These are the two colours of Ingres Fabriano that I use: www.jacksonsart.com/fabriano-pastel-paper-ingres-50x70cm-off-white www.jacksonsart.com/fabriano-pastel-paper-ingres-50x70cm-cream You can get them from Jackson's Art, but I usually get them from a company called John Purcell who sell them in greater quantities www.johnpurcell.net

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Alright, thank you so much for your reply! :)

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting this is vary helpful information sir.

Thanks Joe. Did you see my video on comparative measurement?

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Thank you very much Sean. I have lots of real time demos on my Patreon channel, tho I haven't done any charcoals on there yet.

Yes it is certainly a lot quicker to get a full range darker values than it would in pencil. It's just that it can be a bit messy, particularly as you correct mistakes. I find oils a lot more forgiving. I think speed preferred more renaissance style line drawing, where you hatch to indicate form but you don't go necessarily go as dark as it appears in life. Like the pen and ink drawings by Michaelangelo etc.

Thank you very much Christian!

Thank you.

Thank you Michael!

Thank you Mikey!

Thank you Michael!

Thank you Lesley-Ann! Glad you liked it.

Thank you Michael. I intend to ado some more charcoal drawing videos at some point in the future.

Thank you!

Thanks!

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting your welcome

Thank you!

Hey guys join art book channel per

Please add my art book channel per

Thank you Bernard.

Eventually yes. I'm planning to do a full length portrait in oils. But it will be more involved with multiple cameras shooting the palette and close ups etc. I will need to hire a film crew to shoot and edit. So unfortunately I won't be able to give it away for free. But I'm definitely not going to charge as much as some of the other instructional videos and courses out there.

SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting Please do this, Alex! I’d certainly buy it. I’m fascinated with the method you use in your paintings and this drawing (although charcoal scares me!).

It may possibly appear darker a little darker in the video, but I can get pretty dark. The darkest you can go is to press hard, make a mark an leave it without rubbing it in. If you make another mark, going over the first one, you will lift the charcoal off. So you need to be very definite about where you want the dark accents. I find charcoal on paper, certainly isn't as forgiving as oils.

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you! I think that's exactly my issue (and it's so counterintuitive... you'd think two layers would be darker than one!). I appreciate the insights.

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting To get darker darks, could one use compressed charcoal?

Thanks. These was all done with soft vine charcoal. Actually willow, by a company called Coates

You can only use this method with soft willow charcoal on Fabiano Ingres paper. You cannot lift off harder compressed charcoal. The trick to it is to rub the charcoal into the paper, then as you wipe it away with your fingers it lifts off very gradually. But then you can also rub in the charcoal too much, so that it scars the paper. It's a really tricky method to use. Also, many people will tell you that you shouldn't ever touch the paper with your hands, as the oils in your skin will leave an acidic residue that will damage the paper over time. This benefit of this method is that it gets you to think in terms of masses, so it translates well into painting. You can also go dark really quickly, I've never gone in for the endless hatching and blending with a stump that you need to do with more traditional academic methods of drawing using compressed charcoal. But there must certainly be more effective methods for using charcoal. I'm currently experimenting with some different techniques, in order to find something that would be easier to teach?

I use Ingres paper by a company called Fabriano. It's not the most expensive paper, but it's still usually around £1 or £2 pounds per 100cm x 70cm sheet. I normally buy it in a ream of 25 sheets from a wholesaler here in the UK.

I can't really recommend a hatching technique as I don't know how to use one. I use charcoal like paint, massing in the darks unifying them and then lifting off to lighten (whereas with oil paint you'd add lighter paint). The thing about working in charcoal this way is, it is much less forgiving than oil paint. There are only so many times you can correct your drawing before you make a complete mess. I suspect using a more linear approach to drawing, like you would with a pencil, working with outlines and shading, might be easier to control. The linear approach is the way most people learn to draw. The problem with the linear approach is it doesn't work for painting, with paint you have to be able to see things as large masses of colour. The author I mention in this video, Harold speed in his book the "practice and science of drawing" goes into detail about both approaches. He recommends mass drawing for painting but not drawing with other media. Having concentrated on learning mass drawing over the last decade of so, I have actually forgotten how to work in line with a pencil. Which is unfortunate because really admire work in pencil and pen and ink etc. Hope that makes sense?

Yes i understand

You may have already watched this, but if not I thoroughly recommend Harold Speed. Most of what I teach is based on his books kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i8h-Y6ecuLnLl4U.html

Thank you very much! I always use Ingres by Fabriano. I've never tried Strathmore.

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Fabriano Tiziano paper? 20” x 26”? Do you buy it individually or pads? Thanks so much for replying

@@MrExcane I usually by them in individual sheets of 100x70cm in seems of 25 or 50. I then cut them down to the size I need. I buy them from here in the UK: www.johnpurcell.net

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you!

