Drawing tutorial: how to use the chiaroscuro technique to draw a picture

Marco Mazzoni shows how to use this technique to create shadows and lights in a portrait

In art, chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrasts between light and shadow, creating depth and drama. Beyond giving a sense of volume, it also draws the viewer's attention to the focus of the drawing.

Some artists known for its use include Goya, Vermeer, Rembrandt and Caravaggio, and it is a technique that is still widely used, not only in paintings, but also in film and photography.

In this tutorial, artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni (@marcomazzoniart) demonstrates how you can transform a simple drawing of a face using the chiaroscuro technique to add shadows. Using just a pencil and a piece of paper, the result can be a work of art in itself or serve as the basis for a more detailed and colorful composition.

1. Prepare a simple drawing

Draw a simple head, with basic lines for the different facial features. At this stage, you don't have to add details, as later in the process you will use shadows to create these effects.

An interesting way to get more practice using chiaroscuro is to create additional elements to the face, so that they cast shadows. In Mazzoni's case, he uses two almost triangular shapes that will later become lilies.

2. Think skull

Chiaroscuro is a technique used to "model" figures, using dramatic depth to make them appear to have real volume. Before you begin, take a moment to think about how each feature of the face relates to the skull, and the volume they give to the different parts of our faces.

The eyes, for example, are basically holes in the skull. That means that because they go inward, shadows surround them. By comparison, cheekbones, which are more prominent, will receive more light, although if they are very sharp they may have shadows on their underside. Thinking about how each part of the face relates to the others, and whether it is closer or further away from the light source, will help you draw shadows and create depth.

3. Create a background

To create a contrast between your subject and its surroundings, immediately drawing the viewer's attention to the focal point of the piece, you should create a dark background.

If you're looking for something really dramatic, a black background works best, and you can achieve this by applying a lot of pressure to your pencil and filling in the empty space. If you want to create a uniform black background, it's best to use smooth paper rather than textured paper.

If you want a more atmospheric background, just apply less pressure to the pencil to make a grayer background. If you decide you want to add a colored base to your drawing, you can even create this background with a colored pencil.

4. Start developing shadows

Thinking about the direction of your light source, you can start adding more shadows to the elements of the face. In the case of Mazzoni's irises, that means creating shadows on the parts opposite the light source, as well as the shadows they cast on the face. As you draw you will be able to see that the face starts to have a lot more depth.

One tip Mazzoni has for the mouth is that the upper lip is always darker than the lower lip, and instead of drawing a line between them, the outline looks more natural if you do it with a contrasting shadow. The nose will be darker than the rest of the face, something that may seem counterintuitive, but it's a detail you'll notice when you start looking at more reference photos and paintings. By studying these images and paying attention to where the highlights and shadows are next to each other, you can continue to add shadows.

5. Keep working

The process of creating a drawing using the chiaroscuro technique can take time, as it is an effect that is most powerful when the whole image is covered in contrasts.

Once you are done, you can leave your black and white drawing as a complete piece, or develop it further by adding other color bases.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you can learn more about how to use this classic illustration technique with Marco Mazzoni through his online course, "Creative Chiaroscuro Portrait with Pencil".

You may also be interested in:

- Introduction to artistic drawing of the human figure, a course by Leonardo Gauna.
- Techniques of artistic illustration with graphite, a course by Ricardo Núñez Suarez.
- Illustration with pastel and colored pencils, a course by Elena Pancorbo