Here is just one of the many tips in our Secrets & Tips eBook.
Layering:
The following are the best, free, Tips for realistic, three dimensional, eye-popping charcoal drawings that you will ever find ANYWHERE.
People often ask, What's the secret to drawing with Charcoal? My reply is usually something like, "don't be afraid of the dark, and don't be afraid to add layers". With conventional drawing, foreshortening techniques create the illusion of depth. With Charcoal, it's layering.
Tip: This is really very simple to do but very, very, very hard to make yourself actually do it because you will feel that you are destroying a perfectly good drawing. After you have worked your drawing for awhile, and feel as though it's starting to look pretty good, do the following:
1. Take a clean, cotton cloth (an old T shirt is great for this)2. Gently "beat the drawing until the dust settles and the image begins to fade".
You will think that you have totally lost your mind as it will appear that your drawing is starting to disappear from the paper. But trust me, repetition of this process is The Secret to creating depth in a charcoal drawing!
3. Next, take your kneaded eraser and remove all dust from the paper and background
4. Then, lift out highlights (ie, remove the dust from any light, or white areas of your drawing using the eraser.)
If you take your time with this step, your drawing will start to "come alive again", although it will be very light.
5. Now, take your charcoals and redo your drawing (ie, fill in your drawing again as if it was the first time. )
6. And finally, repeat the process starting at Step 1 above. The more you do this, the more your draw will "pop" from the
paper and take on a life of its own.
Tip: You must repeat this process 4 - 5 times per drawing depending on the subject matter and tones of the drawing that you am trying to achieve.
Tip: You must FORCE yourself to do this.
I guarantee that if you follow the above steps, you will never, ever go back to the old way of trying to create, darks, depth, and tones with charcoal.
