Visualizing Charcoal Gradients

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Posted 20 May 2013
Category Charcoal Technique

The many shades of gray between pure black and true white are at the essence of charcoal drawings. It is this gradual transition from light to dark grays which allows for drawn objects to appear three dimensional. A lack of shadows and shading produces figures that are much more flat, and “cartoon” like. Charcoal is an excellent medium for artists wishing to perfect their shading skills, as the medium can produce a great variety of subtly different shades.

Charcoal Gradients

A problem that many artists encounter is difficulty visualizing their gray gradients. Once you are in the middle of shading your figures, it can become very easy to go “too dark.” A simple trick to help remedy this problem is to keep a collection of gray color swatches to help you visualize several different shades of gray. Your local paint store will typically have collections of different swatches (from a variety of different paint brands) on display. These are two or three inch cards that display a particular color, its name, and brand. There are so many different varieties, that you’ll probably find it amusing just how many different types of gray have been officially named and delineated (i.e. “sky gray,” “drab gray,” etc.).

Customers will often take a few of these swatches home in order to help them visualize a particular color in the room that is destined to be painted. At your local paint store, pick up a few gray swatches to take home to your charcoal studio. Most customers take 2-3 swatches home with them; hence, if you are planning on taking more than three swatches, check with a store clerk to make sure that they can spare these complimentary swatches. Taking your swatches home, line them up on your drawing table, right above your canvas. It is often helpful to line them up in order, from lightest gray to darkest.

Grey Paint Swatches

Next, make the appropriate adjustments to your lighting conditions so that your subject is lit properly. Imagine a clock circling your subject. Typically, lighting sources for portrait figures fall at either 11 or 2 o’clock. Pay close attention to the shadows on your subject. With a permanent pen, mark your swatches with notes that correspond to your observations. For example, is the mouth of your figure more of a light gray, or a dark, muddy gray? Make these notes on the corresponding swatches. Now, with your swatches, charcoal materials, and subject ready, begin drawing. Try to train yourself to take short breaks every 20 minutes or so from your drawing to check your notes and swatches. Bearing this catalogue of grays in mind, it should be easier to create a rich variety of shadows in your finished work.

Featured Artist: Robin Perko

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Posted 16 May 2013
Category Artists, Artwork

A professional artist since 2006, has worked in oil producing landscapes, still-life’s and portraits, currently re-developing his technique using charcoal and paper, working from life, producing a series of portrait ‘character’ studies.

The sittings take from 4-10 hours to complete and aim to capture the essence of each person, with particular emphasis towards their unique expression and character. A physical likeness often emerges but is not the primary focus of the work. Throughout the sittings, it is clear that the resulting drawing is in fact a synergy between artist and model, the image is dynamic because it has been created over time, each drawing comprising captured moments; a fleeting expression, changing moods, flowing light, and sometimes in the process of creating, a deeper sense of the individual emerges.

Nitram charcoal enables me to reproduce of the many subtle variations of light and shade, it gives excellent blacks and can be sharpened to a fine point which is perfect for detail.

Robin Perko: Gold
Gold		 Robin Perko: Manon
Ariana
Robin Perko: Ariana
Manon		 Robin Perko: Loic
Loic

 

Visit Robin’s website to view more of his work.

CHARCOAL INSPIRATION: William Kentridge

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Posted 13 May 2013
Category Charcoal Inspiration

Looking for a little inspiration for your charcoal practice?  Our new series, Charcoal Inspiration, offers up artists and works that have taken the art of charcoal drawing to new heights, pushed it towards new horizons, and inspired us.

 “The activity of drawing is a way of trying to understand who we are and how we operate in the world.”

                                                                        – William Kentridge

In our first installment, a closer look at the work of charcoal master William Kentridge, a South Africa based artist whose deeply emotive, highly expressionistic charcoal drawings have been called “a wormhole to the sublime.”

With a career spanning more than three decades, Kentridge’s multi-disciplinary portfolio includes drawing, film animation, collage, illustration and performance.  His charcoal practice, however, first came to wide attention in the late1980’s when, as an artist, he turned to charcoal to depict daily life in South Africa under apartheid.   His heavy use of line, shading, and shadow evocatively put to paper the psychic heaviness and dystopic darkness of the lives of those living under oppression in South Africa, a theme which continued in his work for some time.

In the 90’s, however, it was Kentridge’s use of charcoal as an illustrative medium for film that brought him worldwide attention and acclaim.  His ongoing series of stop action films, which he calls “Drawings for Projection” virtually depict the artist’s hand at work:  rendered completely in charcoal, a gorgeous detailed and delineated street scene might darken then fade with only the marks of erasure left in its wake.  Lines of text scrawl manically, or loop elegantly in and out of frame as Kentridge draws them, then erases them, then draws them again, creating an effortlessly atmospheric patina on the page.

William Kentridge - Drawing for Projection

Generally around eight minutes long, Kentridge’s films are highly contextual – street scenes, a man in his bedroom – that take the typically static form of charcoal drawing, bring it to life and give it endless narrative possibilities as the thoughts seemingly embodied in his drawings morph to new thoughts, and time seems to move on.

