charcoal…. Why I love it more than graphite
charcoal
So I’ve been experimenting with charcoal over the last 12 months, and, although I was anxious to change methods on how I draw and the materials I use, I was really looking forward to the depth and matt finish charcoal gives. It’s messy… very messy, but once you get your hands out of the way (and not lean over what you’ve already drawn like graphite!) it’s an amazing material to use. The smoothness and depth makes the drawings really pop out, I use a few items to distribute the charcoal – brushes, ear buds, tissue paper & paper stumps. Some large areas I’ll use a sponge, which gives a very smooth, flat texture. As most of my drawing involve erasing what you’ve drawn to create highlights, it really is easier to remove, the charcoal is more of a powder, and therefore the eraser generally removes everything you need. For added highlights I can use white charcoal directly over the top, which really improves the depth.
All in all, the charcoal has given me a new lease of life in my art, it’s a new technique but the results have been really good so far. The paper options have opened up as well, so I’m currently working on the best fit, it may be a case of changing the paper to the subject picture, but we’ll see!
