Charcoal Sketches

I have used pencil and pen in my sketches and I wanted to try something else for a change. I browse thru the posts in WetCanvas (www.wetcanvas.com) regularly to see what other drawing enthusiasts like me have been doing. Some, after having used pencil for a while, try other media like graphite, charcoal and pastel for drawing. I felt that it may be time for me to take the next level and see what I else I can do.

Our drawing homework (see pic above) is to draw basic shapes (sphere, cones, cylinder) and render shadows to show the volume of the object. It takes a while to do these exercises using pencil. I tried using the charcoal pencil I just bought ... and broke the tip (about 1/2 inch long after the first drawing above). I didn't have a sharpener with me so I ended up using the 1/2 inch charcoal that broke off from the pencil. But this time I used its side to draw.

Wow, I was able to draw warm-up sketches in less time compared to using pencil (tip). I'll probably buy a charcoal bar next time.

Below is another study of the basic shapes and shadows.

It was fun drawing with charcoal for the first time. I was able to accomplish more in less time (which is all I have considering I have a full-time job and two young kids at home).
Stay tune for more charcoal drawings.

Library Sketches

I had about an hour to spare yesterday so I decide to stop by the library. I had my sketch book with me so I ended up doing 4 mini-sketches.

Quick sketches, in a way, are liberating as you are not forced to come up with a masterpiece. I was able to incorporate some topics I learned about perspective. I should do this more often.