Charcoal drawing has been known for a very long time. He found wide application in painting. Traditionally, it was used to compose the composition before completing the entire work. Drawing portraits with pencil and charcoal require some skills. However, there are, of course, differences. The technique of drawing a portrait with coal is not very complicated, and even a novice artist can cope with the process.
The use of coal in drawing
Coal as an artist’s tool was used much earlier than a pencil.
Previously, it was used for drawing on thick paper. Such a pattern, called cardboard, was commonly used in the manufacture of frescoes. With its help, the composition of the fresco was compiled before being transferred to wet plaster. The details of the drawing were applied to the cardboard, then it was pressed against the wall, after which they tapped a bag of soot or sprinkled cardboard on it, which left black dots on the plaster.
Coal was also used to create sketches, sketches and sketches.
Necessary tools
To paint a portrait with coal, as a rule, the following are used:
- thin eraser;
- shading (paper stick used for shading and rubbing, paper towels can also be used for this purpose);
- charcoal pencil (or a piece of charcoal);
- paper.
Rough surface paper is best suited for charcoal drawing. Since a regular eraser can rub carbon dust into paper, it’s best to use a soft eraser gag.
Preliminary stage
The charcoal portrait technique involves several steps. First you can make a light sketch with a pencil.
At the first stage of creating a portrait with charcoal, a basic drawing is carried out, which emphasizes the simple geometry of the head and helps to correctly fit the details into a single whole.
The next step involves adding dark objects and important details so that they are not lost in the process of creating a picture.
Then there are large masses of light and shadow. There is no need to emphasize details at this stage.
Some artists prefer to start with the lightest areas, gradually moving to the darkest. This technique involves pre-dimming the background. To do this, using sandpaper, coal dust is applied to the sheet, and then gently rubbed with a paper towel. Coal dust shades in a spiral from the center to the edges of the sheet. After highlighting the glare, the artist switches to gray, and then darker tones. An eraser is used to identify the main details of the sketch and brighten the areas. Dimming is done with coal.
Detailed work with drawing
After that, work begins with halftones and light. Hatching is performed around the contours to create the illusion of a three-dimensional, three-dimensional image. While the work is done without too much detail. Make sure that each tone transmitted in the figure corresponds to the basic shape. Some artists do not use shading, but with their own fingers, here the technique is not as important as getting the right tone in the right place. Pencil strokes, the use of fabric, brushes, everything you can think of, can be a useful method when drawing a portrait with charcoal.
Completion of drawing
At the final stage, the main points are added, the details of the drawing are specified. An eraser can be used here. You always need to compare glare with each other so that you can judge their relativity. For example, the display of light in a picture may look very bright, in contrast to the dark shadows surrounding it. Keep in mind, for example, that light will almost never be as bright as glare on the cheek and forehead. The values of light and shadow should always maintain the right balance between each other. Ignoring this rule will ruin all the work done.
Charcoal drawing is a well-known skill. Very professional looking black and white images can only be drawn with a small piece of charcoal and an eraser. Charcoal is also a good way to study gray gradients. And lighting elements. When drawing a portrait with charcoal, it can be used on almost any type of paper.