Thursday 24 July 2014

The Drawings Of Contemporary Charcoal Artists

By Sharron Cantu


Drawing has traditionally been a part of the artistic process. From art students to professionals, the unique characteristics of charcoal have been appreciated for centuries. Many an artist used this medium for producing preparatory drawings. Contemporary charcoal artists, however, are using this medium in different ways and elevating this art form to new heights.

No matter what genre you admire, there are examples to be found. You can even commission a portrait if this is what you are looking for. A portrait artist will most likely work from photographs to produce the portrait. Many realistic drawings are available from those of wildlife to landscapes. There are also more abstract works dealing with emotions and concepts such as cultural differences and relationships. Surreal, mystical drawings are also available if this is what you are looking for.

There are some basic tools that are used by most professionals. Charcoal is found in various forms, some of which are more suitable for covering large areas and others for more detailed work. A stick is created by slow burning twigs like willow until carbon is formed. A compressed type is created by binding particles with gum. This type creates darker marks but is not spread or erased as easily as the vine form. The paper is usually carefully selected to properly hold the particles and various erasers are used. Other techniques like blending and spreading require tools like a blending stamp.

Canvas, paints, stretchers and turpentine are not needed. Despite the simplicity of the materials, they are very versatile. Shading, texture and different tones can be produced with experience. After all, this is how artists using any kind of media look at the world and seek to translate it.

When the medium one uses does not rely on color to create beauty, it is more important than ever to use highlights, mid-tones and shadows to great effect. An artist has to learn to do this in order to capture the necessary depth. A little more or less pressure, some erasing, blending and smearing all work together to produce varying values.

This medium is not permanent and this has advantages and disadvantages. It has a flexibility as it is easily erased, spread and blended. However, a fixative has to be used on completion to make it permanent. Various types of fixatives can be used, some of which are more permanent than others.

These artists keep pushing boundaries and thinking about new ways to express themselves. There is one such artist who is also a dancer and creates large scale drawings, mapping out human body movements. Another creates short animated films by shooting frame by frame showing the evolution of his drawings and creating narrative sequences.

Shopping for such drawings online allows one the opportunity to browse through many different genres to find exactly what you are looking for. It also enables you to source those that fit your budget. This artistic medium has survived for many centuries and will no doubt survive for many years more. It is loved for its versatility and its ability to capture a variety of tones and even emotions simply by using dark and light in intuitive ways.




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