After learning how to draw, how to construct form, how to shade and compose, I decided to learn charcoal. ‘How much new kit could there be?’ I asked myself, before falling down another rabbit hole.

I actually had a big piece in mind that I thought charcoal would be perfect for, which I am working my way up to, which was the impetus for this class. I spent a fair bit of time working with Nitram charcoal (I am quite clumsy and worried that willow charcoal would be too brittle), doing sketch maps and playing with erasing, drawing cubes and spheres and then applying those skills to three pumpkins on three different papers.

The first is on Croquis paper, which is my go-to rough work paper (I can’t find newsprint where I am), and the second is on tan paper I am not in love with and am trying to use up. The first was an interesting piece - the contrast on the abrasive yellowish paper is the piece’s strongest element, though the surface started to deteriorate after repeated layers, which also added some interesting mottled effects.

The tan paper was harder to work with, as it had less tooth and couldn’t hold those dense darks - the end result was probably more naturalistic but less expressive. I added some highlights with a smudged Derwent pencil, but the effect could have been stronger - I think this paper would be better for softer, less expressive work.

The third pumpkin was drawn on 120 gsm multi-media paper and is the strongest of the three; the paper had a rough tooth and held the charcoal sticks I was using to create some interesting broken lines. While I wasn’t initially a fan of the straight texture lines, I found I was able to fill them with repeated smudged layers and lift to create highlights.

Following from this piece, I am going to experiment with combining charcoal and pastels and putting them over a watercolour background. I’ll also do more drawings on toned paper and try a few different brands of charcoal pencils to see if I can find some that work a bit better for me for more precise work.

Also, I really love charcoal!