How to Draw With Charcoal
Drawing with charcoal can be an incredibly rewarding – and surprisingly easy – way to create beautiful artwork. Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned artist, a little advice can go a long way towards helping you get the perfect final product. Though drawing with charcoal can seem intimidating at first, with the right tips, it can be as simple as drawing with a pencil.
To begin, arm yourself with the best charcoal supplies. For most drawings, you’ll want to splurge and grab the highest quality charcoal pencils and paper you can afford. The pencils should feel nice and smooth against your skin; the paper should be able to handle both the charcoal and erasing without getting too blotchy. Keep an eraser with you, too, to give you more control over your drawing.
Once you’ve got your supplies, think about the lines you want to draw. Don’t be scared to use bold and thick lines – they pack the most punch with charcoal! You can accomplish this by putting pen-like pressure on the pencil’s tip as you go. Resist the urge to color whole sections of the paper – you want your artwork to feel like a drawing, not a painting. Use the charcoal to create outlines and shapes, and then fill them in one at a time.
To create beautiful gradients or shading, use the medium and hard charcoal pencils. Beginning light will help keep your feel-good gradients intact. With your finest-point pencil, you can also shade tiny areas one by one using delicate strokes. This is an excellent way to add realistic textures to your drawings, like fur or leaves. When creating shading for quieter moments, use your soft charcoal pencil, as it produces soft, subtle gray tones.
Adding highlights to your artwork can be a challenge with charcoal, but not impossible. To achieve high-shine reflections, use a clean eraser to draw out lighter tones on top of the darker tones. This will add a sense of depth and make your artwork look brighter and more realistic. To erase sections of your artwork, you’ll need to keep layered Kneaded Erasers on hand. This is the only way you can erase charcoal without damaging the paper!
Last but not least, don’t get frustrated when your drawing doesn’t turn out the way you want it to – that’s part of the creative process! Mistakes will happen and it’s important to learn from them. Feel good about the small details you accomplish and don’t be too hard on yourself. With a little practice, you’ll find that it’s easier than ever to draw with charcoal.
Adding Color and Textures With Charcoal
Once you’ve mastered the basics of charcoal drawing, it’s time to think about adding color and texture. You don’t need to buy any additional supplies to accomplish this – just use the tools you already have! By experimenting with your existing tools, you can make incredible artwork that looks like a finished painting.
The key is to use layering. Start with a light graphite pencil to draw in the outline of what you want, then instill depth by adding shades of gray. Start with a light pencil to achieve lighter, subtler tones and pencil strokes. Then, for more dramatic effects, gradually switch to a medium and hard lead for darker tones.
Texture is also very achievable with charcoal. Begin with the basic pencils and apply thick, even pressure to create ridges and lines in your drawing. Then, to add more definition and angles, transition to a sharp point. This style can be used to draw landscape features like cliffs or to add texture to fur, hair, and foliage.
Just as you would for basic charcoal drawings, add highlights to create a realistic look. After applying layers and layers of shading, use kneaded erasers to draw out brighter tones. This creates a stark contrast between the highlights and shadows, making your artwork look polished and finished.
If you want to add color to your drawings, you have a few choices. One method is to add colored pencil to your charcoal drawing. Be careful though – colored pencils can smudge if they’re applied too heavily.
Another option is to use pastels or oil pastels over your charcoal drawing. You can apply them directly to the paper or you can use them to create highlights and shadows. For example, you can use a highlight pastel over a shaded area to make it look brighter. This adds dimension and texture to your drawing without needing to invest in more supplies.
Creating Different Effects With Charcoal
The possibilities of using charcoal drawing are truly endless. You can create different effects with them, from light and airy to dark and mysterious. Here are a few of our favorite effects that you can create with charcoal.
To create an ethereal effect, use light strokes of hard and medium pencils to form the lines and details. Then, erase some of the outlines to make them appear more faded. This produces a dream-like effect, making the drawing look light, delicate, and mysterious.
For a more dynamic, realistic effect, keep your outlines sharp and defined. Start by creating a bold outline with the medium or hard pencils. Then, fill the interior with short, angled lines. You can even draw dots or “hatching” to create depth and texture. This effect can be used to draw fur, leaves, flowers, or scenes with a variety of textures.
If you’re looking to create a darker, more somber effect, take advantage of your kneaded eraser. Use this eraser to draw out light strokes and details from the dark areas of your drawing. This will create a beautiful contrast between shadows and highlights. To finish the effect, blend the shadow with your soft charcoal pencil. This will give the whole piece a mellow, earthy vibe.
Adding Dimension To Your Charcoal Drawings
No artpiece is complete without added dimension. This is especially true for charcoal drawings – without dimension, the artwork can feel flat and unfinished. To add even more life and energy to your artwork, use crosshatching, stippling, and hatching techniques.
Crosshatching is a method of creating texture and shadow with parallel lines. This can be achieved with nimble strokes of your pencils and eraser. To add dimension, start with the light values and work your way up to the darker shades. This technique works especially well for creating texture.
Stippling is another great way to add dimension to your drawing. This technique is similar to crosshatching, but instead of intersecting lines, use dots to create subtle shading. As you go along, try to make the circles the same size and keep the pressure on the pencil even.
Hatching is similar to stippling, but with straight lines instead of dots. You can create straightforward lines to create shadows and dark tones, or angled lines to create a textured effect. As with the other techniques, it is important to keep the pressure consistent and the shapes even.
With these techniques, you’ll be able to create realistic depth and texture in your drawings. This can be especially helpful when drawing fur or landscapes with complex scenes.
Caring For Your Charcoal Drawings
Caring for your charcoal artwork is the final step to ensuring your drawings are archival-quality. After all of your hard work, you want them to last as long as possible! To keep them in pristine condition, take a few extra steps when handling and storing your drawings.
When handling your artwork, make sure your hands are clean before touching the paper. This will ensure that any dirt or oils from your hands won’t damage the paper. When not in use, store your charcoal drawings carefully in an acid-free portfolio. Not only will this protect them from dust, but it will also help keep them in the best condition for many years to come.
It’s also important to keep in mind that harsher chemicals can cause your charcoal artwork to fade or smudge. To protect against this, consider spraying your drawings with a fixative. This will create a barrier between the paper and any outside elements.
With a little practice and the right supplies, you can create gorgeous artwork out of charcoal. Just a few simple techniques can take your drawings to the next level, adding dimension and life to your artwork. What’s more, with the right care, your artwork will stay true and vibrant for years to come.
