Drawing and Seeing in Charcoal
This course is designed to explore in depth the act of looking and drawing the landscape with charcoal in an approachable and enjoyable way
The course will demonstrate the range of possibilities of charcoal
This course follows a logical and progressive format starting from identifying a suitable subject from photo references. You will then be guided through the a series of demos on how to find your way into your chosen image, progressing from small thumbnail sketches to a fully rendered detailed study.
Throughout the process, I provide a framework to help you get past the trepidation we all experience when facing the 'blank white paper' and show, how versatile and forgiving this medium is, so that you can progress quickly, with confidence and have a fun and enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
Explore a full range of possibilities of this remarkable medium
Identify and following a map for the composition
'Drawing with light' technique
Get personalised feedback from Michael on your own work
Course outline
Credits
Course structure
Introduction to my work
Materials
Mark making warm up exercise
Drawing straight lines
Selecting your photo references
Photos from a single vantage
Editing your photo
Suggested references for this course
Photo reference challenge
Finding compositional elements
Thumbnail demo
Thumbnail demo 2
Single vantage thumbnails
Thumbnail assignment
Introduction to 'drawing with light'
Introducing the eraser pen.
Establishing the main values
Darks and detail
Drawing with light assignment
Demo part 1
Demo part 2
Fixative and removing tape
Large drawing assignment
We answer some common questions about this course and who it is designed for
This course is part of the Big Look member subscription. For just €59 per month you will have access to the full library of Big Look content and have the ability to get personalised feedback from artists when you submit work. You can cancel or pause your subscription at any time. For more information about Big Look subscription check out our support centre content
This course is for anyone who is interested in exploring charcoal whether as a standalone medium or as a way to make tonal studies of subjects for painting. While the subject matter of this course is landscape the same techniques and 'way of looking' can be applied to any subject matter.
Charcoal is such a simple, versatile and forgiving medium that it lends itself to artists of all levels, including beginners. The method I teach takes a lot of 'guesswork' out of the process. The main thing that is needed, is willingness to get your hands dirty with charcoal and a spirit of adventure!
There is no set schedule for this course. This is a self-paced course which allows you the flexibility to follow at your own speed and convenience.
There are a number of opportunities to upload your own work to get an assessment from Michael. All student uploads are confidential and will not be seen by other students.