Drawing techniques: using carbon, charcoal, and graphite.   by TheExtraordinaryPencil

Rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 15 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

The secret to dramatic, no shine, black and white pencil drawings.

Hello and Welcome...I would first like to encourage you to visit my website and studio blog at Marsha Robinett Fine Art, where you will find dramatic fine art pencil drawings.  I use predominately carbon pencil with accents of charcoal and graphite where my subject requires.   It is the combination of these three pencils that is the subject of this lens. 

If you are familiar with graphite, you are also familiar with what I refer to as  "the curse of the graphite shine"...the darker you go, the greater the shine!  I will first deal with the "curse", then do some tutorials....and other surprises. You might also enjoy browsing through my fine art blog, The Extraordinary Pencil, before you continue.

I hope you will check back often for updates.

Please contact me with your questions. 

Enjoy, Marsha

To shine or not to shine? 

I drew as a child and picked it up again in 2003. I had no formal art education so I took some basic drawing classes and workshops. I loved the way black and white art was uncomplicated...I felt the lack of color allowed the viewer to see the colors in their own mind.

Using graphite, I refined my technique and grew as a pencil artist...yet I hated the "graphite shine". I wanted to see deep rich darks that pulled the eye into the drawing and pushed the shadows back, but instead the graphite shine pulled everything forward. I know some graphite artists consider the shine a characteristic of the medium and overlook the shine. For me it grew increasingly offensive.

The Carbon Pencil is my new "Graphite"... 

In 2004 I took a workshop from JD Hillberry...the workshop proved to be a turning point in my career as a pencil artist. It was here that I was introduced to the magnificent CARBON PENCIL. I took what I learned at the workshop and made it my own. I expanded my knowledge and developed my own style...I haven't stopped drawing since!

The difference cannot be denied... 

Take a good close look at the images posted here...
Then, visit my On Line Studio. You will notice that there's nothing wimpy about my pencil drawings. They're dramatic...with deep darks, subtle mid-tones, and bright highlights, just like "The Fork and Spoon Club" pictured below.

I know you can't tell on your computer screen, but trust me, there isn't one ounce of unnecessary "shine" anywhere. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CARBON PENCIL... and combining charcoal and graphite where they are needed for accurate representation of texture.

Since most pencil artists use graphite exclusively, I am probably in an up hill battle here, and more than likely have ruffled a few feathers. If so, please forgive me; but I fell in love with the Carbon Pencil when it first touched the paper. I guess you could say it had me at "hello."

Studio Notes: "The Fork and Spoon Club" 

Graphite Pencil was used on the highest portion of the handles on the two forks and down the center of the spoon handle, taking advantage of graphite's natural reflective qualities to pull this area forward.
Carbon Pencil was used for all the deep shadow areas and even most of the mid-tones, pushing them back. Carbon does not produce a shine...therefor the eye is not confused by "shiny" silverware and a "shiny background".

"The Fork and Spoon Club"...Carbon and Graphite

Bits from my Blog..."The Extraordinary Pencil" 

My blog is regularly updated with new information about drawing, marketing, new WIP's, and other announcements...the latest entries are listed below.

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What is it that makes these three pencils so different from each other? 

Carbon, charcoal, and graphite each have their individual characteristics...It's knowing what these characteristics are, when to use them, and how
to make them work together on paper that makes the difference.

The Graphite Pencil...Why DOES it shine? When used to render delicate textures, it is barely noticeable, but as we go darker for the shadowed areas...there it is looking back at us. No mater how we change our technique, the inability to create deep, rich, darks that don't reflect back at us remains illusive. The culprit is this...the individual particles are "flat", causing the light to reflect off the graphite and back at you. Graphite will always react this way to light...the secret is to use this to your advantage.

The Carbon Pencil...If you have ever lit a wooden match...the soft black sooty powder on the end is carbon. Where the stuff in the pencil comes from I'm not certain! Some say it is a combination of charcoal and graphite, others say that it is simply carbon with a binder. What I do know is this, the carbon pencil is smooth as silk on the paper. And because the powdery carbon particles are soft and irregular...when pushed to it's darkest values, carbon does not reflect light in the same way that graphite does. Thus, there is no shine.

