Drawing a Cat Using Charcoal

I have discovered that alternating between different mediums helps maintain a fresh and innovative approach in my work. Having recently dedicated my attention to watercolour, I have now transitioned back to charcoal and wish to offer some guidance on creating expressive and atmospheric drawings.

Below are a selection of materials that I prefer to utilize in the process of creating a charcoal drawing.

Charcoal Sticks: Willow charcoal sticks are predominantly used for drawing purposes. These soft sticks offer the advantage of easy erasability when needed, along with the ability to be smoothly blended to achieve a diverse spectrum of tones. Furthermore, they can be broken into smaller fragments to facilitate various types of mark-making techniques.

Charcoal Pencils: are useful for adding detail and creating varying tonal values.

Erasers: I utilize a diverse range of erasers in my work, such as a putty eraser, a battery-operated eraser, a Tombow Mono Zero eraser, and a plastic eraser. This selection enables me to effectively adjust shading in both broad areas and intricate details as needed.

Blending Tools: Creating a smooth shading with charcoal can be effectively achieved with blending tools such as a paper stump or a soft brush.

Fixative Spray: - The fixative can be used to provide effective smudge resistance, preventing the charcoal from smearing or rubbing off easily.

Outline Sketch: I start with an outline sketch in graphite and keep the marks light.

In order to prevent smudging, I initiated the process by blocking in the background starting from the left-hand side of the drawing, and also outlining the fundamental shapes.