Drawing Technique - Charcoal
"Untitled" by Hillary Brace
Drawing with charcoal presents a new set of challenges for the burgeoning artist. Because charcoal is applied in large particles that do not bind with the paper it is applied to, it is relatively unstable. This may be part of its charm. Until charcoal is sprayed with a fixative, it is workable. Here are some tips:
- if you want to smudge charcoal, first make sure your fingertip is covered with charcoal. If you smudge with a clean finger, the oil on your skin will bind with the charcoal..
- you may use a clean finger to reduce the depth of tone and value in your charcoal drawing.
- try alternating between clean and charcoal soak fingers to learn the effects that you can create with this medium.
- hold charcoal in an "underhand" way (as we discussed in the pencil crayon blog). This way, your hand will be removed from the paper, preventing skin oil binding and smudging.
- at any point during the drawing process, you can wipe your composition clean with a tissue. The ghost image that remains can be reworked as you choose.
- use erasers to remove darkness or add highlights.
When you are satisfied with your work, spray it with fixative to lock down your masterly creation!
If you get a free moment, try this charcoal task at wikihow:
http://www.wikihow.com/Draw-With-Charcoal
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