The Technique

Stippling creates shading using dots instead of lines. Areas with only a few dots appear lighter, while areas with many dots appear darker.

It takes patience, but it allows artists to build smooth shading and interesting textures using nothing more than carefully placed marks.

Used For

Nature drawings, scientific illustrations, pen-and-ink artwork, textures, shadows, and detailed drawings that need careful control.

You Can Try

Use larger dots, smaller dots, scattered dots, dense clusters, or gradual transitions from light areas to dark areas.

Your Turn

Observe the example, practise building light and dark areas with dots, then experiment with different dot sizes and spacing in the Shading Toolkit.