Charcoal Drawings - article about Charcoal Drawings

Since I was very young, I have always had an appreciation of charcoal drawings. I think that it started with an art class actually. We were studying techniques for depicting light and shadows, and so charcoal pencil drawings were the most natural way to do it. When I first used charcoal pencils, I thought they were more than a little bit awkward. I was used to writing with a good bit of pressure, but you couldn't do that with charcoal portraits. Charcoal drawing demanded a delicate touch. Rather than just constructing a line, you were drawing with the edge of the pencil. To get the proper shading techniques, you needed precise control over the angle and the amount of pressure that you used – no small task for a beginning artist.

The problem was that my craft was outpacing my creativity. I could draw charcoal drawings with stunning realism and make it look easy, but I couldn't think of anything more to draw. I was having very few dreams – my traditional source of inspiration – and my life was rather bland. As a matter of fact, it seemed like I was drying up. I decided that I had to take a drastic measure. I bought all the charcoal pencils that I needed and locked myself up in my room for a solid week. I did not come out except to get Chinese takeout, and spent the rest of my time frantically composing charcoal sketches. By the end of the week, my floor was literally covered with charcoal drawings. I was exhausted, but I had done it. I had broken through whatever had been blocking my creativity. I can not tell you what a relief that was! Since that point, I have never had any shortage of inspiration.

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