Artistic Charcoal Portraiture: Creating Atmosphere
A course by Sarah Stokes
, Artist
Learn how to create powerful and dramatic portraits with charcoal
- Best Seller
- 99% Positive reviews (138)
- 3039 students
- Audio: English
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French

Learn how to create powerful and dramatic portraits with charcoal
- 99% Positive reviews (138)
- 3039 students
- Online and at your own pace
- Audio: English
- Level: Beginner
- 22 Lessons (4h 2m)
- Available from the app
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French
- Unlimited access forever
The difference between a standard charcoal portrait and an atmospheric one is simple: the latter has the power to stop people in their tracks and awaken their senses. Sarah Stokes is an artist with a powerful eye for creating unique charcoal portraits that are filled with mystery and wonder.
In this course, Sarah shows you how to use charcoal to create captivating compositions with singular details and make your portraiture more expressive. Using a photo reference, charcoal, and everyday objects like cotton buds, nail varnish remover, and more, you’ll discover innovative techniques for creating powerful portraits.

About this course
Course table of contents
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U1U1. Introduction
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U2U2. Materials, Tone and How to Draw an Eye in Charcoal
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U3U3. Image Choices and How to Draw Our Initial Sketch onto Paper
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U4U4. Applying the Charcoal
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U5U5. How to Take Your Skills to the Next Level
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FPFP Final Project
Meet Sarah Stokes, who tells you about her career and shows you some of her latest charcoal pieces. See what inspires her to create, the artists and photographers who influence her, and the final project Sarah has prepared for you in this course.
Get familiar with the equipment you’re going to use and experiment with applying, rubbing, and lifting techniques. See what tonal values are, why they’re so important, and how to get them right in your work. Practice the gridding method by drawing an eye from a photograph.
See how to choose the right photograph for your piece in terms of mood, look, and composition. Start working on your drawing by creating a grid used for applying and modifying your charcoal, adding some twists and abstract techniques for movement and atmosphere.
Apply the finishing touches to your drawing with Photoshop and Procreate and share it with your followers on social media. Lastly, see Sarah’s final tips for experimenting even further with charcoal and other materials.
What is this course's project?
Create a contemporary charcoal portrait using various tools to create mood and atmosphere.

Projects by course students
Who is it for?
This course is for illustrators and anybody who would like to enhance their illustrations or portraits by learning and experimenting with different charcoal techniques.
What you need
Some experience in portraiture will be useful but is not obligatory. Sarah begins this course with the absolute basics.
As for materials, you will need willow charcoal sticks, charcoal powder (optional), compressed charcoal sticks, a 6B pencil, some erasers, an electric eraser (optional), white charcoal or a white gel pen, acetone with a spray bottle, an old stiff brush for blending, cotton buds, a small blending stump, a craft knife, a sanding block to sharpen charcoal pencils, spare paper to prevent smudging, fixing spray, a ruler, a pencil, Strathmore paper or a line and washboard, a printer, photo paper, cardboard to make a home-made L frame, and a few large soft brushes (either makeup or watercolor brushes).

Reviews

A course by Sarah Stokes
Sarah Stokes is a self-taught artist from the Midlands region in England, a place where she finds inspiration and creates work that is full of life. From a young age, Sarah has always been her happiest when painting and drawing, using her creativity to build a successful business career before deciding to return to what she loved most.
She has created artwork for bands, restaurants, breweries, and schools, as well as giftware for clients like Enesco. Her work is exhibited in Whitewall Galleries, Clarendon Fine Art, and several independent galleries. Sarah’s prints can also be found worldwide in places like Next, Wayfair, and on Amazon.
Contents
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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What We Will Do in This Course
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U2
Materials, Tone and How to Draw an Eye in Charcoal
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Exploring Materials and Equipment
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How to Use Your Materials 1
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How to Use Your Materials 2
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How to Train Your Eyes to See Tonal Values
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Creating a Tonal Value Tool
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Gridding and Drawing an Eye
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Applying Charcoal to the Drawing
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U3
Image Choices and How to Draw Our Initial Sketch onto Paper
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The Essence of an Atmospheric Portrait and Where to Get Our Inspiration
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Chose a Photograph and Make It Charcoal Friendly
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Gridding Up the Face
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U4
Applying the Charcoal
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First Layers and Golden Rules for Applying Charcoal 1
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First Layers and Golden Rules for Applying Charcoal 2
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Blending and Reestablishing Lights and Darks 1
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Blending and Reestablishing Lights and Darks 2
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Render Hair and Abstract Elements 1
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Render Hair and Abstract Elements 2
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U5
How to Take Your Skills to the Next Level
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The Importance of Composition in Drawing
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Fixing and Scanning Your Work
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Let's Experiment
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FP
Final Project
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Artistic Charcoal Portraiture: Creating Atmosphere
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need for completing a specific final project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the instructor and other users, thus creating a dynamic course community.
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gm.fjre
ProMe ha encantado el curso, ha resultado inspirador, gracias Sarah.
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zoulimanbijoux
Très étonnant de voir le résultat des exercices, motivant et stimulant
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mccar5425
I have been drawing as long as I can remember. I drew on any scrap of paper, I even my jeans, but I want to learn greater skills. This is a perfect course for me.
sandrah
Absolutely loved this course! Sarah explained everything clearly. She's a fabulous teacher and an amazing artist. I would highly recommend this course
vonnee11
This was informative and easy to follow. A great way to learn because you can pause or rewind to review something you want to see again or something you didn't understand the first time. I learned a great deal about shading and highlighting from this course. Would highly recommend!