Plaster Cast Drawing
in Charcoal (continued)
Now, more of the half tones in the light area have been drawn using the medium and hard grades of charcoal; the artist was
careful to not overstate them. If you draw the half tones within the light too dark, they’ll merge with the shadow and the sep-
aration between the light area and the shadow becomes lost, and the feeling of solidity in your drawing will become compro-
mised. Always compare the half tones in the light against the lightest light to gauge their tone. There is also more elaboration
of the shadow, with the structure of the cheekbone, temple area, and beard being defined. With the addition of curved con-
tours, notice that the contours of forms that were once more angular have become more varied. Again, having first blocked in
the contours in an angular fashion made it much easier for the artist to “find” the curve within the angles.
Stage 6