Drawing Children: Charcoal Portraits

Learn how to draw a charcoal portrait with artist Hetty Easter as your guide! Explore the expressive properties of this versatile medium as you choose a reference image and begin to block in a loose outline. Use bold lines, softly shaded areas and value shifts to convey mood and create lifelike dimension. Then, learn simple techniques to draw the head, ears, eyes, mouth and nose with realistic proportions. Discover tips for successfully sketching children of all ages and add contours and nuance to your portrait with charcoal’s painterly effects. Find out how to depict a spectrum of skin tones and various hairstyles and discover instrumental mark-making skills to conquer challenging areas like teeth and accessories. You’ll finish this class with a beautiful portrait and a range of valuable techniques to add to your artistic repertoire.