Watched Casey Baugh do a charcoal portrait a few months ago at a demo. What a master draftsman. Wasn’t more than five feet away in the first row.
Decided to give it a try this week on Bristol Board and get my hands dirty. Same model as last week, Caitlin.
After outlining the envelope lightly, established the shadow side, orbital shadows and center line. Worked on eyes and facial planes. My instructor suggested to the class not to get lost in the details of the shadow side, so didn’t spend much time there. Used soft vine charcoal, a stump, and kneaded eraser to build tones; a soft charcoal pencil for the detail.
Could have spent another hour laying down and wiping tones to better define the facial planes and create depth. Too heavy with the shadow plane at the left temple; should be observable but feint on the light side. Hair is flat and neglected. Did add some atmosphere, one of my goals in this class.
90 minutes. Ran out of time. Note to self: Time management.
Really enjoy the tactile drawing experience with vine charcoal and the kneaded eraser.
Progress not perfection.
Tom Donovan Art Blog 