Tips for Drawing with Charcoal
Charcoal is one of the most versatile and oldest drawing mediums, offering beginners and professional artists multiple methods for getting their ideas and images on paper. The result is often a rich mix of non-reflective dark tones, lighter highlights and almost realistic textures. Charcoal is best for replicating nubby textures, like heavy cloth, concrete, wood, or uneven and wrinkled complexions. Look for charcoal sticks and tools at online retailers like Dick Blick Art Materials and Michaels, and try your hand at this easy-to-use medium. Here are some tips for drawing with charcoal sticks:
Quick Sketches
Charcoals quick application and the ease with which it captures varying shades of light and darkness makes it nearly irreplaceable as a medium for artists who want to get an idea down quickly and transcribe their vision onto canvas later using oil or acrylic paints. For more complicated drawings, first sketch with a pencil what you want to draw on the paper. This will give you a frame of reference to which you can add more detail and texture. Also, remember that charcoal can be messy. If you're working outside, that's not a problem. Inside, be sure to put down sheets of newspaper or a dust cloth where you'll be working.
A Basic Background
Most charcoal drawings start by dusting or rubbing the paper with a light shade of black so that none of the white paper shows through. The easiest way to do this is to take a sharp knife, scrape shavings from the charcoal stick onto the paper, and then smear the shavings with your fingers or a blending tool.
Frame Your Subject
Start by cleaning up areas that are lighter with an art gum eraser. When you're finished, use your finger or a blending tool to smudge the lights and darks so that each graduation flows gracefully into the next. Using the charcoal stick, sketch contour and gesture lines quickly using rapid, short movements to define your subject and show areas of movement.
Light vs. Shadows
This is where charcoals trump other mediums because of the rich, dark tones you can create and the contrast between dark and light. Use hard charcoal for the sharp details, moving to a softer charcoal along the edges. Use your finger, a blender or a brush to soften and create shadows. Or, draw a hard, sharp outline of the image and shade to the inside to create the look of bright metal reflecting light or sunlight shining on your subject's face. This type of volume drawing also can be done using cross-hatch marks, especially for heavier textures.
Final Steps
If the shading is done correctly, your drawing should take on a 3D appearance. When you're done adding lines and contours, erase any unnecessary charcoal from the background and use hard lines to reinforce the image's outline. With a fixative, like a resin or plastic spray, lightly coat the finished drawing to protect it from additional smudges or from being accidentally erased.
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