Derwent IXL Charcoal blocks
I purchased some Charcoal blocks for Christmas, with an idea in mind. It was a little exercise we did in high-school art class. I also purchased some black paper to use this idea on - only, I remembered too late, it was actually sepia (brown) paper we used. Oh well...
A3 black and white sketched pad
Basically the idea was to use only white chalk and black charcoal (on the brown paper) to draw a ram's skull. It was a very effective technique, but with different resources, I had to change it significantly to what we learned in school.
Close up ~ click to enlarge
It turned out okay, but like so many of my works, I end-up finding everything I don't like about it, lol. I call it my learning process. ;)
I have another idea to use the charcoal and black paper on, but that will have to wait until next year. Can you believe it's nearly 2015?
I love it! I can see it on dark brown paper but the black really sets your warm colors aglowing which is amazing! Wonderful form and volume too. This is not an easy subject to draw but you did it successfully.
ReplyDeleteDo you own this rams head? I am envious if you do!
I noticed the black paper accentuated the shadows and drew out the detail of the skull. I could do minimal shadows on the white that way, and the background added the depth. What the sepia coloured paper did, was add the mid-tone, between the black and white.
DeleteLuckily I had the mid-tones in my charcoal range, so was able to fill them in the absence of the sepia paper. But it defeated the simplicity of the exercise I did back in high school with just a black and white medium, on coloured paper. Ah well, maybe next time I'm ordering paper. ;)
The horns are super easy to draw - so long as you took the medium in the direction the horns were twisting. Natural volume and form are easy to render with just strokes in the right direction. My fingers got really dusty though, and I had to avoid rubbing any of the random flecks of charcoal that fell onto the paper, because it was really noticeable on the black!
No, I do not own the Ram's head, but as you know, I do have a Wallaby skull - its just not as interesting to render without horns, lol.
I think it would be challenging to not work with our own mid tones-I have steered clear of toned paper for that reason but I like the black a great deal. I love the idea of sepia colored charcoals-I can't figure out how these are not pastels though. lol.
DeleteI think that by adding your own midtones you actually added alot of volume that might not have been there in a more simplified work? I am trying to picture it and in my head so I think that a brown paper would be nice but what you did here is richer than what I am imagining. I'd love to see what you do when you get brown paper though.
I would love to find a Rams head but I don't see alot of rams around here-not easy to come buy in Australia either I am sure. lol. I have come across bones and skulls at garage sales and thrift stores oddly enough-we have alot of hunting around here and lots of foragers probably come across things in the woods.
I saw a video from Derwent, and the artist said the white is not a true charcoal, but contains the same additives as the ones they do have charcoal in, so its "like" but not like a charcoal, lol. I think you might be right - much like a pastel, but slightly different because some have charcoal added.
DeleteI think I ruined my picture by fixing it with hairspray though. It dulled the colours right down. I'm going to have to re-apply them. I wonder if the black paper had anything to do with it? The hairspray seemed to make the charcoal more transparent, so the black paper came through.
On the upside, the hairspray worked great on my oil pastel though. :)
Hairspray ruined my David. I might be spraying too close. I hope you can fix the nasty results of it on your rams head. I couldn't on my David. I don't mind-I learned a bit about how he really looks with this attempt-and I think I can do better next time.
DeleteJasmine said that she has a recipe for fixative that requires an atomizer so I am ordering one and experimenting with it soon. I really want to work with pastels and charcoal but I am sick of my work going down the drain like that. Imagine being commissioned and nearly finishing a work and getting it messed up by trying to preserve it? I'm sick of it! lol.
Did you enjoy working with larger sticks of charcoal? I was going to order this set-I was intrigued by it-but I wasn't sure about the size or what the browns are made of (I lots of pastels and some conte crayons already).
I didn't know you could or should fix oil pastels. I'm glad it worked for you!
I know what you mean about working with pastels and charcoal - I do too, but without the solution on fixative, they're just waiting to be smudged. I have to leave my sketch pads out in the open, just ripe for a cat to walk across or a toddler to pull down *gasp*.
DeleteI'm interested in hearing how the home-made remedy goes. I have still yet to try the store bought fixative. I suspect I didn't apply the hairspray thin enough though. I should have done several separate coats. Instead I think I went a little too heavy, saturated the charcoal and made it more transparent.
Live and learn!
I did enjoy working with the blocks of charcoal, although you really couldn't do anything too fine with it. I have a charcoal pencil I can sharpen for finer details, but I didn't need it for the Ram's head. I actually want to tackle my self-portrait with the charcoal and black paper. Whether it works or not, will be another matter, lol. ;)
Hi this is Jasmine using my mom's account right now, I just wanted to let you know that this is a really great piece, and the black paper was an excellent choice as it amps up the contrast and the mood. Reminds me of Dutch still lives or vanitas paintings.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imamuseum.org/sites/default/files/mars/be/bea5047f-1ff7-4376-b64a-be7ba2ea12f9.jpg
Hi Jasmine, thanks for visiting. I tried the link, but it said the url was wrong or had changed. So I did a keyword search instead, on the same site and found this:
Deletehttp://www.imamuseum.org/tour/still-life-painting
This is milder compared to what the google search threw up - boy those Dutch love their fresh food, sprawled all over the table - whole dead deer, fish, etc. But I get how the darker backgrounds, seem to accentuate the drama of the food. The food looks more dead and yet, more fresh at the same time!
Strange that, but it works. :)