This Open Drawing Session is dedicated to drawing lovely and talented Megan in chiaroscuro, a term that indicated the strong contrast between light and shadows on a subject and composition. Chiaroscuro, literally light and dark, creates striking, dramatic effects because of the strong light and shadow contrast and the obliteration of the parts of the figure that are invaded by the background shadow. The photographic reference image we will use in this session shows a moderate chiaroscuro in most of the figure, but the strong contrast with the background and parts of Megan’s face will give us the opportunity to enjoy creating a work using a method used by the great Baroque Masters such as Caravaggio, Velasquez, Rembrandt and Artemisia Gentileschi, but without the extreme patterns of light and shadow that would make this first approach to this technique more complicated.

In this 2:30 hour online session, we will be working with charcoal and chalk on toned paper, a technique that is very versatile and perfect to obtain these soft and hard contrasts between light and shadow, between smooth and sharp edges and very extended tonal range.

Materials:

Charcoal sticks in medium, soft and extra soft gradations. My favorite brand is Nitram, but you can use any charcoal brand you are used to. Do not use willow charcoal because it is too weak for our purposes. Compressed charcoal pencils in medium, soft and extra soft gradation, General’s is a very good and cheap brand. White chalk in pencils and-or sticks. Paper: Medium value, tan or gray toned paper such as Canson, Mi teintes, Fabriano, Hahnemuhle or Strathmore Charcoal toned. Kneaded eraser, pencil sharpener, sand paper.