You should see what I started with

January 11 and 12, 2011 

It might surprise you to learn how difficult it is to scan pencil drawings. The initial scans are very faint, and require tinkering in picture editing software. I did a bunch of Internet reading before settling on my current method. (Desaturate, then darken midtones, sometimes a little brightening. ... I wonder if it might be easier to photograph my sketches instead.) 

The problem seems to be peculiar to pencil work. Over the years I've scanned acrylic paintings, watercolor painting, ink drawings, whatever, and the results generally resemble the original.

I wonder what the difference is? Does the graphite in pencil lead reflect light in a weird way? Hmm.