Using Graphite and Charcoal Together Charcoal / Pencil Art Lesson Mark Reep

Drawing for Beginners Creating A Misty Moonrise, Part 1 of 2 - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

For nearly a decade, pen and ink has been the medium I’ve most enjoyed making art in. There’s something wonderful about a pen with a very fine point, about the precise marks I can make with it, the variety of textures, the level of detail I can create. And of course, there’s the ease with which pen and ink lends itself to two of my favorite elements of drawing, line and contrast. But like all media, pen and ink is ideal for rendering some subject matter, some effects, and less ideal for others. For example, my drawing 'Comes A Moment' (above; Ink, Graphite, Charcoal; 5 3/8” x 2 1/4”) consists of these elements: A rock outcropping, a path, a tree; and a misty sky and moonrise. The foreground elements- the outcropping, path and tree- were inked with a combination of stippling and linework, using black Sakura Pigma Micron .005 pens. The background elements though, presented a very different challenge. I wanted to establish a sense of depth and distance, to create a misty sky, a dramatic moonrise- And to achieve these kinds of effects in pen and ink would be very difficult, to say the least. Instead, as I usually do, I created the background elements with powdered charcoal and graphite pencils. In this demonstration, I’ll create a moonrise for another pen and ink landscape, and share some thoughts on the process as the drawing evolves. My general goals for this drawing are the same: I want to add a dramatic moonrise, half-veiled by drifting mists. And, as always, I want to infuse the drawing with a sense of what I can best describe as quiet. I want my landscapes to be quiet places, inviting of solitary wanderings, of times of reflection, of exploration and discovery- And I want exploration and discovery to remain at the heart of my creative process as well. So without further ado, let’s get started. And as Bob Ross liked to say, “Let’s have some fun.” 1) First, with the drawing’s foreground elements inked, I darken the meadow’s highlights slightly with a Number 3 graphite pencil. Over the years, I’ve accumulated dozens of drawing pencils of various kinds, but I’ve come to depend almost exclusively on the same yellow Dixon Ticonderoga pencils many of us have used in one classroom or another. They’re very affordable, and commonly available; a box of a dozen costs $2-$3 in many office supply stores. But much more importantly, I have yet to attempt a graphite effect I couldn’t achieve with them. They’re available in grades 1, 2, 2.5, 3, and 4. All are useful. For most penciling, including this kind, I hold the pencil so that it rests lightly on the paper’s surface, and press down very little, if at all. In this case, the resulting marks are very light, but still sufficient to reduce the contrast between the tops of the clumps of grass and the areas between them. This has the effect of blending, smoothing, and softening the overall texture of the meadow. If

I darken a highlight too much, it’s easily lightened or removed with a kneaded eraser. I buy Sanford’s Design kneaded rubber erasers in 2” squares, and cut them into about eight small pieces. I roll a piece between my thumb and forefingers, and shape it like a bowling pin with a sharp point that will lift a mark as small as a single dot. And by the time a passage is nearly finished, that’s often exactly what I’m doing: Adding and removing single dots. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

Though I’ve brought the meadow and path to the highest level of finish I can, I don’t bother doing the same with the tree at this point. I’ll be applying powdered charcoal around the tree with a cotton ball and/or a Q-Tip, I’ll inevitably get some charcoal on the tree itself, have to clean it back off, etc- So I’ll leave the tree unfinished for now. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

2) Here’s a close-up look at the strokes and stippling I’ve used to create the meadow’s close-cropped grasses and the path’s surface. Usually, when I finish a foreground, I put the drawing away for at least a few hours, and often don’t begin the background until the next day. The Pigma Microns’ ink dries smear-free almost immediately on the Strathmore 300 Series smooth-surface Bristol Board I use, so the interval need not be nearly this long. But since the process I’ll be using to develop the sky is very different from the inking I’ve just finished, I often find it helpful to wait until my next working session to begin the next step. I begin the next session by cleaning up the drawing’s remaining undeveloped areas with a fresh kneaded eraser. As I mentioned, I try to never press hard when I’m drawing, so most remaining graphite sketch lines are easily removed. More stubborn marks usually yield to a vigorous scrubbing with a hard rubber pencil eraser. If I need to remove an inked mark, I’ll try the hard rubber eraser first. They’re surprisingly effective. And often, an inked mark need not be removed completely, only lightened enough to blend into its surroundings. If a hard rubber eraser won’t work, I’m not above resorting to a fine grit sandpaper. Whenever possible, I try to avoid abrading the paper’s surface at all--but Strathmore’s Bristol Board is very forgiving of mistreatment. And I’ve taken full advantage of this many times. With the drawing cleaned up, I brush away any eraser particles with a few light strokes of a lamb’s wool duster. These particles will have picked up either traces of graphite, ink, or both, and brushing them off as lightly as possible helps prevent them from smearing the drawing again. The surface of the paper should now be as clean as possible. When

