How To Draw Charcoal Still Life

I am Diane Brown (dbro), an creative person and illustrator living in Texas. I enjoy all phases of the creative process. Bask and comment!

Charcoal still life drawing on toned paper

Capturing Light and Shadow With Charcoal

This article is designed to give artists groundwork data on how to create a still life in charcoal that has a sensitive representation of dramatic calorie-free and shadow. I will explicate how to create and gather the materials and supplies needed to create the drawing and give advice most how to fix up the even so life using everyday items. I will give pointers on how best to arrange the items in the still life set-up to create an interesting and beautiful composition.

This project is easy to complete and does not require exotic or expensive materials. As you read this information, I hope you volition hold that creating tonal drawings using this method is a great manner to explore and enhance 1's creativity and drawing skills.

Background Data and Key Terms

Before we jump into creating the cartoon, nosotros demand to analyze some terms that yous might non be familiar with.

What Does Still Life Mean?

Our subject matter for this drawing is going to be a "nonetheless life," which refers to an system of inanimate objects, presented in a mode that is pleasing to the eye. We volition discuss a bit almost how to compose this arrangement later in the commodity. The objects you choose for your still life are entirely upward to y'all. You may wish to group objects with a like shape or size, but information technology is preferable to include a variety of shapes and sizes. The items you cull tin exist ordinary household objects (pitchers, vases, flowers, fruit, etc.), really there are no rules here—just notice things that appeal to you.

Defining Tone and Value

Our drawing volition exist a "tonal" or "value" drawing, meaning we will focus on portraying the light and shadows that are created when we shine a dramatic lite on the collection of objects in our all the same life arrangement. While we will be using lines to render parts of the drawing, nosotros will be primarily interested in portraying the withal life by showing light and shadow as we see information technology in our arrangement. The terms "tone" and "value" refer to the lightness and darkness of objects (and the highlights and shadows created when a light source hits these objects) in a drawing.

Working With Angles to Discover Highlight and Shadow

To set up the still life, experiment with various arrangements of the objects you have chosen until the limerick satisfies you. Also, take the time to try casting your light source from various angles until you accept a variety of highlights and shadows that pleases y'all. It is usually preferred to have the lite cast at a "severe" angle to give the arrangement distinct and dramatic shadows.

Charcoal Drawing Supplies and Materials

Before you lot begin, yous will need to compile some supplies and materials. It'southward all-time to get everything yous demand to complete the drawing earlier you begin. That fashion you won't need to interrupt your work to track something down.

• However Life Objects: First I would suggest you lot gather those even so life objects you lot wish to depict. Accept some time to work through the organisation and make sure that it is configured in a manner that is pleasing to your middle. Make sure that you don't have besides many objects. If you have too many items, your drawing will be overcrowded and you volition exist overwhelmed when you attempt to describe it. Five or six items should suffice.
• Light Source: Another tool you will need is a lite source. I just use a utility low-cal nosotros have in the garage. Information technology is squeamish because it has a clench on it so I can attach it at any angle I wish and straight the calorie-free onto the nonetheless life as I run across fit.
• Charcoal: Now permit's plough our attending to the drawing materials you will need. Obviously, you lot will need charcoal—I like vine charcoal, but any form will work. Whatsoever form of charcoal you choose, brand sure it is of the "medium" or "soft" multifariousness. You will also need a stick of white charcoal.
• Eraser: Yous will need an eraser—hither I recommend a kneaded eraser. It's great considering it is flexible and can be made into any shape you lot need.
• Paper: For the newspaper y'all use for your drawing, buy paper that is specifically fabricated for use with charcoal. Charcoal paper has a rougher texture than many types—artists describe this roughness as "molar." This roughness, or tooth, helps catch and hold onto the particles of the charcoal as you apply information technology rather than simply falling from the paper equally dust.
• Tissue: When you make the toned paper for the cartoon, you volition need some facial tissue. This will be used to rub charcoal particles into the surface of the paper to create an fifty-fifty, medium greyness tone over the entire drawing surface.
• Blending Stumps (Tortillions): A related item you will need is blending stumps or tortillions. These are sticks of rolled paper artists use to help them blend their pencil or charcoal marks, allowing for shine transitions from lighter applications of pencil or charcoal to darker. These tortillions are available at any art supply store.
• Droplets Fixative: Finally, you will want some aerosol fixative for when you have completed your cartoon. The fixative is sprayed onto the completed work to aid go on it from smudging. Untreated charcoal drawings are very vulnerable to smearing and smudging when handled. The fixative helps lock the charcoal into place on the paper. This is non foolproof—the drawing will still smudge if treated roughly, only the damage will be reduced. When you go to this step, make sure y'all do the spraying out of doors on a calm, warm day. The fixative has a very potent, chemic odor, then yous don't desire to use it indoors.

