Have you used charcoal for drawing yet?
I must admit...I hadn't. All my portaits have been worked in graphite so far.
I had charcoal in my possession....but it had always been used for mixed media projects for that little bit of extra black smudginess when needed lol
But who knew how much easier charcoal is to work with!
A few hints on working portraits with charcoal
* Keep a piece of paper towel handy...not only can you use the towel for smudging but for erasing lighter marks too!
* Working on toned paper gives you a shortcut for your mid tones.
* Using a paper stump to smudge. you can create dark and lighter areas with the same piece of charcoal.
* Use white charcoal for highlights
* It's a good idea to protect your work and hands by resting your palm on a piece of paper.