Have a look at Kentridge’s brilliant “Automatic Writing,” three minutes of which is available here, for a better understanding of what these brilliant films are about.

William Kentridge - Automatic Writing

“My drawings don’t start with a ‘beautiful mark’,” Kentridge once wrote about the practice of artists “letting the hand lead the brain.”  As an artist emblematic of a certain style at least related to neo-expressionism, his goal is always depiction and context, a practice that necessarily, to some extent, requires the brain to lead the hand.   “It has to be a mark of something out there in the world,” Kentridge has said. “It doesn’t have to be an accurate drawing, but it has to stand for an observation, not something that is abstract, like an emotion.”

Interested in trying your own low-tech version of “drawing for projection”?  Watch the artist do it himself here, and let the charcoal take you where it will.

William Kentridge is represented by Marian Goodman Gallery of New York, and his full biography and images of his work can be found here.

Featured Artist: John Cerullo

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Posted 09 May 2013
Category Artwork

John Cerullo is a self taught artist living in Toronto, Canada. John studied art history in college and is a member of the Canadian Artist Society. He is also represented by the Parkdale Gallery in Ottawa.

I work in the medium of charcoal powder. I grind my own charcoal and apply it on paper with brushes. I’ve always liked charcoal as an art tool. It is simple and there are so many different ways it can be used.

Rose

A Rose
This drawing was inspired by
my friend. She likes simple things so I drew this flower for her. A simple flower just for her.

 Ballerina 3

Ballerina 3
This drawing is a tribute to one
of my favourite artists, Degas. I was always inspired by his depictions of ballerinas. I want mine to dance across the paper just like his danced on the canvas.

Boy

Boy in Water
This is my latest drawing. I like using the same model in different drawings. I used the same boy in my drawing called “Two Women Bathers.” Repetition is a theme that I like to explore.

Portrait Drawing with Art Charcoal

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Posted 06 May 2013
Category Charcoal Technique

Drawing portraits in charcoal allows the artist more flexibility with value and tone as opposed to graphite, but some artists are intimidated by the thought of using charcoal for delicate details.  Charcoal can be used in the same manner as graphite for portraiture, resulting in more striking values.

A portrait can be worked on any color paper, but the best colors to use are white or a light tan (flesh color) with a slight tooth.  Keep a black and white copy of the subject next to your work area for reference. Not sure about paper tooth – learn more.

Where to Start on Your Charcoal Portrait

Portrait DrawingTo begin, sketch the portrait lightly in graphite, using a 2B lead for easy erasure.  Because the eyes are the most expressive part of the face, it’s best to begin working that area so that if the essence of the person isn’t captured, not a lot of time is wasted if it’s necessary to start over.

If there’s concern about soiling the paper, a removable tape can be used for the areas that aren’t being worked. When you’re ready to work the taped area, you’ll have a clean surface.

When the eyes are finished, use a soft Nitram charcoal baton to outline the shape of the face, blending with a soft brush or tissue.  Working inward toward the center of the face, apply the charcoal and blend for tonal value, followed by highlighting with a kneaded eraser.  The highlights give the face dimension and add character and expression to the portrait.  Refer to the reference photo often to be sure the light and tones are being followed. This will give the portrait a more realistic look.  To achieve the fine details when highlighting, mold the eraser to a fine but sturdy point.

Facial Features and Clothes

The nose, cheeks and lips should be worked in varying tones by laying down the charcoal, blending and highlighting until the desired look is achieved. The bottom of the top lip should always be darker and the teeth are never white. Only the highlights of the teeth should be white.  If the gums show, they should be darker than the teeth. Each tooth should be drawn individually and the front teeth should be the lightest.  Teeth can take some time to draw, but it’s very well worth the time.  The lower lip tends to have several tone variations so attention to the reference photo is important.

When drawing a man with facial hair or stubble, to create the look of texture in the chin area, a trick that will give a realistic look is to use a baton that’s been sanded to an angle, and using the side of the charcoal, lightly drag it across the area, working slowly so the charcoal catches the tooth of the paper. This process can take practice, but once achieved, it’s not only a time-saver, but it results in a very realistic look.

Once the face is finished, it’s time to move on to the neck, using the same technique as with the facial area.  Outline the neck with charcoal, blending and highlighting until the correct tone is achieved, again carefully referring to the reference photo.

With the neck finished, continue on with any clothing.  To achieve the texture of clothing, the same dragging technique can be used that was used to create the stubble.

Hair

The hair can be the most time consuming part of any portrait.  For long hair, apply the charcoal with loose downward wrist strokes, adding highlights with a kneaded eraser. This may need to be repeated until the desired look is achieved.  To draw a man’s crew cut, short upward strokes work best. Little, if any, blending should be done to the hair. If any lines appear too dark, it’s best to use a kneaded eraser. The engagement portrait featured in this article was drawn using a flesh colored lightly-toothed paper and charcoal with the techniques as described.  The portrait was framed and given as a wedding gift.

When finished, use a drafting brush to clean away any charcoal dust.  Framing the portrait under glass will preserve it for many years to come.

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