How to Recreate a Realistic Landscape in Charcoal from a Photograph

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The skills you will gain in this class:

How to draw a simple scene with charcoal
How to apply and manipulate charcoal
How to create textures in charcoal
Applying graphite to represent different values (lightness and darkness)
Measuring methods
Improving drawing accuracy

This course is a gentle, step-by-step introduction to realistic charcoal landscape drawing, designed for complete beginners. The focus is on building essential drawing skills while also cultivating an artistic mindset—balancing technical mechanics with personal interpretation.

We’ll start with the basic materials and setup, then move into accurate measuring and careful drawing to create a realistic framework for your landscape. From there, I’ll guide you through shading, value-building and different kinds of blending to create varying degrees of softness. Through technique, we will explore bringing depth, light, and atmosphere into your drawing. Along the way, we’ll talk about what to focus on, what to let go of, and how to let the spirit of the subject guide your hand.

In this class, you will learn how to:

• Choose and set up simple charcoal materials

• Measure accurately from a photo reference for a balanced composition

• Use value, shading, and blending to create depth and realism

• Apply texture to suggest natural elements

• Approach drawing with openness and interpretation, not just technique

By the end, you’ll have a finished charcoal landscape and a set of practical tools that you can apply to future drawings. More importantly, you’ll have begun to explore the mindset that transforms technical drawing skills into a more personal, expressive art practice.

Muhammad El Arabi

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