WEdesignstudios.com A Lesson In: charcoal Drawing

WEdesignstudios.com
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:
David@wedesignstudios.com
And don’t forget to submit your work to
our on-line gallery!
Send to: gallery@wedesignstudios.com
Laura@wedesignstudios.com