Female Portrait, Charcoal Drawing
Untitled 2-28-07
charcoal on paper
In my figure drawing class, we drew portraits in charcoal again this week. The instructor didn’t drape black fabric behind the model, so instead of starting with a gray-toned ground, I just used the white of the paper. I tried to introduce more line than last week’s drawing. (I focused on getting more detail, too. No ominous eye voids this time!)
The model had a great expression that, when she wasn’t dozing off, her face held for 30-40 minutes at a time. She moved a lot, but her face stayed on the same attitude: an irritated, ready-to-boil-over look. I missed some things in her brow and lower lip, so I didn’t draw the subtle anger as much as I wanted. She just looks a little sad in my drawing.
nice work~i am not studying art,but from my point of view,it’s great ,natural….
Thanks for the kind words! I’m always shooting for a natural look with the figure drawing, so it feels great to hear that reaction.
May I ask what kind of people can be your guys model?,the woman in your figure drawing looks calm… even unperturbed,she didn,t change her facial expression all through the drawing? that’s professional…
lej - we have models of all shapes, sizes, ages, etc, and their skill of choosing interesting expressions and poses and holding them varies.
This particular model was good even though she did move a lot. At one point she even bounced her legs for awhile. I think she was trying to keep herself awake. It’s definitely a tough job; I’m lucky to be at a school with some great models.
She looks like a disinterested bitch. Did I date her?
This is such a beautiful portrait. Very soft feel to it.
Thanks, Michelle. I appreciate the kind words, and I really enjoy your blog! Keep up the great work.
Trevor - she’s actually really kind, but she does give that, “I’m not interested in hearing about your trip to England,” look. It’s fun to draw the aloof attitude her face exudes.
That’s a beautiful charcoal portrait - nice and soft. My lines normally get heavy and black when I use charcoal, how do you do it?
Hi Matthew, thanks for the comment. I used vine charcoal and a kneaded eraser for the tone, and then lightly filled in some suggested line with pencil. I have a heavy hand too, so for this drawing I just tried to be patient and go slowly.
Holy cow, you have a great website! Lots of strong figure drawing.
Hi.. I am doing a project for my drawing class and I was hoping I can do it on this drawing, it is simply amazing.
I wanted to ask what drawing techniques you used, and how you went about it. For example: cross contour and where you emphasized the technique… or the illusion of space, where you use the contrast of black and white…
Thank you for your help!
I love your drawing!!!
Wow, thanks for the kind words! For drawing technique, I tried to follow what I was seeing on the model’s face. It was a live session, and most of the things you’re asking about were taken care of by just observing the model and trying to capture what I saw.
I’d be happy to talk about your project. Just shoot me an email using the “contact” link at the top of the blog.
I appreciate your comments!
this is the great art work!!