need help drawing water

Excellent! I will check out Derwents!

That's what I've been doing, but have reached a point where I need some guidance! I'm currently working on my own horses (the pic in my avatar precisely) and am about to abandon it. I may post it for critique if I get the nerve. :)

Great thread and I see Kayty has you well in hand here. I agree that your drawing skill is very strong and this is a lovely little Corgi portrait.
Darker darks really add depth and dimension to a drawing, as well as light tones.
I often use a 2B as my darkest (softest) lead, but I get it darker by layering it with harder ones, HB and 6 or 7H. I'll set the tone with 2B, go over it like lasagna with HB and 7H, and go back again the same way if I think it needs it. I less frequently use 3 and 4B, and nothing darker than 5B and that only rarely.
Just as a by the by, notice how much depth your wooden pier has in it, as simple as it is, because of the high contrast of dark shadow and light wood. Also you didn't just draw a line to indicate the spaces between the planks, you made them actual shadows, which is another reason it works well.

You don't want to turn your pictures into cartoons by using too much dark and light, and this drawing is nice enough to leave as is, but you might experiment on future drawings with seeing how dark you can go, and widening your tonal range a bit.

See, this is where I get frustrated with my lack of knowledge. I've been doing the opposite. I start with a 2H or HB making the basic outline and shadows, then go in with my 2B and continue to layer. When I'm happy with how it's going, I'll spray a workable fixative on it and continue layering the darkest areas with my 2B, but I'm always afraid of getting a piece too dark to where I won't be able to lift out any mistakes.

My collection of pencils consist of HB, 2H, 2B, a soft charcoal and a med. Charcoal, so I don't have much of a variety to work with...but that will all change! The 2B is actually a .9 mechanical pencil and I've been meaning to get a .5 as well.

Thank you for the input toadflax! I'm definitely going to work on going darker. :)

Well I don't know if the order is really very important, but you might experiment to see if it makes any difference, since you already know to use layers. HB is a very good choice for groundwork too.
Even going in after the drawing's pretty much set and enhancing existing dark areas a bit here and there can enhance the depth of a piece. Like Kayty was saying about darkening the edge of the pier some before, or catching the curve of a muzzle or the fur at the neck, wherever your reference suggest it or wherever you think it might help.
I use mechanical pencils a lot, .3 and .5, never tried a .9.

What sort of paper are you using?

I've never come across a .3, that must be tiny. Hmmm, a light bulb is going off. :)

I'm using Canson drawing paper, 70 lb., 115 gsm...whatever that means. :/ It says it's a "medium tooth paper perfect for finished drawings in pencil, pen charcoal and pastel".

Canson is lovely paper, but it can bit a bit tricky to use with graphite because the teeth grab so much of the graphite making it more difficult to get detail. Perhaps try a slightly lesser toothed paper for a bit and see how you go :)

Again I agree that given your detailed style you might find a smooth paper is easier to work with. I use plate or smooth finish Bristol, two ply which is a little heavier weight and stiffer than a regular paper. But any good quality paper with a smooth or toothless surface would be worth trying, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Smooth or toothless paper, got it! I'll see what I can find. Thank you so much you two!

I just had an idea. I edited the photo of my drawing and deepened the contrast. I now realize how going darker with my work would look so much better!



Also, I was wondering, what size paper do you guys typically use?

What a brilliant experiment, and a perfect demonstration!
I never work bigger than 11x14 myself, many of my drawings are around 9x12 or even 8x10.