Drawing From Imagination with Graphite and Charcoal

Drawing From Imagination with Graphite and Charcoal

“Congratulations! You have completed this Domestika course. I hope you have enjoyed walking through my creative process. By using the ideas and guidance I have given you throughout this course, you are now free to go ahead with your own composition using all the techniques we have covered. This could mean finishing the illustration you started while completing the course tasks, or you could begin a brand-new project! Either way, I strongly suggest you take the time to gather inspiration and make a unique piece of your own. Make sure to keep track of your progress with different pictures of each step. It would be great if you could also explain the choices you have made along the way and tell me if you have any doubts. This will help me understand your creative process and guide you better if you need advice. Let's revisit the necessary steps to complete your project! Collect references to inspire and enhance ideas you would like to explore in your artwork.

Starting with a blank page in your sketchbook, begin to make marks. Don't worry about mistakes. Enjoy the process and see where it takes you! Experiment with graphite and charcoal, and study what different materials can bring to your drawing. After making your first marks and sketches, identify areas to explore further. Does the composition work? Can it be improved? Refine your idea through additional sketches, working towards a final sketch. Next, scan the sketch and resize it in Photoshop before printing it out and transferring the image to paper for your final piece. Then, work on the transferred image to define the outline. Using graphite, begin to build areas of tone in your drawing. Start light, blending with the graphite stick, and continue to work over areas to darken as required. As the illustration progresses, take the time to step back and view the piece as a whole. Assess composition, tone, and detail and adjust as needed. Work on areas of detail, using an eraser to lift tone and create highlights and a blending stick to blend into surrounding areas as needed. Assess the narrative of your drawing: are there additional elements from your collected references that you could add to expand and improve the composition? Finally, clean up your drawing using a kneadable eraser and use a fixative to seal and protect the finished illustration. I can't wait to see the illustration you come up with, so don't forget to share it in the forum. You can do so by clicking on 'Create your project'. I will be more than happy to answer any of the questions you might have along the way! I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, participate in the forum, comment on others' work, and interact with the community! See you there. ”

Partial transcription of the video

“ Final Project We've finished the course and I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for joining me. We'll do a recap of everything you need to do to create your final project. First, collect references that speak to you and are unique to you and use them to explore the narrative of your drawings. I shared my mood boards split into different categories, and that were unique to me and spoke to me. I invite you to do the same. Don't be afraid of making those first marks. The sketchbook is there for you to practise. Also, experiment with charcoal and explore what different materials can bring to you...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Drawing From Imagination with Graphite and Charcoal

• Level: Beginner
• 97% positive reviews (111)
• 3074 students
• 4 units
• 16 lessons (3h 12m)
• 3 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Areas

  Artistic Drawing, Drawing, Figure Drawing, Fine Arts, Pencil Drawing, Traditional illustration