Some pencil sketch tutorials will ask you to shade squares just to get some blending practice. But I find that ineffective and exceedingly boring. And I tell myself there must be a better way to learn pencil sketching.

The problem with shading squares is that squares have no meaning. They don't represent still life, and they don't represent a living thing. Therefore, such exercises don't really stretch the muscles of the artist.

And anything that's not a real challenge isn't going to help anyone become a world class artist. If you're a beginner, you may want to consider some alternative exercises.

What you can do is that you may want to pick just one simple subject that you would like to draw. Don't be too overly ambitious if you're just starting out. Just one good one will do. I suggest choosing something like a soft toy or a plant. These subjects have simple basic forms and shapes and are perfect for sketching exercises.

Next, when you proceed with your drawing, keep in mind that this is just an exercise. So your primary goal is not to create the perfect sketch. Instead, you should constantly remind yourself that since this is just an exercise, you should try as much as you can to experiment. Be adventurous! This is just an exercise, so there's no need to be timid.

Draw all kinds of lines if you can. Experiment with all the different shades of pencils. Use different types of drawing paper and observe what happens.

This will keep you busy for hours, and in my opinion, even though the approach is a little hap-hazard, it's still much better than just shading squares. No boring squares for you and me. Geez