![]() ![]() It’s very versatile: many different techniques and ‘looks’ possibleĪnd finally, what I love about charcoal is its versatility. And that’s really all we need to create stunning portraits, with a lot of depth and realism.ĥ. The light is created by the white of the paper. Charcoal doesn’t have any color, it’s just black or some type of grey. If we eliminate the color, it’s way more easy to see the relative lightness or darkness of what we’re drawing. Color can be distracting when we want to focus on tonal values, because it’s not always easy to see exactly how light or dark it is. Now, what does this all have to do with charcoal? Charcoal is a great medium to learn to work with tonal values, because it doesn’t have any color. That’s also the reason that learning to work with tonal values is the first subject that we focus on in my in-depth portrait course Drawing in the Soul. If you know how to work with tonal values, you can use any color and still be able to draw a realistic face. That’s because tonal values create the structure of your art piece. It’s even more fundamental than the use of color. ![]() Learning to work with tonal values in art is essential. The tip of the nose for example is usually light, because it is sticking out. That’s because the lighter parts of the face seem to be protruding, while parts that are dark seem to be pushed inward. Light and dark, or light and shadow, are the elements that give for example a face in a portrait its depth, its structure. Tonal value is one of the most fundamental concepts in visual art, because it can be used to create depth and a 3D effect. If an object is light, it appears to be closer, and if it is darker, it seems to be further away. The lower the value, the darker the object. Tonal value, or simply ‘value’, in art refers to how light or dark something is. It’s a great medium to learn to work with tonal valuesĬharcoal is also an ideal medium to learn how to work with tonal values. No fancy tools or expensive supplies necessary! 4. Add to that a kneaded eraser and a knife to sharpen your supplies, and you’re all set to create awesome drawings. Compressed charcoal and charcoal pencils aren’t expensive either. You can buy a pack of thirty willow charcoal sticks for less than 5 euros or dollars. I also love the fact that charcoal is such a ‘basic’ material, which is not expensive at all. Instead, if you need to remove any dust it’s better to tap your finger to the back of your paper, or use a soft brush or a rag to carefully wipe it away. Important is that you don’t blow off the dust with your mouth, because you could inhale the charcoal particles. ![]() Especially the variants without any binder, like willow or vine charcoal sticks, can produce dust when we draw with them. One thing however that you do need to be aware of, is the dust that can be produced when drawing with charcoal. The more processed forms of drawing charcoal, such as compressed charcoal, use natural gums as binders, which are also generally safe for our health and the environment. These are burnt to a precise degree of hardness, eliminating the oxygen inside the wood. As a drawing material, charcoal in its purest form is made from branches of the willow tree, or sections of grape vine. It’s a natural material, safe for our health and environmentĪnother thing that I love about charcoal, is that it’s a natural material and relatively safe for our health and environment. These are the earliest known European figurative cave drawings, made over 30,000 years ago.Ģ. Look at these incredible drawings of rhinos and horses that were found in the Chauvet Cave in France (image below). But it’s amazing that tens of thousands of years later we are still able to admire them. We don’t know why these drawings were made, if they had some ritualistic meaning or if they were just decorations. These pigments were mixed with saliva or animal fat to act as a binder, so that they stuck to the cave wall. The walls of these caves are decorated with drawings made from charcoal, but also different types of earths and bone were used. These cave drawings have been found all over the world: from Europe to Australia and Southeast Asia. It’s been used for thousands and thousands of years, as the ancient cave drawings that most of us are familiar with show. I love the fact that charcoal is such an age-old drawing material. It’s an ancient drawing material, used for thousands of years Why? Let me give you five reasons why I love charcoal. I’ve been using it since a couple of years, and I’ve come to love it more and more. Charcoal is one of my most favorite drawing mediums. ![]()
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