How to Do a Subtractive Drawing With an Eraser
Subtractive drawing is a method of drawing usually accomplished with charcoal. In this method, a layer of charcoal is spread out evenly on a sheet of paper. The drawing is then erased from the charcoal already on the page, rather than drawn onto a blank page. After the brightest parts of the drawing have been erased, often the artist will use a piece of charcoal to add in the darkest values to the drawing.
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Things You'll Need
- Vine charcoal
- Compressed charcoal
- Paper towel
- White art eraser
- Eraser stick
- Fixative
Instructions
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1
Select a photograph to draw from. A black and white photograph will be the easiest to work with, because you'll be drawing in black and white.
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Lay your paper down next to the photograph so that you can compare the two as you draw.
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3
Lay your vine charcoal on its side and rub the vine charcoal evenly over the surface of the paper so that the entire paper is gray. You may use compressed charcoal instead of vine charcoal for this step, if you wish. Vine charcoal is easier to smudge and easier to erase, but compressed charcoal is darker and more bold.
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Smear the vine charcoal on the paper with your paper towel by rubbing the paper towel over the paper.
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Pick up the eraser stick. An eraser stick is usually an office supply, not an art supply. The eraser is contained in a plastic stick, with only the tip sticking out. The eraser stick is useful as a drawing tool in this case because it can easily erase fine lines from the charcoal drawing. Use the eraser stick to draw the structure of your drawing into the charcoal on the paper. Look back and forth between the photograph and the drawing as you do this.
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Use the white art eraser to erase the lightest points on the drawing. Smear and soften the edges between the charcoal and the parts you just erased, using your fingers. Look back and forth between your drawing and the photograph as you do this. Look for errors and make adjustments.
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Use the compressed charcoal to add the darkest parts to the drawing. You may use the tip of the compressed charcoal to make lines, or the sides of the charcoal to make larger areas of shadow. Look back and forth between the photograph and the drawing as you do this. Smear and soften the edges of the darkest parts using the tip of your finger so that the lines are integrated with the rest of the drawing.
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Use the vine charcoal to add back in any middle tones to the drawing, if necessary.
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Erase charcoal and add charcoal back to the drawing freely as you start to notice areas that need improvement.
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Spray the drawing with fixative once it is finished. Set it aside to dry.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
