Charcoal Art Is Expressive
© by Carl
(CAKUart); all rights reserved
I really love
charcoal art because it is rich and earthy. Using charcoal is great for expressive
sketching. The only real set back with using charcoal is that it
smudges quite easy...so it pays to use a fixative. A
fixative is kind of like a hair spray.
A little spray of
fixative now and then on the finished areas, helps to keep the
artwork free from messy smudges. I also give my charcoal
sketches a good going over with fixative on completion of the
drawing.
So what is
charcoal? What is this
strange yet natural art application material anyway?
Charcoal is the
carbon residue left over from the heated (dehydrated and
scorched) remains of animal and vegetation matter.
"Char" essentially means to scorch until reduced
to carbon. So as a result it becomes a porous chemical ash that
resembles coal. This is the reason why they threw
"coal" in as a second syllable to make the word
charcoal (wink).
"Girl Clutching Her Knees" (SOLD)
Original art by Carl (CAKUart)
I tend to use
charcoal as my base sketching tool on a lot of my
paintings because it is fantastic for drawing nice lines. In
fact, I liken it to drawing with cotton wool. I know that may
sound like a strange way of describing it, but charcoal really
has a soft versatility to it.
Using charcoal on
its own is excellent for developing deep tones, volume, depth
and realistic light.
If you've ever
seen a charcoal drawing on a wall that has been drawn and of
course framed well, then you'll agree with me when I say that it
is truly "attention grabbing" art.
Charcoal paintings
or sketches have a very decorative appeal as they are
neutral in terms of no colour. It is an art form that can really
bring rich organic simplicity to a room.
"Lady of Grace" (SOLD)
Original charcoal art by Carl (CAKUart)
I favour
"figurative" subjects if I am solely drawing with
charcoal. It is an excellent medium for getting facial and body
definition along with tone.
Feel free to watch
my video below. Here you will see me sketching three different
charcoal drawings.
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