Quick Materials Checklist

• Charcoal
• Eraser
• White Charcoal
• Charcoal Paper
• Facial Tissues (Kleenex)
• Blending Stumps (Tortillions)
• Fixative

How to Creating Toned Paper for Charcoal Drawings

Before we begin our drawing, we must make the toned paper upon which this technique is based. This is a simple, but messy process, so don't wear your nice wearing apparel during this step (it's probably preferable to avoid wearing your best dress during the whole drawing process). Charcoal cartoon is not a pristine enterprise, so be prepared by wearing suitable clothes and set up your workspace in a identify that can be subjected to a bit of charcoal dust without serious repercussions.

1. To begin, make up one's mind the size of the cartoon yous desire to create. Y'all tin can outline this area with a pencil to define the dimensions, or you lot can "eyeball" it. Apply the side of a slice of your charcoal to smear a layer of charcoal over the entire area you've determined for your cartoon. This initial layer of charcoal will be a bit uneven, but we volition correct this in the adjacent step. Your goal in this footstep is to lay downwards a basic layer that is of a medium greyness tone (neither too light nor too night).
2. The adjacent pace is to use facial tissue to smooth out any unevenness in the tone over the surface of the paper. Your goal here is to get the medium gray tone to exist uniform over the whole area of the toned paper. Yous may have to apply more charcoal in certain areas and rework the smoothing with the tissue in order to achieve this uniformity. One time y'all are satisfied with the overall tone of the paper and the fifty-fifty gray surface of the entire cartoon area, you lot are ready to create your drawing.

Step-by-Step Charcoal Drawing Technique

Now that your withal life is set up and your materials are gathered, information technology'due south time to brainstorm to create your drawing.

1. Return Shapes

To begin, use black charcoal to begin to render the major shapes in the still life. Begin with large shapes, asking yourself "comparison" questions as you lot draw the components of the still life. Is this item bigger or smaller than the start item yous have drawn? Is it higher or lower on the picture show airplane? Is this item round, angular, alpine, short, skinny? The questions tin can be numerous and each one will help you make an accurate drawing.

Do not get bogged downwardly in detail—just try to capture the major shapes, sizes and spatial relationships between the objects. If you make a "error" in your drawing at this point, practice not erase, but rather redraw the lines so that you lot are more satisfied with them.

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2. Define Highlights and Shadows

Once you accept the however life fatigued to your satisfaction, information technology is time to begin to ascertain the highlights and shadows you see in the arrangement. Equally you toned your paper in the earlier step, you were creating the medium greyness value for the still life.

3. Assess Value Deviations

Now you will plough your attending to any value that deviates from this medium grayness. This volition use to both areas that are darker than the medium grey and to areas that are lighter. The darker areas will exist rendered with an application of the blackness charcoal.

The charcoal will be applied in heavier amounts where the nonetheless life is darkest and with less pressure and charcoal in areas that are lighter than those darkest parts. To attain a gradual transition from lighter to darker areas, you can use your blending stumps to soften the transition areas.