The Charcoal pencil...Back to the wooden match again. Think of Charcoal as the black charred portion of the wooden match stick. The individual particles found in charcoal pencils are irregular in size and shape...even a little gritty at times. When light strikes these charcoal particles, it bounces back in many different directions. This means that charcoal as with carbon does not have the reflective glare associated with graphite.

GRAPHITE...is like the "Quiet Timid Child". 


Now that we understand the basic characteristics of these three pencils, we need to learn how to better handle their individual "personalities".

"THE QUIET TIMID ONE"...Graphite reminds me of the quiet, timid child in the class room. Don't ever interpret this to mean that graphite is not capable of great things!

Graphite is the perfect pencil for the initial layout of your drawing. You can produce the most delicate of textures with graphite, and it does this better than either of the other two pencils. Graphite can be applied with various blenders directly to the paper to achieve subtle value changes...carbon is many times too heavy for depicting subtle changes and charcoal is to coarse.

The reflective qualities of graphite are perfect for rendering smooth shiny subjects such as glass or metal. I also use it for shading in the white of the eye, for depicting smooth fabrics, and to express the radiance in the faces of women and children. SEE: portrait example When an object rendered in graphite is placed next next to carbon or charcoal in a drawing...the graphite portion will always be pushed forward.

Graphite's one major fault is it's shine, making the cast shadows or dark background reflect more light than the subject.

CARBON... is like the "Strong-Willed Child" who has a softer side to his nature. 


Now that we understand the basic characteristics of these three pencils, we need to learn how to better handle their individual "personalities".

THE WILLFUL SOFT-NATURED ONE...The Carbon pencil reminds me of the strong willed child who has that hidden softer site to their personality, that with proper direction can be REALLY SWEET!

This pencil will create the darkest of darks yet, unlike charcoal, is velvety smooth to work with. Because the particles are small and irregular, carbon can be used most anywhere you would use graphite...keeping in mind there is no reflexion to bring your subject forward like when using graphite. Carbon can applied directly to the paper using the pencil for the darkest of darks or applied with a blender or brush for more subtle textures.

Carbon is warmer in tone than graphite or charcoal. When combined with cream colored paper, some carbon brands of pencils will produce a pleasant, very deep, almost sepia tone.

Carbon is not a forgiving medium to work with. Unlike graphite, carbon does not come in degrees of tone...It is simply BLACK, with degrees of hardness. When applied directly to the paper using a pencil...you can forget about erasing it! When applied with blenders it isn't much better, unless you are applying it very light. I advise you to have an exact layout drawing, including the shadow shapes. SEE: this layout example.

CHARCOAL...is like the "Strong-Willed Child" that uses coarse expressions. 


Now that we understand the basic characteristics of these three pencils, we need to learn how to better handle their individual "personalities".

"THE WILLFUL ONE with a COARSE SIDE TO HIS NATURE"...Charcoal reminds me of the strong-willed child who every once in while says something shocking. Once taught "when and how to express himself", this child has great potential!

Charcoal, as with carbon, is the pencil you want to use for rich, non-reflective darks. But remember this..."Because of the size and shape of the charcoal particles, the tones produced will have more texture than carbon." Consequently, charcoal is best suited for drawing subjects with more textures. Soft charcoal will produce rougher textures than harder charcoal.

I choose to use charcoal for the benefit of this added texture...using it for rough textured cloth, wood, concrete, for portraits when the subject has a rough complexion and for backgrounds when more texture is desired. SEE: example of denim in charcoal.

Charcoal has a tone value similar to graphite...more to the cool side. If you have two darker subjects close to each other with the same depth of color, using charcoal for one and carbon for the other will be enough to separate them.

Charcoal can be applied directly to the paper or applied using a blender or brush...always adding depth with texture. As with carbon, direct pencil application is difficult to remove. A precise initial drawing is suggested.

You Can Draw...You Can Do It! 

If you are here, you either draw now or you want to draw. I say be encouraged. Read, study other artist's work, and never, never stop drawing...You Can Do It!

"Miss Mouse" is our neighborhood free spirit...seen here stalking a bird.

