You will also find that you have to sharpen your pencil more often to capture any intricate details.Īt the end of this stage you should spray what you have drawn with fixative to prevent smudges when you work over it in the later stages. The main difference is the darkness of the charcoal pigment which makes it easy to overwork your drawing and therefore requires a more restrained approach. Here you are trying to establish a few key features that you can use as a foundation on which to build the tonal structure of the face.īuilding up the tones and details of the face requires a cautious step by step approach, gradually feeling your way rather than trying to get there fast.ĭrawing details with a charcoal pencil is much the same as using an ordinary pencil. This stage of the drawing involves looking closely to discern some of the darker tones of the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and hair. A fixative spray will also prove useful to protect your work from smudges. For those new to the world of charcoal drawing, experimenting with each grade, both alone and in combination, will help determine personal preference.Now you should return to using a sharp charcoal pencil to pick out the main features of the face. Some artists prefer to use one hardness grade for an entire drawing, while others use several. There are no steadfast rules for drawing and sketching with charcoal. If accidentally dropped, there’s a good chance it won’t break or shatter. Unlike vine and willow charcoals, Nitram’s extra soft batons, as well as Nitram’s other grades, have the ability not to crumble. Nitram also offers three sizes of extra soft round batons that offer rich blacks. This eliminates the problem of “tripping” over the string when drawing. Another advantage is that the H charcoal is not in pencil casing. The advantage of charcoal is that it produces a darker, richer value than can be achieved with graphite. Keep in mind that charcoal, no matter what the grade, will be darker than graphite of the same grade. Harder charcoal doesn’t erase as well as soft charcoal, but Nitram is not as difficult to erase as some charcoal pencils can be, nor will it streak the paper with a permanent black that won’t budge with an eraser or blending stick. The H baton can be maneuvered for the finest details, such as eyes, nose, mouth and teeth in portraits tires, steering wheels and chrome when drawing vehicles and roof shingles and wood on houses and barns. It works well on fine areas, especially when creating portraiture, buildings and objects with intricate details. The Nitram baton can be sharpened to an extra fine point for creating crisp definition. Nitram H is a harder charcoal and produces a lighter tone. Using the B charcoal first, blend to a gray tone, and it will leave a good tonal surface for defining planes and values with the HB baton. The HB baton and a bristle brush are a perfect combination for creating hair. A light touch can achieve smoothness and texture without compromising the paper or the drawing. When scrubbing, it’s best not to overwork with the brush because value can be lost. Nitram’s HB is also a great choice for “scrubbing”- the use of a bristle brush for adding texture and smoothing transitions. HB charcoal works well for mid-tones and for bringing together light and dark shapes. Nitram HB’s superior hold is perfect for homogenizing tones and retaining tonal detail. Nitram’s HB is a medium soft charcoal, preferred for drawing and sketching. The B baton works for both undertones and finishing touches, when the darkest shade is needed. The charcoal lifts easily with a kneaded eraser and, because it is so forgiving, it can be worked and reworked until the proper value is achieved. Its versatility makes it a great foundation for portraiture, especially when working hair or skin tones. The soft charcoal works well for adding the darkest darks to a drawing and can be blended out to gray tones. Nitram B is great for landscape and portraiture, particularly expressive drawing. A very soft charcoal, it can be easily blended and erased. The principals of charcoal are the same as graphite. When darker is desired, an artist will choose something higher in the B range. For artists, 2B graphite provides a good range of grayscale values and blend-ability, but there are times when something lighter, crisper and shaper is needed, so the artist will select something in the H range. They range from the hardest, 9H to the softest 9B. Nitram Charcoal is available in B, HB, and H, but what do all those letters mean?
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