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Cynthia-Blair — Tutorial:drawing with charcoal
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Published: 2008-08-02 02:32:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 19858; Favourites: 197; Downloads: 3437
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Description
for those of you who are interested in seeing how I draw a male portrait in charcoal, step for step.(this one is Alex Suarez, who I drew recently) sorry I didn't have the room to get into detail about how I handle certain things like (eyes, lips, noses, beards, stubble, winkles, etc.) there wasn't enough room in this one.
this is my first tutorial, so forgive me if the gray background is not consistent (as it should be). If you have any questions at all, ask away. I'll be happy to help.
download size is the best for viewing
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Comments: 61
Your wonderful tutorial has been featured here
Consider giving the article a 
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I did! Thanks for featuring it!
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Thanks! yeah, he's such a nice guy, too.
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Great tutorial, although I have few questions. Do you recommend using fixative after going over the image with white charcoal? Also if you want to black out the background at what stage of drawing the image would you do so?
Thanks
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I use fixative before I add the white, and very carefully afterward. I usually end up adding some more white after fixing it, because the whites tend to turn transparent.
If I were blacking out the entire background (like the ref photo) I'd do it near the end, and I'd possibly use black gouache or maybe even black acrylic. I know using the gousche, you can draw very soft black charcoal over it and create some great subtle black on black texture. You can probably do this with liquid acrylic, too. I suppose you could use charcoal to black out the background, I just happen to like a variety of textures in a piece. And I'd want the black to drop out, as it's not the focal point.
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Thanks for your reply, I was working on a piece while I was asking the questions.
I ended up finishing the piece and the white did go a bit transparent, fortunately for me it was a light coat.
Nice tutorial and tips!
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do you know of any good tutorial for dolls? whenever i draw them they look bad XD
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did you search tutorials? I've never drawn dolls, but same rules apply as people (or anything else), using light and shadow to shape the form. Simpler, actually...because the texture isn't skin...but of course it depends on what the doll is
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yeah i searched
i'm better at drawing people than dolls, i think it is because they are too flat and smooth. i just tried it in colour, did a better job with that than normal pencil.
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That's amazing! How do you get the skin texture? My charcoal drawings always look flat, not realistic at all.
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Skin texture is fairly easy with someone young...mainly I do alot of smudging with my fingers (so much easier than graphite in that respect). To model the form, I basically build up with charcoal and/or remove with kneaded eraser til I get what I want from it. So look carefully at your values, where the lightest lights are, the darkest darks, and all the gray values in-between. if they are correct and edges are soft where they should be, transition areas shaded correctly, it should look right. Remember most edges are soft, not sharp.
I have a tendency to over-contrast my sharp edges and values, and I often have to correct that.
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Thank you so much for the tips
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hey, I hope it helps...you can always ask me questions anytime. I know I should do more tuts 
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aww thanks a lot!! you are awesomely skilled D: i wanna be like u when i grow up!!xD
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just keep practicing and you'll be better than me, and with your own distinctive style! 
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awwwww :3 thank you very very much
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Do you use charcoal pencils or just sharpened peices of charcoal?
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oh, pencils, always! you can see what tools I use in the tutorial link I sent earlier
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sweet, i fav'd it, but yeah i can't see the writing properly so i guess i'll download lol 
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sorry, I need to learn how to make tutorials a bit clearer
its hard to get everything in
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still very helpful though. thanks again!
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Great tutorial!
I looked this up because in art class I have to do some self portraits in charcoal and then maybe transfer them...oh boy X3
Wonderful! I always wondered how people achieved such darks and such brights. Thanks so much for the help!
^0^/
~Anna~
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I'm glad if this can help you!
Have fun and experiment!!
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Thanks - really interesting. Are you really that disciplined that you do it all in strict sequence: charcoal black, charcoal white, gouache ... or was this just simplified for the tutorial and you vary between them as you tweak and adjust?
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well, the subject dictates my approach, so no, I'm not that disciplined. But for most drawings, that's the sequence. There's always tweaking and adjusting!!
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what do you use as a fixative??? Would a clear acrylic coating work?
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I don't know, but it might. you could always test on a scrap piece of paper. you wouldn't want it to yellow with age. there are 2 different kinds of fixative, workable (when you want to work over it) and clear-coat (for finished work).
I use Lascaux fixative, but it's really $$$-like $25/can in the US. fortunately, a little goes a long way.
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thanks! I should go into detail about certain areas, next time. too much for one tutorial, though
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".. the tie looks pretty odd." That made me laugh.
If ever I risk using charcoal, I'll take this all into mind! Thankyou~
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yeah, I think I was listening to Pretty Odd while I was putting that one together
charcoal's easy, I find it easier and quicker than pencil
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I never thought to use gouache with charcoal! I'll definitely keep this in mind.
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The gouache works great to unify light or dark areas. I usually draw right over it with charcoal, too, and you can get a tone on tone effect that way. I use white gouache for the catch lights in the eyes-or whereever I need the whitest whites.
have fun
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You also mentioned in the tutorial that you use a fixative. When do you use it, do you apply it lightly, and can you work over it easily?
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I apply it lightly and evenly in coats. never saturate the paper with it. yes, you can work over it easily (make sure you're using a workable fixative, not a top or clear coat) My fav brand is Lascaux, which is expensive (one can lasts me a long time). Any fixative should be used with good ventilation, though-the stuff stinks, probably kills brain cells and all. I just give it a quick spray and leave the room a few mintues.
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not that you need one
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Aw!!!!!!!!! I have never tried charcoal! Looked at buying some a few weeks ago when I bought some new pencils! (Yay!) But lost courage
Fab tutorial!
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thanks! you're doing so great with pencil, maybe you need to take that medium as far as you can go with it. when you get the itch to try something different, then try some charcoal pencils out. They're much easier to smudge and very matte in finish.
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I agree! I've got a long way to go with Graphite pencils first, so that was one of the reasons I chickened out, figuring if I haven't got the hand of this then I need to stick with it first.
Thanks for the hint though, will bear that in mind!
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Oh wow! This is possibly one of the most helpful tutorials I have ever read!
I never thought to use gouache on charcoal. But thinking it over it's a great idea. Thanks so much!
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I am so glad the tutorial is helpful! One nice thing about the gouache (I use it only for the darkest darks and lightest lights) is that you can draw over it again-after it's dry- with the black charcoal pencil for even greater texture and depth.
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