Warm Art Diary

Charcoal drawing is riveting, mostly because they are very fast and immediate and give impressive results. In this post we'll run through some key charcoal drawing tips you should know before you create your first charcoal masterpiece.     1. Find the essence: whenever creating something, you need to establish what your image is going to be about or what you want to say with it. Once you settle on this main idea, make sure you stick to it and everything you from this point on should strengthen the essence of the piece. 2. Understand the significance of Value: Value is simply a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the white page and 10 being Black. The best way to work this aspect is to start from the middle out- start by making 6 or 7 your darkest and 3 or 4 your lightest and once done with the sketch this way, start highlighting and darkening more and more. 3.  Keep in mind the hierarchy of value: Using value or tone allows you to direct the viewer to what you want them to see...

If you've ever tried to sketch then I'm sure you've had to tackle the common problem of  having "shaky hands" which tend to ruin the ink work or sketch you are working on.  Here is a simple drawing exercise to help reduce this shakiness in one's lines and getting more confident with sketching: Draw these shapes 10 times, as straight as possible and without using a ruler: 3 lines- one about 2 inch long, second half the width of the page, and third the entire length of the page.  2 arcs- one about 2 inches long and the other half the width of the page.  A wave about 2 inches long Circles and ellipses of various sizes and orientations--basically fill the entire (8.5x11) page with shapes, lines and waves using felt-tip pens like microns/sketch-pens or just a pencil.  Then draw over them 8 times without making the line any thicker. Ideally it is done everyday before drawing as a warm up, keep doing this and your inking will get significantly better