I’m working on a drawing, I try to keep as many options open as I can, for as long as possible. My drawings sometimes change and evolve repeatedly, often in a direction I hadn’t envisioned. For me, this helps keep the work fresh and interesting. But by now, although I’m still maintaining room for change and growth, most elements of this composition have been pretty well established. The bottom and sides are apparent, and with the foreground and tree also in place, I can judge what the drawing’s height needs to be, so I cut a working mat from scrap cardboard. I cut the sides from large cereal boxes, trim them to stock frame sizes, usually 9” by 12” or 8” x 10”, and keep a stack handy. The unfinished side of the cardboard is usually a medium-dark gray tone, and works well as the mat’s visible face. I make the mat’s window 1/8” or so wider than the finished drawing will be, so that if the presentation mat is cut a bit large, no unfinished edges of the drawing will be exposed. I hinge the working mat to the drawing paper with a strip of low-tack drafting tape positioned along one side of the mat. This tape peels easily, and won’t lift the surface of the Bristol Board like masking tape will. Now I can flip the mat out of the way and back into place as needed. In addition to helping establish composition, scrap mats are also beneficial in other ways. In order to allow my drawings room to grow in any direction, I use the largest sheets of Bristol that’ll fit comfortably on my drawing table. But focusing on a small drawing in the middle of a large white sheet of paper can be tiring to the eyes. Working on a drawing that’s surrounded by a gray mat greatly reduces the contrast of my field of focus, helps me see more clearly, and so work better and longer. Another benefit of using a working mat is that with the mat in place, the drawing can be laid face down on a scanner’s bed without the paper’s surface coming into contact with the glass. Usually, my drawing’s surfaces are very stable. But sometimes the final layers of graphite can be vulnerable to smudging. This way, the drawing’s surface is protected by the thickness of the mat. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

3) With the height and width of the composition established, it’s time to lay out the moonrise. I’ve been doing a series of misty moonrises lately, and at this point, I’m assuming that when the drawing’s finished, this moon will likely be at least partially obscured by mist as well. But for now, I need to be able to see the moon’s outline in its entirety, or at least that portion which will appear above the horizon. To size and position the moon, I use a Rapiddesign Extra Large Circles template. This template has 13 openings, describing circles ranging in size from 1 ¼” to 3 ½”. My criteria for sizing and positioning the moon include these thoughts: I want the moon to look big and full, so most of the moon should appear above the horizon. I want to frame the tree with the moon, with the tree’s top extending past the moon’s edge. The moon should appear to be behind the tree and the horizon, and hiding a bit of the moon with both these foreground elements help will help establish the sense of depth I want. With these things in mind, a 2 ¼” circle seems appropriate. I move it around until I’m satisfied, then hinge the side of the circle template to the drawing paper with drafting tape. I bring a Number 3 pencil to a very sharp point by rubbing it on scrap paper, place the pencil’s point against the edge of the template, just below the drawing’s horizon line, and outline the circle. Keeping the pencil as nearly perpendicular to the paper as possible helps keep the circle true

as I follow the template’s edge. Again, I avoid pressing down at all. This would create a much darker line than I want, as well as a slight depression in the paper--both of which would make finishing the moon’s edges more difficult. Another of the reasons why I want to draw the moon’s outline as lightly as possible is simply that I may want to change it. Until I flip the template out of the way, I’m never sure if the result will be all I hoped. If not, I want to be able to erase it easily and completely. This will be the lightest passage of the drawing, and I won’t be able to cover up much here. Again, it’s about keeping my options open--and again, I’m happy I have, because when I flip the template back, I don’t like what I see. A little more to the right, I think… There. This works. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

