The process

This is a step-by-step view of how I draw most of my drawings.

You can click on each picture to see a larger image.

blank page with two types of charcoal: compressed (thicker and darker) and vine (thinner and lighter)

up close

First, I color the whole page with vine charcoal.

Then with an ordinary paper towel, I smudge it all.

All smudged.

Then, with the compressed charcoal, I color the whole page again.

Then I smudge that.

All smudged … but darker.

Here are my main drawing implements. Compressed charcoal, and two erasers.

The compressed charcoal draws dark values.

This is a kneadable eraser. It’s just that – you can make it any shape.

A heart.

A cylinder.

The kneadable eraser I use often to draw light values.

Believe it or not, this is a standard pink eraser. The edges can be quite good for specific thin light areas, but …

… Mostly I use the pink eraser for wide, light areas, such as background.

And those are the basic steps behind all of my drawings!

~ by annie on December 2, 2008.