Charcoal and Graphite Thumbnail Landscape

You may wonder what is a thumbnail drawing.  A thumbnail drawing is a small scale drawing that is done very quickly to place down the general features of a subject.
I like to use thumbnail drawings to have a idea as how it may look as a whole on a small scale.

Thumbnail drawings are very resourceful in the fact that you can refer back to the ideas you intended to capture or focus on.  Also thumbnail drawings help you save on the cost of materials you use because that are small.  By doing a thumbnail drawing you will have basically your blueprint for what your goal of your painting or drawing will look like.

Materials Needed

4B Charcoal Pencil

Blending Stump

Knead Eraser

Willow (Vine) Charcoal Stick

Gray and White soft pastel chalk

H, 2B Graphite Pencils

Ruler

Use a ruler to crop off your thumbnail 3"x4" inches.  

Next draw out your 6 range value scale with a ruler and an H graphite pencil.  

Then divide it into 6 squares. You will fill out each value scale using your 4B charcoal pencil, willow charcoal stick, gray soft pastel chalk, and white soft pastel chalk using your blending stump.  The darkest values with charcoal pencil 4B.  

The next value going from left to right you will use a willow charcoal stick then blend into paper with blending stump.  

Next use the same willow charcoal stick but this time use less pressure with just a few hatch mark and blend marks in to paper using you paper stump blender.

Next use your gray soft pastel and blend it into paper with stump.

Next use gray soft pastel and white soft pastel chalk.  Shade it using a hatch method into the paper and blend using blending stump. Also if necessary if range looks too dark from previous range, use your knead eraser to lighten the value up.

The last value scale use just a little press and a few marks using your gray pastel.  Complete the light range of value using the white charcoal applying heavy pressure and DON'T blend.

Finally, use your gray soft pastel chalk using the side of it to push into the paper to give it a gray tone.

Use your 2B graphite pencil and produce your line drawing of you landscape.

Complete your thumbnail drawing referring to your 6 range value scale at the bottom of your thumbnail. Block in the negative shapes of your darkest values first from the foreground.  Progress to get lighter values as you proceed to the background.

I hope this blog on why I use and produce my thumbnail drawings have helped you.

Thank you all for taking the time to view my blog. 

Charcoal Portrait of Head Wrapped Woman

I have been drawing portraits for many years and I truly enjoy drawing with charcoal.

Last week I took the time to draw a portrait of a woman wearing a head wrap.  This is actually my fourth drawing of a woman wearing a head wrap.  I just find it very intriguing.  So I drew this lady with a head wrap.

The paper is white to began with but I file done some vine charcoal using sand paper right over the paper.  Then I use a chamois cloth and rub it all over the paper.  This gives the paper some value. By doing this it increases automatically your value range. The more value you have the more appealing to the eye it will be.

Next a vine charcoal stick to drawing in a simple line drawing of the basic form and angles.

As I continue to pull the charcoal around loosely I also add a little more detail to the line drawing.

Now when my line drawing is satisfying I began to add in some proportions and contour lines. I also lay out the future shadows planes of the face.

Now I began to work on adding values to the line drawing with the use of a cotton swab.  I always start adding the detail in first around the eyes then I work my away outward.

At this stage I continue to add more value you with each passage layering more charcoal to the paper making it more darker.  As you can see there has been allot of detail added to the drawing now.

I usually have the option of using a cotton swab or a paper stump to push more charcoal into the paper.  This blends it into the paper for either a subtle change in value as with a soft edge or a hard edge as in creating contrast in value.

I wanted to capture my use of extending a short piece of charcoal by using a string and a skewer.  I tie the short piece of charcoal to the end of the skewer.  This increases length and use of the charcoal. 

Here is the completed drawing with my signature.  14 x 17 on Bristol smooth vellum paper  

I used vine charcoal sticks and one 4B Generals charcoal pencil.

Thank you for visiting my blog site.  I hope this has been informing to you.
If you are interested in this work of art then please give me a email at deeweaver15@gmail.com or message me @ https://www.facebook.com/unique.artistry.3