4) Now I’m ready to begin blocking in the sky with powdered charcoal. I powder charcoal by rubbing a soft or medium grade charcoal pencil on a clean piece of scrap paper. I hold the pencil at a shallow angle to the paper, and rub it back and forth as if I were sharpening the pencil--and actually, I am. By the time I’ve thoroughly blackened several square inches worth of paper, a scattering of loose particles of charcoal will have accumulated as well. Some are coarse, and will make marks I don’t want, so I pick up the paper by its edges, hold it over my wastebasket, and tilt the paper until any loose particles fall off. Working with this small an amount of charcoal produces little dust. But since I work close up, I usually wear a disposable dust mask while I’m powdering and applying charcoal, and refining a charcoal-covered surface. I press a cotton ball into the charcoal rubbings, and rub the cotton ball back and forth to load it. Because I want to be able to apply the charcoal as lightly and uniformly as possible, coarse cotton doesn’t work well for me--the finer the cotton, the better. The first application of charcoal will be the darkest; each application that follows will be progressively lighter as more charcoal is transferred from the cotton to the paper. If I’m working on an evening or night sky, I’ll apply the charcoal full strength, beginning with the darkest area, which will often be at the top of the image. If I’m working on a lighter sky, or a light passage like the area near the the horizon, I’ll remove some of the charcoal first by rubbing the cotton ball lightly on scrap paper until the resulting smudges have lightened to the values I’m looking for. It’s a process not unlike drybrush--put a little on, take most of it back off, and begin. I place the loaded cotton ball lightly against an area of the drawing that I want to darken, and brush the cotton ball lightly over the paper’s surface, using more or less circular, semi-random strokes that will blend easily. As when I’m penciling, I avoid pressing or rubbing hard. Smooth-surface paper is both ideal and necessary for the kind of look I want to achieve--but it has very little tooth, and I don’t want to burnish any away unnecessarily. google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); Because the moon’s edges will be its lightest areas, as well as the drawing’s brightest highlights, I want to keep the paper as clean as possible there, so I try to avoid getting charcoal inside the moon’s outline. Of course, this happens anyway, and because I’m applying it lightly, I’m not concerned--it’ll clean up with a kneaded eraser. In fact, much of the layer of charcoal I’ve applied may eventually be removed again, depending on how this sky evolves, and how satisfied I am with the results. I’ll lift out areas with a kneaded eraser to create clouds, mist, all the drawing’s highlights--so again, it’s essential that I apply the charcoal lightly enough so that it can be easily removed, or at least lightened considerably, as needed. But the less I have to clean up the lightest, and so most critical areas, the better. If I need to work in a tighter area, like those where the moon’s edges meet the horizon, I’ll switch to a Q-Tip to apply the charcoal. But since I’m envisioning mist obscuring at least the lower portion of the moon, I don’t need to darken those areas of this drawing.

I consider this stage the equivalent of underpainting. My goal here is not to take this sky to any degree of finish, but simply to begin it, to establish a foundation to build on. If I’m feeling more painterly, I may choose to take a sky much farther with charcoal, adding layers with Q-Tips, refining them with kneaded erasers, before I pick up a pencil. But most often, I do most of the work in pencil. Admittedly, it’s not quick work. But usually, the result is worth the time and effort invested. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/using-graphite-and-charcoal.html#sthash.2cn9qCdo.dpuf

Creating A Misty Moonrise, Part 2 of 2 5) Here, I’ve evened the charcoal by lifting areas that are darker than I want with a kneaded eraser, as I described earlier. After lifting only a few marks, the charcoal I’ve removed from the paper will have coated the point I’ve shaped from the kneaded rubber, so I roll the eraser between my thumb and forefingers again, and shape a new point from an unused portion. This is a process I’ll repeat many times. To lift a wider area, I tap the point on clean paper several times to blunt and widen it. Dirty erasers have their uses, too. A portion of an eraser that’s been partly coated with the charcoal it’s lifted will remove progressively less material each time it’s pressed into the paper. This is useful when I want to lighten a passage only a little. If I’m using a clean eraser, and I want to lighten a passage only slightly, I’ll tap the eraser into a charcoal or graphite smudge on scrap paper to dirty it first. Kneaded erasers are among the most useful and versatile tools I use. They can be molded into an endless variety of shapes and sizes, and the range of effects I can create with them are equally limitless. In the next steps, they’ll become as indispensable as my pencils. The layer of charcoal I’ve applied is a very light one, semi-transparent in places, and by now I’ve worked it enough so that it’s no longer easily smudged, and very stable. A light last rubbing with a clean cotton ball insures that no loose particles remain. A quick dusting, and I’m ready to begin penciling. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf

6) After several hours’ work, the sky has begun to take shape. I want the visible parts of the moon’s edges to be crisp but soft, so I’ve cleaned them up, and lightened the moon’s penciled outline as much as possible. The right side of the sky is taking on the tone I’m looking for, and mist is rising. There’s a long way to go. But I’m having fun. A little more about the Dixon Ticonderoga pencils I use: Number 1 is the softest, and a good grade to begin developing the darker areas of the sky with. No. 2 and 2.5 are progressively less soft; and good for midtones. No. 3 is a bit harder, and will hold a sharp point longer. This is the grade I use for sketching, for lightly toning inked passages’ highlights, and for much finish work as well. No. 4 is the hardest, and will hold a very sharp point. I use this grade to smooth and soften surfaces and edges, finish bright highlights, and anywhere a delicate refinement is needed. I began developing this sky with a No. 1 pencil, assuming that at some point, as I usually do, I’d turn to progressively harder grades. But so far, I’ve felt no need to do so. In fact, this pencil’s working so well, I think I’ll stay with it as long as possible, and see how high a level of finish I can create with it. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf

7) Here I’ve softened the edges of the clouds, and darkened the upper sky. This was a trial-and-error process. Though I liked the sense of brightly lit high clouds that had begun to emerge in the previous session, that area of the sky seemed to compete with the moon for my attention. Assuming the composition remains more or less unchanged, the upper sky will play a large role. This role needs to be a supporting one--to complement, rather than distract from the drawing’s focal elements, the moonrise and tree. But since the upper sky comprises a large area of the drawing, it needs to have interesting qualities of its own--a clear, relatively featureless sky would likely seem empty space, and detract from the composition’s focal elements as well. So there’s a balance to be struck, and I’m slowly finding it. At this point, most of the basic lights and darks of clouds, mist and sky have been established. Most of the work that remains will be about continuing to soften edges, even tones, and remove distractions. This kind of work doesn’t require a great deal of concious thought. I’m identifying marks that are too dark for their context, and removing them with the point of a kneaded eraser; I’m also identifying points that are too light, and filling them with graphite marks. These marks may be very small strokes, but more often by this time I’ve reached that point I alluded to earlier, when I’m simply adding and removing single dots. If I’ve neglected to use my magnifier during

the earlier stages of the drawing, I’ve almost certainly remembered by now. I use a wall mounted magnifier that swings out over my drawing table, and can be pushed out of the way when not in use. It’s an inexpensive unit, selling for around $20 or so at most office supply stores--but it’s one of the best investments I’ve made as an artist. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf

8) The sky seems nearly done. I’m satisfied with the upper sky, with its lights and darks, with the flow of the patterns they form; and I’m happy with the look of most of the mist. But I’m not satisfied with the areas to the moon’s right, or above the tree’s top, and the mist that’s obscuring the moon’s lower portion could be a bit better. For me, areas where inked elements meet graphite are often a challenge to finish seamlessly--especially if the inked elements’ values are very light. In this drawing, I want the graphite background to meet the tree’s outline and the horizon line cleanly, so that their edges aren’t lost. This is another of those times when leaning back from the drawing, turning it upside down, etc., will help identify any areas where the graphite needs to be further darkened or evened. Each adjustment of lights and darks I’m making at this point is nearly microscopic in scale.

But cumulatively, they’ll make a great deal of difference. Typically, by now I’m using No. 3 and No. 4 pencils, and keeping their points as sharp as possible on a piece of scrap paper. For me, one element of a drawing oftens dictate how all the others develop. In this drawing, the look of the tree’s foliage was that element. Usually, with a tree that’s as strongly backlit as this one, I’ll darken the foliage considerably. But when I’d finished inking the tree, I liked the look of the foliage just as it was--to me, it suggested leaves covered with an early frost, or a dusting of snow. So I decided to give the meadow and path a similar look, and see what might happen next. Again, I kept my options open--if this didn’t work, I could always darken the inked passages. But happily, the foreground and background elements work well together, I think. Now all that’s left is a final polish. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf

9) Here I’ve darkened and softened the tree’s foliage slightly with a No. 3 pencil, and done the same with the tree’s lower trunk. Toning all the inked passages lightly with graphite helps give them the same warmth as the elements that are created in graphite and charcoal, and establishes consistency

throughout the drawing. By this time, I’ve covered almost all of the drawing’s surface with at least a light layer of graphite. Only the brightest highlights, like the visible edges of the moon, are represented by clean paper. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf

10) As with most of my drawings, there are elements of this one I’m not entirely satisfied with--but they’re insignificant. It’s important that I recognize that point when I’ve likely made an element or the drawing as a whole the best I can, and stop trying to make them just a little better. This drawing, I think, has reached that point. It’s done. I’ve achieved, I think, most of what I wanted from this project--including a sense of quiet. To me, this simple image represents a dramatic, yet quiet moment, in a place I’d like to visit someday--and in a sense, I already have. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent here, and I hope you have as well. - See more at: http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/drawing-and-sketching/graphite-and-charcoal-combined.html#sthash.Kzza6MV1.dpuf