As far as materials go, I'm using soft willow charcoal. The cheapest stuff, the make I like is by a company called Coates. Because I mass in the charcoal and unify with my fingers, I find soft charcoal works best for me. I never use compressed charcoal like Nitram or anything like that. The paper I'm using is a medium grade pastel paper called Ingres by a company called Fabriano. Also, here is another charcoal video (in case you haven't seen it) where I explain more about my drawing technique kzfaq.info/get/bejne/opOkfJyos8vQn5c.html

Thanks for the reply i appriciate it a lot! yes i have seen all Your videos including this one, i was just hoping for separate in depth video for Your favorite painting tools(not only choracle technics) since You clearly stand out with Your knowledge from most "artists" here on KZfaq.

Yes, I have been thinking about materials videos. But they'll probably be a whole series of videos. I could do several on canvases and making supports as it is.

Im certainly looking forward for that one, but i like all of the demonstrational videos as well. Its always fun to watch real speed and simplified drawings in process instead of lausy photocopies attempts. Have a nice day Mister!

Thank you very much. The brand of charcoal I use is by a company called Coates. It's soft willow charcoal. I use medium and thin sticks www.coatescharcoal.co.uk

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thank you very much for your patience ,LiYi, who has always supported you

I'm using either a thing called a "stump" which is made out of rolled up paper. Or, I'm using a needed eraser, but once you use the eraser it leaves a residue so you can't go back over it with charcoal if you need to correct it.

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thank you :)

The whole thing is done with Coates willow charcoal. I use medium sticks for massing in and thin sticks for drawing lines.

Yes It can do. This method can get quite messy if you're not careful.

Just heard it in the end 😅 Great job mate

Thank you. Around 3 hours.

I learned this way of using charcoals in masses, from a British portrait painter called Nick Bashall. But it originates from Spain where it was taught to him by a Spanish Artist called Joaquin Torrents Llado. It involved using charcoal like paint, massing in the shadows quite heavily and then removing charcoal with your fingers. It gets very messy and I needed a lot of practice in order to properly get the hang of it. I've been teaching this method for years and I find the majority of my students really struggle with it. I've come to the conclusion that it's not the best charcoal technique to teach, tho it's good for introducing people to the principles of painting.

Thank you very much!

HI Rakesh, I use soft willow charcoal by a company called Coate's: www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/coates-willow-charcoal-pack-of-20-sticks-4-10mm-diameter The paper I use is a make by Fabriano called Ingres paper: www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/fabriano-pastell-papier-ingres-50x70cm-naturweiss

I teach regular classes in London? Though I don't know when they will be starting again with the current situation. I also have an online course on my Patreon Channel: www.patreon.com/simplifydrawingandpainting I am also thinking of offering some 1-2-1 tuition online. probably through my Patreon channel. Depending on whether my classes in start back up in September? If I'm teaching in London, finding time to teach 1-2-1 will be tricky.

I’m using Ingres paper by a company called Fabriano. It’s kind of hard to explain but I actually rub the charcoal into the paper quite a bit in order to unify it. That way, when I lift it off it doesn’t remove as much, which gives me greater control. But there is a definite knack to it and when I try to teach this method people often struggle with it. So it probably isn’t the easiest way to use charcoal and it’s quite messy, but I find it effective because it’s basically using charcoal like paint and you can get really dark quite quickly unlike with hatching. The other drawback to this method is that any conservator will freak out when they see how much I use my fingers. The residues left over from skin are apparently quite bad for the longevity of the paper?

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Hey thanks for your reply. You actually introduced me to this technique and I simply fell in love with it. I actually find it superior to more tradition techniques, it allows more focus on larger value shapes and quicker application. Also feels very similar to painting, so thanks for that.

I intend to at some point.

Ingres Paper by a company called Fabriano

Thank you Mark!

Thanks. Yes, I have been posting reference photos of my subjects in all my more recent videos.

I use charcoal the same way I use paint. The line are basically guides for where to place the larger light and dark masses.

Supposedly yes, the acid from oil from my fingers will damage the paper in time. An art conservator would tell me off.

Agreed. There are many artists with a better charcoal technique than me. I can be pretty heavy handed. But I don't agree when you say "too much time and work". I think mine is pretty lifelike after only 3 hours. Have you seen any of those academic drawings where students take 30 hours? Btw do you draw? please let me know where can I see some of your work, or are you just a conniossuer?

Did you go to art school Russia by any chance? Their technique is the best in the world IMO

I could not agree less with this user's rude comment. I think your demo is excellent and the result is quite appealing.

.....KrapUrz5745.......keep your shit to yourself......

He's showing you HIS technique as it relates to HIS method of mass painting, he never states that this is the way to draw in charcoal. There are plenty of tutorials describing other methods, let's not discourage people from sharing their own techniques. There are different elements from all methods that we can learn from and apply to our own work. The reason this method is quite valuable in my opinion is because people don't always have the time to paint, or time to LEARN how to paint. This method of drawing with charcoal is a good way to practice seeing the masses of value shapes that is required in realist oil painting without taking the time to set up for painting. This is a great way to learn as a preliminary to oil painting, without having to worry about the nuances of painting all at once. Thank you Alex. It's incredibly helpful to see different approaches to drawing and painting.

Thank you!