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Part Two – CHARCOAL
TONKING
Tonking is a well-established way of erasing
or knocking back a charcoal drawing. It was
devised, I am led to believe, by one Professor
Sir Henry Tonks.
1/ Sketch your drawing in very basically
using line to establish the composition. Then
apply the tone from your observation to the
drawing. Do this in a very broad way giving
the drawing a black and white appearance.
2/ Take a soft cloth and beat back the
drawing dispersing the tone, and at the same
time knocking back the tonal density of the
whole drawing. This gives the drawing a very
atmospheric feel and leaves us with the
ghost of the first drawing.
3/ You are now in a position to re-establish
your drawing both compositionally and
tonally until you have created the effects of
chiaroscuro (light and dark). This process
can be repeated many times until you are
satisfied with your drawing and you have
bought it to a satisfactory conclusion. Now
‘fix’ the drawing.
1.2.