{"id":818,"date":"2013-03-19T16:54:57","date_gmt":"2013-03-19T16:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/?p=818"},"modified":"2023-11-23T12:29:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T12:29:58","slug":"graphite-v-charcoal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/2013\/03\/graphite-v-charcoal\/","title":{"rendered":"GRAPHITE v CHARCOAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jason, who has recently joined TheDrawingForum.com<\/a>, jointly run by myself and JD Hillberry, emailed to ask:<\/p>\n

\n

Just a very quick question, I am thinking of taking my drawings a bit more serious to supplement my wildlife oil paintings, so I have been reading both yours and JD Hillberry’s books, websites etc so I don’t make too many novice mistakes, and I wondered why you don’t appear to have gone down the same road as JD, regarding using charcoal pencils to get the non-reflective, VERY darks that seem impossible with standard soft graphite.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A quick question but the answer might take longer \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

First, JD and I work in completely different ways. JD’s work is more planned and controlled, such as using frisket to blank out selected areas. That requires a very accurate initial drawing that probably cannot be readily altered during the drawing process. However, I love working in graphite because it offers that direct mind-to-hand-to-paper connection – you think, you draw. So I begin with a very loose set of guidelines (except where accuracy is vital) and I constantly alter or even ignore them as I draw each section. I also begin top left and work down to the bottom right-hand corner (as a generalisation). Nothing is blanked out.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cA<\/a>
\u201cA String of Memories\u201d by JD Hillberry
The entire image is drawn including the background, tape, and string.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I first began drawing seriously I did use carbon pencils for a while (never charcoal) to achieve more intense blacks. But they always looked false because they lacked the sheen of graphite. At some point I realised I had to be a graphite purist in order for my work to have the unity I wanted, and to allow the mind-to-paper flow that I so enjoy.<\/p>\n

I also found ways around the problem of weak darks – which isn’t a problem where prints are concerned because they can be corrected. If I need very intense blacks, I complete the drawing and spray with a matt fixative – that allows me to add further layers of soft grade graphite, and I can repeat that process as many times as required. In more general use, I found that 2B would give reasonable blacks (if applied with pressure – and my Mellotex paper can withstand a lot of punishment) but I could increase the intensity by layering with a harder grade – usually HB over 2B. The harder grade breaks up and smooths the courser grains of the soft graphite and fills the tooth that the softer grade left exposed. I also discarded all grades softer than 2B, because they are too grainy and leave a lot of tooth exposed (tiny white pits that visually dilute the intended dark value).<\/p>\n

Finally, spraying a graphite drawing on completion with a matt fixative removes much of the sheen. With the reflective surface dulled, blacks increase in intensity, three-dimensional form becomes more solid, and the drawing has more visual impact. With practice, I draw in the knowledge that the value I’m creating will later darken and increase in intensity.<\/p>\n

You can view Jason’s wildlife and other work at www.OnlineArtDemos.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

JD Hillberry’s amazing Trompe l’Oeil work at www.JDHillberry.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\""Early<\/a>
“Early Morn at Witton Marsh” by Mike Sibley
Drawn using graphite pencils only.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jason, who has recently joined TheDrawingForum.com<\/b><\/a>, jointly run by myself and JD Hillberry, emailed to ask:<\/p>\n

\nI have been reading both yours and JD Hillberry’s books so I don’t make too many novice mistakes, and I wondered why you don’t appear to have gone down the same road as JD, regarding using charcoal pencils to get the non-reflective, VERY darks that seem impossible with standard soft graphite.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

First, JD and I work in completely different ways. JD’s work is more planned and controlled, such as using frisket to blank out selected areas. That requires a very accurate initial drawing that probably cannot be readily altered during the drawing process. However, I love working in graphite because it offers that direct mind-to-hand-to-paper connection – you think, you draw. So I begin with a very loose set of guidelines…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,56],"tags":[129,130,4,106,105],"class_list":["post-818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art-lessons","category-tips-tricks","tag-carbon-pencils","tag-charcoal","tag-drawing","tag-graphite-pencils","tag-graphite-v-carbon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=818"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1154,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818\/revisions\/1154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sibleyfineart.com\/_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}