Watch as portraiture and still-life artist Shuchi Muley creates a stunning charcoal portrait of her daughter using the new Nitram Bâton 2.0.

Art & Video by @ShuchiMuleyArt
Music: Sonatina No 2 in F Major Allegro by Joel Cummins

STEP BACK AND FOCUS

"Lost", 16" x 20", Nitram Charcoal on Stonehenge paper (by Legion)

“My work deals with the exploration of human emotions. The muse for ‘Lost’ is my 1 year old daughter, Zoey. When you know someone long enough, you understand their emotions and their state of being just by looking at them.

I use the Nitram Bâton during multiple stages of my drawing. Initially, using a very light hand, I use it to lay down an overall design. The Bâton's length allows me to step back and focus on the feeling of my composition and the rhythms of the shapes. Next, I use the Bâton to add tonal values and bring out the forms.This is a lengthy process, and the light weight of the Bâton really helps with this repetitive motion without straining my arm.

I am allergic to vine charcoal, so much so that I start coughing as soon asI use it to sketch. With Nitram Charcoal, however, I don’t have that problem.It also doesn’t break easily when sharpening, so I can avoid the frustration felt by every artist who has ever lost an almost-sharpened charcoal stick to the bin!”

~ Shuchi Muley