Dog Charcoal PortraitsTry using charcoal instead of graphite pencil. Charcoal can add some new life to your dog portraits. It produces a richer, fuller effect than pencil. But the biggest advantage for dog drawings is that it gives you the opportunity to add some color to your portrait with out getting into colored pencils. Depending on the dog you're drawing, adding different shades of brown charcoal is usually enough. There is one draw back to using charcoal. The potential for smudging is far greater than with graphite pencil. Here is a list of supplies you will need when using charcoal. These are in addition to the supplies needed for drawing dog portraits in pencil. *Charcoal Sticks: These are the three shades of brown used to complete the Rottweiler below.
*Powdered Charcoal: Use this if you have a large area to cover. Blend with a soft cloth, or the blunt end of a tortillion.
*Charcoal Pencils: Use these in smaller areas, like the eyes. They are easier to control than the charcoal sticks.
*Erasers: The kneaded eraser and the White eraser work well with charcoal.
*Fixative: In a well ventilated area, spray your dog portrait. Read the directions on the can.
Start with the eyes. We will be using three brown tones for this Rottweiler. Carefully add some light brown to the iris. Refer to your original to see where to place the tones. With the black charcoal pencil, darken the pupil. Don't cover the reflection. Add some darker brown to the iris if you need to. With a new tortillion, blend the browns of the iris together smoothly. With another new tortillion, shade over the pupil the soften the look. Remove any shading from the reflection in the pupil with the kneaded eraser. If there are lighter areas in the iris, add a little white charcoal to lighten those areas. Then blend them in with the tortillion.
Now, begin to add the black tones with either a black charcoal stick or pencil. Refer to your original. Add the very dark black and medium black tones. The lighter tones will be added as you shade and blend. If there are any brown areas, add the brown tones also.
Only the upper half of the portrait has the tones added. The reason is because charcoal is very easy to smudge. In fact, you may want to take smaller sections and finish each area before adding more dark tone. With a tortillion, shade and blend the tones. A soft cloth wrapped around your index finer can be used instead of a tortillion for larger areas. Blend the darks into the lighter areas softly. Use the kneaded eraser to add highlights. As you blend the charcoal, you will notice a lot of "crumbs". Do not wipe or brush or blow them away! You will leave charcoal streaks on your paper if you do. To remove the crumbs, hold your portrait over a waste can and gently tap the paper. The crumbs will fall off. The upper half of the head is now finished.
Notice how the areas where no tone was added have been lightly shaded with the dirty tortillion. Blend everything together smoothly. No harsh lines. Some white was added around the eyes and on the nose and then blended into the surrounding areas. Now, add the black and brown tones to the lower half of the head. There is a lot of detail around the mouth, so study your original carefully. Shade and blend the tones and colors smoothly. Use the white charcoal pencil and the eraser to add highlights Finish your portrait by adding the tones to the rest of the body. Shade, blend and add the highlights. Powdered charcoal can be used for the large, dark areas. When shading and blending these larger areas turn the torillion around and shade with the bottom.
Tap all the charcoal crumbs off of your portrait. Take a clean piece of paper and lay it on top off your portrait. Press down fimly with your hands. Don't move the paper while doing this. This will pick up the charcoal crumbs that are still on your portrait. Leave your drawing set for a few minutes and then carefully remove the paper. In a well ventilated area, spray your dog portrait with fixative. This will prevent any future smudging. |
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