This year I’ve decided to try charcoal drawing. This decision has been heavily influenced by Molly, although I have always liked the aesthetic of it. Molly has decided to use charcoal for her AP Art class portfolio. She has been doing portraits, and seeing her playing with the light inspired me to try it on animal portraits.
To get started, I took a class with Domestika and just tried my first-ever drawing with a portrait of Barnaby. Then Molly guided me with my bear portrait. She taught me not to hesitate to smudge over and over without being scared to lose anything. :)
Charcoal drawing helps me work on shading and value. It also teaches me to create a three-dimensional feeling without relying on different colors. And I love how charcoal allows playing with light. And last, it’s also fun to sketch with charcoal and be messy. Getting looser in my drawing and painting remains one of my biggest challenges.