drawing with charcoal

seeing the world in black and white

“The most colorful thing in the world is black and white; it contains all colors and, at the same time, excludes all.”

Vikrmn

My February art project is all about black and white. The cool thing about drawing and painting in black and white is that you can see all of the shadows and the highlights. Working in black and white helps you to see all of the contrast in your artwork. When I first started taking art classes, I did a lot of work in black and white. Since then, I have really enjoyed color. But this month, it is nice to go back to black and white and really explore contrast, shadows, and highlights.

Today’s pictures were done with charcoal. It’s a fun medium to use, as it produces strong pigment. It is, however, a very messy, dusty medium. When the drawing is finished, it has to be sprayed with a fixative right away or it will smudge.

Here is Betty Boop! She is a bit of a diva. It’s really cold here so I hope that, considering her fashion statement, she is visiting a nice warm climate.
Abstract face in black and white.
In a few months, the plants will pop out of the ground as part of the cycle of life.

Next week: Black and white in acrylic paint.

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