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A Lesson in: charcoal drawing I remember my first time using charcoal. I sat down at age nine with my new charcoal sticks and sketch pad and decided that the perfect subject would be a flamingo. The final drawing wasn’t exactly what I had expected. My exquisite maiden-voyage charcoal rendering looked something like this: OK, it’s not the actual original. It’s my memory of it...drawn with my left hand. But trust me, it looked like this.

Charcoal can be a challenging medium, but why?

First rule to remember: charcoal is not a pencil. Charcoal deceptively appears to be a standard, run-of-the-mill drawing utensil. It is often packaged like the crayons you used in kindergarten, which makes it very sneaky-sneaky! But working with charcoal is more like painting or sculpting and less like drawing. You can cover a page with charcoal in the same way you can with watercolors, minus the water. And, unlike pencil, which primarily renders only line, charcoal creates an emphasis on tone and value.

What You Will Need

Charcoal Grill- not the right kind of charcoal.

CHARCOAL:

There are many types of charcoal. The choices can be overwhelming. But how do you know which

to use? For this assignment, we will be using the charcoal types and tools listed below:

Willow Charcoal and Vine Charcoal - A very soft charcoal that’s great for laying down a very light initial sketch of your subject.



Compressed Charcoal - A hard, compact charcoal that is best for creating dark values.



Charcoal Pencil - Tightly compressed charcoal in pencil form. I know, I know. I said you’re not really drawing with charcoal. But at some points you will be using a bit of line to help define objects. Charcoal pencil is an excel lent tool because it can be sharpened very easily.

SPECIAL TOOLS:





Chamois - A very fine, soft piece of leather used for spreading around charcoal on your paper. This is the ideal tool for toning paper. If you are vegetarian or can’t bring yourself to use leather to smear charcoal on a page you can purchase a synthetic chamois. However, they are not nearly as effective as a real leather chamois.



Blending Stump - A tightly wrapped stick of soft paper with a pointed end. These are used for blending and smudging. They are great for working in very small areas of detail. Use blending stumps at an angle rather than bearing down on the tip. This will give you more surface area to work with and you will avoid damaging the paper. Spray Fixative - You will spray this onto your work after you have finished. It fixes the charcoal to the paper to prevent smudging. This spray is toxic if used in a confined space so please read the directions on the container carefully before using!



Paper -There is a variety of papers you can use. Standard charcoal paper can be found at most craft or art supply stores. It is textured to help hold the charcoal and will give your drawing a textured look. For a clean paper without the texture you can try using a smooth bristol paper. You can also try out pastel paper, which has a slightly different texture.





Kneaded Eraser - An extremely malleable eraser (almost like silly putty) that removes charcoal from paper very easily.

bit with these tools. What types of lines and values can you

*Except for the fixative, take some time to play around a

create? How much can you remove with the chamois, kneaded eraser and blending stump. Go ahead and get messy!

LET’S GET STARTED! We are going to start by toning the paper. One of the

best ways to instantly create shade values is by toning your

broad side

paper. Using the broadest side of your charcoal lightly color the ENTIRE paper. Then, lightly rub the charcoal into the paper with your chamois. When you are finished your page will be a light shade of grey.

YOUR SUBJECT A sphere is one of the best objects to draw when you are learning about charcoal. It is a simple

object that allows you to focus on creating a good value range. Using a strong light source to shine on a sphere you will be able to establish a wide value range with the charcoal from very light to very dark.

You now need to acquire a real-life sphere to draw. Any kind of small ball will do. If you don’t have a ball you can use an apple, orange, tomato or something similar. (Avoid enlisting a friend’s head.) In addition to the sphere you will also need a strong light source.

don’t draw your friend’s head.

Beginning with the vine or willow charcoal create a

sphere

very light structure or outline of your sphere. Next,

focus on your object and begin identifying the darkest darks and the lightest lights. Remember to observe the shadow created by your object as well.

cast shadow sphere

Once you have a clear idea where these areas are

found on your sphere use a kneaded eraser to erase charcoal from the toned page that are receiving the

most direct light from your light source. Erasing some

of the charcoal allows you to render the bright whites cast shadow

against the grey.

Next, use your compressed charcoal to add some of your

sphere

darkest darks. Use the compressed charcoal lightly at first. Try not to make any dark, sharp lines with the tool. Later, you can use your charcoal pencil to define

the very dark lines and edges on your sphere. When you render the cast shadow your sphere will really pop out on the page. “Whoa! It’s in 3-D!”

cast shadow

sphere

With your chamois, begin to blend some of the values to create a smooth transition between them. If you

remove too much charcoal, just add more to that area. If your light areas become a bit grey, go back in and subtract with the eraser. cast shadow *DO NOT COPY THESE EXAMPLES! They do not use an accurate light source, so don’t just copy what you see here. Draw what you see in front of you!

sphere Using the blending stump and charcoal pencil go in and define the edges of the

sphere. Create a softer edge using the blending stump or a harder, more defined

edge by using a well sharpened charcoal pencil.

cast shadow

blending stump

After you have made all of your values and you feel that your drawing is complete take a

step back from your work. How does it look? Is the value range obvious? Is it too obvious? Do the values blend and transition smoothly?

After you make your final tweaks and you are happy with your finished work fix the charcoal to the page using the spray fixative. Make sure to shake the can well and spray in a well-ventilated area. Outdoors is the

best place. Test on scrap paper to be sure the fixative comes out smoothly. Allow the sprayed page to dry.

Check It Out. Your First Charcoal Drawing! This assignment is designed to just get your feet wet. There’s so much more to explore when it comes to charcoal. You now have a solid base to branch out from. Keep exploring the medium

and try drawing other objects that interest you. For a challenge, try experimenting with other types of charcoal. Your local art supply store will have a variety to choose from.

And as always, you can contact us with questions and we will be happy to help!

Email: [email protected]

And don’t forget to submit your work to our on-line gallery! Send to: [email protected]

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