Charcoal and pencil is superb for subjects where a high level of detail is required. Each medium may be used on its own, or in combination, depending on the levels of contrast required in the portrait. Charcoal and pencil perform similarly, but pencil produces shades of grey, while charcoal delivers shades of black. I favour pencil for a soft and delicate image, and charcoal for high contrast subjects, but usually combine the two to achieve a broader spectrum of tones. I draw on smooth white cartridge paper, but switch to coloured paper to further increase tonal contrast by adding white chalk highlights (viewable on the Pencil Variants page).

Materials used for your charcoal/pencil portrait
Charcoal & graphite pencils.	220g/m² acid free cartridge paper.

©2008 A&B Artwork