How to Draw Faces With Charcoal

Charcoal drawing involves techniques unlike those in pen or pencil drawing.

Drawing with charcoal employs techniques that are different from those used when drawing with a pencil or pen. Depending on the charcoal and paper you use, you can depict the blackest shadows for depth or drama, while other techniques will allow you to portray the brightest light or reflections. Learning how to use charcoal effectively will allow the perfectionist to easily correct mistakes and change the features on the face without ruining the paper or the drawing.

Things You'll Need

• Clear photo of a person's face
• Charcoal paper
• Kneaded eraser
• Vine charcoal
• Blending stumps
• Cotton swabs
• Paper towels
• Hard compressed charcoal
• Medium compressed charcoal
• Soft compressed charcoal
• Charcoal fixative

Instructions

1. Following a photo of a person's face, draw a rough sketch of the shape of the head using the vine charcoal. Be sure to draw very lightly and loosely, using several lines.

2. Draw two guidelines going across the face using the vine charcoal. The first line should be one-third down from the top of the forehead, and the second line should be one-third up from the end of the chin.

3. Using the bottom guideline as a guide for correct placement of where the bottom of the nose ends, sketch the lines of the nose. If one side of the nose's line is faint to nonexistent in the photo (depending on the lighting), leave it blank and "paint" in a thin shadow later on using the technique in Step 10 to mimic what you see in the photo.

4. Draw the lips, using the vine charcoal. Darken the outer corners of the mouth to give the illusion of depth.

5. Draw the eyes with the vine charcoal, using the top guideline for assistance. Align the ends of each inner corner of each eye with the width of the largest part of the nose.

6. Look at your entire drawing so far and compare it to the photo, noting what needs to be changed before you go any further. Use your kneaded eraser and vine charcoal to make changes.

7. Roll your kneaded eraser tip to a slight point to erase any extra lines or small areas that do not contain any shadows. Use the eraser to fine-tune the drawing; add more emphasis to lines by making them more narrow.

8. Use your medium-compressed charcoal to darken edges and lines that have deep shadows next to them. Use the hard charcoal to solidify lines that you are sure you will not change.

9. Fill in deep shadows using the soft-compressed charcoal directly on the paper. Never directly go to edges of shadows; stay in the middle and use a blending stump or cotton swab to soften and blend out the edges.

10. On a separate piece of scrap paper, scribble a few separate sections of different pieces of charcoal to use as a palette and "paint on" the shadows. Use only the blending stumps or cotton swabs to fill in the shadows. Continue to add any finishing touches. Don't forget to sign your name.

11. Erase any extra marks or fingerprints that do not belong on the drawing. Hold the spray fixative about 15 inches from your drawing, and spray a thin layer on top of the entire page to set the drawing and keep it from smudging.

Tips & Warnings

• You may alter the guidelines to accurately suit your subject's facial proportions.

• Before directly erasing areas on the drawing, try using a clean blending stump, cotton swab or paper towel first to pick up the smudge or area you want to lighten. This will prevent you from lifting too much charcoal and causing a light mark that can be hard to blend.

• Always test the spray fixative on a separate piece of scrap paper to be sure the nozzle sprays thinly and evenly. Be sure to follow any health precautions on the can, and spray in a well-ventilated area.

References

• Picturedraw: Charcoal Drawing Demonstrations