Pencils are probably the most common implements used for making marks on paper, and one with which we come to grips before we have learned to write intelligibly. Yet, as a drawing tool, the pencil is rarely used for more than doodling. This course goes way beyond the doodle. The Old Masters used charcoal and chalk applied to a grey or light pastel coloured ground, before paper was easily available. Now we have graphite pencils (they were never ‘lead’ pencils) and white pastel, applied to a wide choice of papers. So we have the best of both worlds; knowledge of traditional techniques combined with a modern toolkit.