Creating a Charcoal sketch of Mandalpatti Hills (Karnataka) on Canson c a grain paper

I have officially run out of Scholar drawing paper. Therefore I decided to do my present charcoal sketching on Canson c a grain paper. The subject for my present work is a scene from Mandalpatti hills which is about 25 to 30 kms drive from Coorg ( Madikeri ), Karnataka. We visited these hillw in the month of August and being monsoon season the place was green all around. Using the charcoal medium I have created the tonal values as seen in the landscape. I may use soft pastels in future to create the same scene on paper. 

As decided earlier I avoided using willow charcoal in this sketching and went ahead mainly with the powder and pencils. In the original scene the sky was very cloudy but to keep the composition simple I used kneaded eraser to create just a few ones with soft edges.

The Hills
Charcoal sketching on Canson c a grain paper.
Size 5" X 7"

For creating the above sketching I also used the General compressed charcoal stick ( sparingly though ) which has been with me since last year but for some reason I did not put it to use earlier.

It creates bold black strokes and I am beginning to like it. I may start using it more regularly now.

Next I am working with "Charcoal and pastel pencil on toned paper" as my two days workshop for the same is coming up on next weekend. 

Ending my post with an inspiring art quote

"It's only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise, that you have rendered something in its true character." Camille Pissarro

Charcoal portrait work on Canson c a grain paper

I am taking a break from my water soluble graphite works. Not because i am not enjoying
doing it, but I feel the need to use a graphite pencil ( water soluble ) for sharp strokes. I
visited ART LOUNGE recently but did not like the one's which they have. So instead, I have
gone ahead and ordered Cretacolour 8B set of 6 pencils from Amazon.in. There are other
pencils from other brand too but since these are not very expensive and I am on a "TRIAL"stage
I do not mind combining these with my CAMLIN water soluble graphite sticks.

In the meantime, I decided to spend a few hours on an old incomplete work of mine. It is the
portrait of a beautiful young girl from Kutch with her traditional jewellery and a very captivating smile. Years back too I was using Canson c a grain paper, which is acid free and it has a
textured rough surface. I have done a post on the different papers I use for my charcoal
works. CLICK HERE to know more about it.

A smile

Charcoal sketching on Canson c a grain paper

Size 7.5" X 10"

I recently visited ART LOUNGE  which is having its annual sale at

this moment. Will write about ART STATIONERY that I picked up from there in my next post.

Thanks for browsing through my blog.

The Papers I use for my charcoal drawings

"Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly discover the world." Frederick Franck

I have been using the charcoal medium for long number of years. Over a period of time and having experimented with a variety of surfaces, I finally zeroed in on a selected few which are now my favorites. It is not that these are the only papers that go best for charcoal medium but for my kind of work and technique I have personally found them good. Each artist has his/her personal likes and dislikes. One has to keep trying out something new.

The papers I use these days are

• Canson C a grain paper. I came across this paper in 2004 and have used it for pencil as well as charcoal works. It has two sides and both sides have slightly different textures. I purchased my full size sheets from Singapore but this paper is easily available in India. Art Lounge at Churchgate keeps all different kinds of Canson papers.

          I use a 220 gsm sheet but 120 sheet is equally good in the beginning.

Charcoal work of Coorg landscape done on Canson C a grain paper

 ( Created on Dec 22nd 2014 )

• Fabriano Academia paper. After having used Canson paper I was looking out for some new paper when I came across Fabriano Academia pad of 50 sheets. ( 120 gsm ). It was different from Canson C a grain, nevertheless the sandy textured surface helped in creating beautiful charcoal strokes. I have been using this paper since the last four to five years and am pretty satisfied with the results.

Charcoal sketching on Fabriano Academia paper

( Created in June 2015 )

• Strathmore paper. This paper was recommended to me by a friend who is into art and presently resides in USA. I was keen on using this paper so very recently got a Strathmore pad via a friend and after using it for my landscape works, realised that it is a definite yes for my kind of works. 

         The paper as shown in the image can be used for soft pastels as well but my soft pastel 

         paintings are generally done on toned paper. 

Charcoal sketching of a scene from Bharatpur created on

Strathmore paper.

 ( Created on 24th june 2015 )

       

So in all presently I use only these three surfaces for my charcoal works but at the same time I 

          I am open to new papers. You never know until you try. May be in future when my

 technique evolves I would want to shift some new surface, some new paper but until 

then probably I confine myself to these three brands.

My new travel sketch book for Pencil and Charcoal sketchings

When I am travelling, I make it a point to carry my ART TRAVEL KIT which includes a small sketch book and bare minimum art materials which can help me create few study sketches or paintings. Last year I created this small water colour "Travel sketch book" as shown below which has small hand made papers bound together.

You can read more about this sketch book in my earlier POST wherein I have written in detail about it. When I am away from home I prefer not to carry my pastels as it is a very messy affair. Later some day I may organise my stuff and start on that too.

Travel sketch book with 40 hand made sheets

size 3.5" X 5"

For my August trip to Madikeri and Goa, I decided to create yet another sketch book for my charcoal and pencil works. For charcoal and pencil works I just need to carry a few of my favourite pencils, kneaded putty and eraser. These materials easily fit into a pencil box and very convenient to carry in case on wants to do PLEIN AIR painting.

To create my charcoal TRAVEL SKETCH BOOK, I made use of Canson c a grain paper which has slight texture on one side. I cut them into uniform size of 4" X 5" and got it spirally bound at a stationery shop. However since charcoal and pencil sketches smudge easily, I have used butter paper ( glassine ) between the sheets so as to preserve the work for longer duration.

Travel sketch book for creating

charcoal and pencil sketches

A.  Canson c a grain paper

B. Butter paper

While I am away from home, I am unable to do a large sized art work. Therefore these travel sketch books with small sized papers, enable me to explore and experiment. At times I am relaxed and I have the time to create a small study work on location but there are moments when I want to but due to various factors am unable to create my work outdoors. Hence I make it a point to capture the magical moments on camera so that I can refer to them and use either water colour or my pencils to create small study works.

The biggest advantage of carrying these small sketch books is that I get to do so many different subjects and each of them takes not more than twenty to twenty five minutes. Moreover the work is done in a very loose and free manner, in a fun way so there is no hesitation at any point. I will soon be posting a few small works created in this book.