Charcoal animal portraits

This medium is probably one of the oldest forms of media used by our ancestors on cave walls. Charcoal has come along way and is now made from harder tree branches which are about 5mm thick. Once burnt, these charcoal ‘twigs’ are a perfect tool to draw with. Charcoal portraits are similar to black and white photos, however there is not the huge variation in grey tone. It is strictly speaking black charcoal on white paper.

Charcoal suits the more solid and darker coated animals such as black dogs and dogs or dark horses. Short and long haired coats work equally well. However if there is little variation in coat colour for example the animal all tan or cream, this type of coat works well with graphite where subtle shades of grey are possible.

There is no hard and fast rule for black and white (charcoal) vs grey tones (graphite). It depends on what suits your tastes, your home and your budget. I use artist grade acid free white paper which has a maximum size of 65x50cm. A reverse of the charcoal theme is white on black. Using a white pastel the animal can be drawn on black paper and is best suited for light or white coloured pets. If working on a full body portrait I will shade under the animal to give the appearance that he/she is lying or sitting on a surface. I can add different surfaces such as cloth, grass, silk, box, etc, what ever you would like.

Order your own charcoal pet portrait. Malcolm Studios specialises in charcoal portraits. Contact Malcolm Studios today!