Ebony pencil sketch...

I'm quite enamored of the Ebony pencil, made by Sanford, for sketching, as it can make very intense darks. Here is my copy of a lovely painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Somehow, copying a master's work helps you to figure out how they achieved certain effects, which helps in your own drawing. She's always been one of my favorite artists, not only because of her techniques, which I admire, but because she mostly painted real-life (not idealized) women and children.