly, the more convincing and impressive your drawing will look. No amount of detail will compensate for unintentional inaccuracies or laziness.
If you used pen, take an eraser (a rubber eraser is better than the standard pencil eraser) and erase all of the original fine lines you made with the pencil.
The best artists are those who try hard, have patience, take their time, and have pride in their own work. Read a lot about drawing. Make sketches. Find a teacher who can help you to develop an artist’s eye.
