How to Draw Fabric in Charcoal

Charcoal pencils capture the texture of many fabrics.

Drawing fabric in charcoal requires a different process than capturing this subject in graphite pencil. Because charcoal creates a dust of pigment, you must be careful not to bear down too hard on your pencil over large areas of your drawing. Instead, work in small areas of shadow and spread the charcoal with a blending stick. Textured fabrics require the use of numerous lines, so use the tip of the blending stick or the pencil tip to depict these features.

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal pencil
• Blending stick
• Eraser

Instructions

1. Start with a visual reference for the fabric that you wish to draw. Use a photograph or a piece of fabric as inspiration. Carefully observe the surface texture, shadows and weight of your fabric.

2. Draw the outline of the fabric on your paper. Make this outline light, using the tip of the pencil. Keep your lines broken and loose to avoid making dark lines.

3. Draw the outline of both shadows and highlights inside of the fabric. Make these lines light and loose.

4. Draw a light outline of any large textural features, such as prints or lace patterns. For lace, draw all of the cutwork lightly.

5. Begin shading the darkest areas of your fabric. Use your outlines as guides to fill in any regions of deep shadow. Only apply pencil to areas that require a dark, black value.

6. Blend the dark shadows to lighter surrounding areas using the blending stick. Use the blending stick like a pencil to apply shadows. If a shadow appears too light, softly apply a layer of shadow in charcoal and blend over it with the stick.

7. Continue applying shadows with the blending stick and pencil until your fabric is filled in. Leave any pure white highlights blank.

8. Add texture to the fabric. For fabrics with distinctive lines, like corduroy, use the pencil to create thin, long strips of shadow. In lighter areas of the fabric, use the blending stick to make these lines. For smooth fabrics, like silk, go over areas of shadows and highlights with an eraser to create a perfectly blended surface. For lace, shade in areas of cutwork using the charcoal pencil for areas that lie in shadow. Use the blending stick to fill in lighter portions.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the edges of the fabric smooth and rounded. Most fabrics do not fall into hard, geometric shapes.

References

• Mighty Art Demos and Tutorials; How to Draw Fabric Folds
• DeviantArt; How to Draw Lace