"Tutorials" using Carbon, Charcoal, and Graphite 

The links listed below are Mini Tutorials. I have tried to be as descriptive as possible...indicating when, how and why I've use carbon, charcoal, or graphite in each drawing. You will also find a list of materials for each tutorial. If you have questions, please contact me...I am happy to help.

The last two links are Tutorials from two very special Guest Artists.
 JD Hillberry and Mike Sibley are both Master Pencil Artists...Their reputation resounds throughout the world...their workshops sell out quickly...and their books are found in every serious pencil artist's library.
Tutorial: Commissioned Portrait of a Young Boy.
This was a Christmas Portrait commission. I did a WIP preview for the grandparents who had commissioned this piece as a surprise for their son and daughter-in-law. I have since expanded it into a tutorial.
Tutorial: Still Life Drawing of Golf Clubs
The Drawing of "The Clubs" has been one of my most popular prints. This is a study on using darks. All three...Carbon, charcoal, and graphite are used in this drawing to achieve the various textures of leather, metal, and a foggy background.
Tutorial: Commissioned Portrait of two Shar Pei
The portrait of Yuki and Orion is a commissioned piece. I took photos as I worked so the family could see the drawing progress. I recently expanded the photos into the tutorial you see here. This tutorial covers the steps involved in the commission process...a few photography hints, choosing the reference photo, presenting the layout to the customer, and the step by step drawing procedures.
Guest Tutorial: "Learning to Draw"...mini tutorials...by JD Hillberry
JD Hillberry is the master of using these three mediums together, focusing the viewers attention on the drama of light, shadow, and texture. His book, "Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil," has sold over 50,000 world wide and his workshops fill up quickly. Many of the techniques I use today are the result of attending his workshop.
Guest Tutorial: "Drawing with Graphite"...mini tutorials...by Mike Sibley
Mike Sibley is known throughout the United States and Europe for his "fine detailed" graphite drawings of animals. His book,"Drawing from Line to Life", is huge...not only is size but in content. It is perhaps one of the most complete book on graphite drawing available...a must for any graphite artist. Mike holds workshops in both the US and UK...they fill up quickly so don't delay.

My Drawing Table 

Did you ever wonder what an artist's work area really looks like? Here it is...you can see a few of my drawing materials on the table and even a sneak preview of the new "eye tutorial" I've been working on. CLICK ON THIS LINK...for a complete list of supplies and equipment found in my drawing studio. Learn more about each and where they can be purchased.

My Drawing Table...the "Work Zone" of My Studio!

The Extraordinary Pencil Guestbook 

The comment section is open to everyone. Your opinions count. What did you think of the information you found here...was it helpful? Was it clear and concise? Would you like to know more? Would you recommend this lens to a friend?...tell me what you think.

Your comments will help me improve this lens for others.

MOST RECENT COMMENTS:

Pat Sedan

Thank you so much for a very clear view of the true art that can be accomplished with pencil. The drama is awesome. It gives me hope for my own future in the world of pencil portraiture!

Posted May 07, 2008

shwetashah

great lens and great work

Posted May 05, 2008
Sheryl Parrott

It has been very inspiring to me to discover your site. It Is The Journey That Defines You! I am 61 and it is time to map my journey....what a wakeup call. Thank you, Sheryl Parrott

Posted April 25, 2008

J D Hillberry

I love your new site and your work is fantastic. Once in a while I get someone in my workshops that really "gets it" and you were that student. I'm proud to claim you as a former student. Keep up the good work.
J. D. Hillberry

Posted April 03, 2008

PamYla

You are truly inspiring! I am in awe of your talent. It comes from your soul

Posted April 01, 2008

bdkz

I love this lens! You are an amazing artist. 5 Stars and a Squid Angel Blessing!

Posted March 20, 2008
 
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Do you still have questions? Send me an e-mail. 

PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE LINK BELOW.
I check my email daily and promise to reply in a timely fashion.


My "InBox" is always open.


No question is too small. If I don't know the answer I'll find someone who does.

When you learn to use these three pencils together...possibilities are endless.

 

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TheExtraordinaryPencil

TheExtraordinaryPencil

Hello, I am The Extraordinary Pencil.  As a pencil artist I specialize in black and white art. Working on cream toned paper I use predominately carbon pencil......

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