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[ Home: Classical Art: PORTRAIT SKETCHING IN CHARCOAL (BRUSH TECHNIQUES) ]
"PORTRAIT SKETCHING IN CHARCOAL (BRUSH TECHNIQUES)"
Page 1 of 4

Author: Gavin_Banns, Contributing Editor

Introduction


You may recall, that in a previous article, I discussed drawing the human figure in charcoal, making use of fine charcoal powder. Although my loyalties have been to other mediums, I recently returned to charcoal (being the wonderful sketching medium that it is), and wondered if I might adopt the flexibility and power of the bristle brush to manipulate and apply those ill-behaved charcoal particles. The following is the results of this experimentation.
As always, I must begin with a disclaimer: I am self-taught, and do not proclaim my methods to be the best or only way of achieving similar results; any bad habits are of my own making, and readers ought to question mine or at least create their own.

The subject is immaterial to the technique, but my reasons for choosing this subject (German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844-1900) were two-fold. The first was my affinity to this most misunderstood and misinterpreted man (and entirely contrary to what has sometimes crept into popular belief - he was not a Nazi, but an opponent against German Nationalism and vocal about his opposition to anti-semitism). Secondly, the strong angular face and walrus moustache would lend itself quite appropriately to brush marks from a flat bristle brush. The fact that mouths are one of the hardest parts of the human face to get right, was simply an added bonus!

The sketch took about half an hour to complete following paper preparation (which I shall address below) - I have included 23 minutes of video footage showing virtually the whole process from start to finish, for those who can stay awake! This is the first time I've attempted to video my sketching process, and so you will have to forgive some of the production work: by the fifth video clip I switched my video camera to long play mode, which unfortunately degraded the picture somewhat, though I have salvaged it enough to make it just about viewable. I also had to contend with a sun that stubbornly insisted on disappearing and reappearing behind cloud, and so sketched with my curtains almost fully closed. I have to work with a less than ideal south facing window - if you can work in a northerly light, I would recommend it. Please note that the videos are highly compressed using the Apple Quicktime .mov format. If you find they do not play, you shall need to visit The Apple QuickTime website and download their latest player.

Paper Preparation

Paper is completely a personal choice. I used a 40 cm by 30 cm sheet of thick watercolour paper, but acrylic gesso has a tendency to warp even tough paper, and so before I began I filled up the bath tub, and let the sheet soak for a couple of minutes. Next, I turned the sheet over and gave it another minute or so, before pulling it out of the tub, giving it a quick and gentle wipe with a towel and laying it down onto a rigid sheet of MDF board (use whatever you like - Masonite, foamboard - any rigid support should do). Working quickly I taped the four edges of the paper with masking tape, adding extra tape across the corners as there is a danger that when the paper dries, it will break free of the tape.
Having pre-soaked the paper in this manner, I felt fairly confident that when I came to add the gesso, the paper would remain unbuckled.

A quick word about acrylic gesso for those who do not know about this paint. There are many brands available, you need only pop down to your local art shop, or order online. For those new to art, art shops can be a little intimidating with so many unknown products on the shelves. My first visit to an art supply chain was a year ago, and as I wandered amongst the alien shelves, filled with so many unknowns, I could sense the eyes of artists aware of my inexperience, as I awaited the cries and jeers of, 'he's not a real artist. Intruder! - throw him out!!'
I had vaguely heard about odourless turpentine from Wetcanvas, and so approached the shop assistant and asked if they had any. She mouthed the word back to me "odourless?" as though I had tried to order an Indian take-away, and I recall thinking, oh god I've just asked for a fictional product! She had not heard of such a medium, and so asked the shop manager. I stood there contemplating whether to make a run for it, never showing my face in their establishment again. However, before the flight response kicked in, the manager looked at me, and said, 'yes we have some on the shelf over here'! I picked up a bottle, handed it to the shop assistant, smiled, possibly with just a faint trace of smugness, for I was now an expert in art materials! :D

Anyway, back to gesso... The paint is fairly inexpensive, and used extensively by oil painters in preparation of their canvases (if oil paint comes in contact with canvas, wood or paper, the surface will eventually rot). I decided to use acrylic gesso, in part to add more tooth and texture to the paper, and also that I might tint the colour with a little added yellow ochre acrylic paint.
You can see from the photograph below, that I used a cheap paper plate to mix the yellow ochre acrylic and gesso together. The brush I use is a cheap all-purpose one, with fairly sturdy bristles which add 'tooth' (charcoal adheres more easily to a rougher surface).
Please note, that if using acrylic gesso (or any acrylic paint) you must wash your brush promptly after use. Failure to do so will result in the paint drying solidly on your brush, which you can then pretty much kiss goodbye.

Materials

A - Charcoal (thick stumps as opposed to the thinner vine charcoal)
B - The pre-soaked watercolour paper, attached to hardboard by means of masking tape. White acrylic gesso (tinted with yellow ochre acrylic paint) has already been applied.
C- Piece of cloth (cut off an old t-shirt). Useful for dampening and removing unwanted charcoal.
D - Glass jar to hold water. Used to dampen the cloth (C), and for moistening the paint brush when dipping into the charcoal dust.
E - Paper plates. Cheap, and useful for holding the gesso paint and/or dust particles.
F - Putty eraser. An alternative for the cloth for creating highlights or effects (I didn't use the putty in the end).
G - Dark Conte pencil (though a charcoal pencil would have been just as appropriate).
H - Packet of vine charcoal, of the thin twig like variety.
I - Sandpaper

Materials (cont...)

[Right] A closer inspection of items "G" and "A" from the above material list.

I find this form of willow charcoal difficult to use, not only due to its awkward shape, but also its tendency to scratch at the paper surface without depositing any significant marks. Using a small sheet of sandpaper "I", I grind the charcoal into a fine dust. I do the same with the red pastel, just to add a little bit of interest to an otherwise monochrome portrait sketch.
The pencil is used for finer details, and isn't necessary for this method of using charcoal, however it was used very briefly in defining the eyes of the subject. I use a scalpel to sharpen my pencils, you can expose more graphite or charcoal (and waste less pencil) this way. I use the sandpaper "I" to redefine a sharp point whenever the point goes blunt.

Applying Gesso to paper (video, 32secs.)

Here I apply the gesso to the paper with a crisscross motion of the hand until it is covered up to the edges of the masking tape.

[01 VIDEO CLIP - CLICK TO VIEW]

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