Step-by-Step Drawing Process

Below are 15 steps I go through with my charcoal pencil drawings. I learned this unique process from a renaissance quality portrait painter in San Francisco. It takes a lot of time and blind faith, but helps me create uncommonly realistic images that can almost breath. Some have said this work has an uncanny 3 dimentional quality and a spirit of it's own. Others have described it as like sculpture on paper.

I use 6B charcoal pencils, an exacto knife and sandpaper board for sharpening the pencils, a kneaded eraser, a pink pearl reaser, and a chamois. I use a small hand held mirror also. If I am having problems, I turn around, and look at my drawng in the mirror. Problem areas that I hadn't noticed often show-up in the mirror.

Click any image to view a larger, more detailed image.

Step 1 - Click image to englarge Oddly enough I use smooth newsprint paper; the least expensive paper, and 6B charcoal pencils sharpened to delicate needle points for delicate detail and shading. Sharpening these to a very long needle point is an exercize in sensativity which tunes me up for some delicate work on the drawing. I study the persons head.. be it thin, round, or square looking. I pay attention to the tilt of head, and draw a simple egg shaped oval representing the head. The shape and tilt of the oval needs to be a good representation of the subjects head, not just asny head.

Step 2 - Click image to englarge I draw a vertical medial line to show the tilt and the turn of the head. Then, I draw horizonltal lines to show where the features are: one for the eyebrows, one through the corners of the eyes, a line for the base of the nose, and one to show where the lips meet. These lines are usually perpendicular to the vertical medial line, but not always.

Step 3 - Click image to englarge I begin to refine the head shape and details like the hood above the eye, the cheekbone and chin profiles, etc. I lightly rough-in the individual features. I double-check placement and shape of the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Newsprint doesn't do well with harsh erasing, so I make no dark lines at this stage and no certainly dark outlines of the features. This way all lines can be changed, refined or even erased if needed.

Step 4 - Click image to englarge Now comes further refining the head and feature shapes, hairliines, chin lines, etc. No shading yet until features are clearly/well drawn and the sketch looks like the subject. Pay attention to little things like the line where the lips meet and if the corners of the mouth turn up, down, or one goes in each direction. Nuances like this are critical to getting the drawing to look like your subject. You will understand that learning to see subtleties like this elevates the artist from merely 'looking' at things, to really 'seeing' what you are looking at. Happily, this helps you to seeing everything around you more completely.

Step 5 - Click image to englarge Now's a good time to really closely witness your subject and dial-in the eyes, nose, ears, and other shapes of the head. Here's where using my needle sharp pencils allow me to delicately record details on the face. I make sure they have the shape, size, character, and refinement of the subject. Then I rough in the overall look of the hair, without drawing any individual hairs, draw the neck and shoulders. .

Step 6 - Click image to englarge It's time to lightly draw patterns and shapes of dark shadow and dark tones. To help decide which areas need to be defined as dark; squint while looking at your subject. This filters out detail to reveal overall patterns. Keep your lines fairly light., as there will be time later to accent the rich dark areas.

Step 7 - Click image to englarge Now it's time to redraw the areas you've defined as being dark or in shadow. Draw no real sharp lines on edges that will be blended in gradually to lighter tones, please. Go over feature lines with a thin dark lines, or else in future steps when we blacken in the dark areas and blend the darks into the paper with a chammois, the eyes, nose, lips, etc. will litteraly not be wiped out.

Step 8 - Click image to englarge This is the step that requires trust ans a huge leap of faith. Trust that if done correctly, this process works beautifully. You now begin to blacken-in all of the areas that you've decided are in deep shadow or are a dark tone. Methodically darken these areas with as black as your soft charcoal pencil will allow. Just be careful not to tear the newsprint with the tip of your pencil. Do NOT be afraid of the dark!

Step 9 - Click image to englarge Continue to darken in the rest of the dark areas. Ondark areas with a soft edge, like the hairline, be sure to draw in a hard edge.

Step 10 - Click image to englarge Keep going dark. Trust that this is a good thing!

Step 11 - Click image to englarge Finish by completing all the dark area, making them black.

Step 12 - Click image to englarge With a chamois, begin to rub all the dark areas in, which will lighten these up.

Step 13 - Click image to englarge With a clean piece of chamois, re-rub the dark areas. Fold over your chamois to fins another clean area of it. Re-rub it into the paper again. Don't be afraid, as when you do this, you will see the features emerge that you have made really dark in earlier steps. See.. your drawing is not wiped out. What you are left with is a nice pattern of mid-dark tone.

Step 14 - Click image to englarge From this mid-dark tone, you can go in now and darken and accent the features where needed, and gently with a kneaded eraser shaped to a fine point, go in and subtly 'draw with light' with your eraser.

Step 15 - Click image to englarge