An initial rendering of details in fine black pen readily produces a painterly effect, strikingly akin to a watercolor wash, when covered in unhesitating swathes of expertly-blended charcoal.
One of the biggest questions that any teacher or artist working with charcoal gets from those just starting out is, “What sort of paper should I use with charcoal drawing?” The answers are as varied as the artists that are being asked.
Jennifer Keltos is a student at the Florence Academy of Art. She was kind enough to share the cast and figure drawings she completed with
Nitram Charcoal.
In gesture drawing, the artist seeks to rapidly convey the total, immediate essence of the subject through authentic, highly minimalistic curves and lines—all recorded in approximately one to two minutes.
“Before any drawing was begun, before I even knew what I wanted to draw, the paper appeared as a monumental headstone, an Anselmo stonework, a skin surface marked by a history of scars and wrinkles, an unmarked map without orientation. Honestly, before I even knew what to draw, I was perfectly aware that the sheet of paper was already the most interesting thing I had ever made.” - Ben Durham