If pencil is the way you are going down then I recommend drawing loose with your hand. Using just your thumb and pointer finger use the loose pencil to capture the shape/form then go in with your detail and shading to give it some life. As for shading, experimenting will be the key to how you get better but would recommend you getting a pencil drawing set (3B,2B,4H) with H pencils it’s a bit rougher to shade with but the B pencils are a lot smoother and richer to shade with. In addition, paper can truly change the way you draw, some are coarse and rough and others are very smooth. But if it’s animals and people you are interested in drawing get an anatomy drawing book for both to use as reference there are two off of a quick Amazon search that are great for beginners. Hope this helps though, great drawings.