This technique shows a reductive method to charcoal drawing.
The drawing begins with an even layer of grey, from which highlights are created with an eraser, and shadows are blocked in with charcoal.
- 1 min. short (skull structure)
- 1 min short (gestural portraits)
- 1 min. short (vine charcoal)
- 1 min short (eraser pencils)
- 6 min. version (draw along edit)
- 2 hour version (draw along)
See how to layer and build up a convincing likeness with a range of specific tools that fit this technique. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu.
Video Walkthrough
- This technique immediately gets rid of the white of the page, which often is intimidating to many people as they begin a drawing.
- In the beginning of the drawing, when you are sketching with vine charcoal is the time to make major changes!
- It’s easy and fast to take you hand and wipe out your vine charcoal sketch.
- Major changes when you have been working on your drawing for a long time are much tougher to do.
- The gesture of the head is more important than the details; this portrait has a tilt to the head that is critical to capture.
- Take the time to change the tilt if you didn’t capture it, it will be worth that extra effort down the line
- Often people think about the eraser as tool that is only used to remove mistakes.
- Our supply list has 3 erasers, and 3 types of charcoal.
- Every one of these tools has a special talent, using them as a combination will greatly increase the diversity of marks you can create.
- Charcoal paper is such a gamechanger; regular drawing paper is often too smooth to hold the charcoal.
- Charcoal paper has a texture to it, which essentially “grips” the powder of the charcoal.
- In a portrait, search for the planes on the surface, that’s how you’ll get a more volumetric look in your drawing.
- Texture is really important in a portrait, skin has a lot more texture and variation than we think!
- An eraser is an amazing drawing tool, think about it as a tool the same way you would think about a piece of charcoal.
Prof Lieu’s Tips
I often times do the silly thing, where, when I am drawing a portrait of somebody, I invent a story in my head about who I think they are.
In the marker drawing below, I imagined that the model at life drawing was a Greek philosopher. He reminded me of the busts from Ancient Greece with really expressive beards.
This is especially fun when you were drawing an artist model am I from session. I find that if I don’t invent narrative, I objectify then portrait too much, and then it really loses the emotions I want to have in the piece.
Art Supplies
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