You must resist the urge to blend the charcoal with your fingers. Our easily have oils that naturally occur in our skin. By using your fingers to blend the charcoal you are rubbing these oils into your drawing. While information technology will usually not be apparent initially, over fourth dimension those oils will brainstorm to testify in the drawing and compromise the long-term quality of your drawing.

4. Indicate Low-cal Source and Highlights

The next step is to betoken where the low-cal is striking the objects in the still life. These areas volition be lighter than the medium grayness your toned paper provides. To create these highlights you will exist using your eraser to lift some of the charcoal dorsum out of the toned paper. You volition meet that yous can remove near, but not all, of the charcoal. It's fun and unexpected to use an eraser as a drawing tool, and for this project, information technology is a very effective ane.

5. Experiment With Eraser Effects

Experiment with the eraser and the pressure you apply to lift the charcoal. A myriad of effects tin exist achieved past using the eraser in dissimilar ways. The beauty of the kneaded eraser is that you can shape it into all kinds of edges, points, etc. to vary the effects in lifting the charcoal from the toned paper.

half dozen. Use White Charcoal for Lightest Lights

For the lightest lights in the drawing, you lot will demand to employ some of the white charcoal. As mentioned before, these light areas can be composite with the tortillions—simply make sure that the blending stump is make clean before you endeavor this calorie-free surface area blending. The tortillions can be cleaned by rubbing the dirty parts off with sandpaper.

While I have described the creation of light and shadow on the nevertheless life drawing in terms of "steps," you lot do not take to do all of the shading first and then highlighting second. In fact, you can go from ane to the other interchangeably I tend to work from nighttime to light on this type of project, but by no ways exercise you lot have to.

7. Know When You Are Finished

As your drawing progresses, occasionally step dorsum from the moving picture and consider the image as a whole. When you are satisfied with your drawing—when you feel skillful about the variety of lights and darks portrayed, when the drawing looks "finished," it is time to cease. Many artists have the trouble of overworking their creations and thereby lessening the quality and spontaneity of their piece. Knowing when to quit is i of the most disregarded skills in the artist's repertoire.

Perks of Exercise

I hope you lot volition give this arroyo to drawing a still life a endeavour. At that place is much to be learned from a projection of this type, and the cease product is worthwhile in itself. I would encourage you to echo this project several times, varying your still life or your perspective on it. This will let you to evaluate your progress in creating a beautiful drawing with a minimum of fourth dimension and problem involved.

Dbro (writer) from Texas, The states on September 07, 2022:

Thanks suzyvidalon! I hope these articles volition be helpful to y'all.

suzyvidalon@hotmail.com on September 06, 2022:

I got a fast expect at this neat information/instruction. I would like to start with the First Hub pedagogy: Blund drawing. I'll expect for information technology. And endeavor to do it, Then, I'll follow the instructions/steps of this ane. give thanks you.

Dbro (writer) from Texas, USA on March x, 2022:

Thanks for your comment, Craftybegonia! I'thousand glad you enjoyed my article. It sounds similar you take some treasured memories of your art education and of your mother. I'm happy I could help you revisit those happy times.

craftybegonia from Southwestern, United States on March ten, 2022:

Very overnice commodity! I retrieve all the charcoal drawings I did when I was an art student, peculiarly a constitute of begonias that my mom had planted in an empty tin can of business firm paint and which bloomed luxuriously in her patio. Those drawings can have a lot of amuse. Thanks for sharing!

Dbro (author) from Texas, Us on March 10, 2022:

Thanks for your comment, RTalloni! I'one thousand glad this article proved helpful.

RTalloni on March 10, 2022:

Thanks for this useful look at charcoal still life cartoon on toned paper. The tips are going to be helpful in a project I want to do this yr.

Source: https://feltmagnet.com/drawing/How-to-Draw-a-Still-Life-with-Charcoal-on-Toned-Paper

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