Trying a portrait in charcoal and getting the physical urge to beat my head into the wall. It looks ok but I’m having trouble controlling the charcoal to put marks where my eyes want them. I try instinctively to shade with the side of the point but get it marking a centimeter lower because I’m holding it at the wrong angle. This would be easier if I had the paper vertical at the right height.
Holding it upright in the air with my other hand has given a better angle to control where it goes. But I’ve noticed myself holding the pencil sideways because then there’s not much room to hold it vertically. Sitting/crouching on the bed isn’t the best position to be working in. I have that portable easel but I’d have to put things behind the sketchbook to bring it flush with the ledge to avoid catching my hand, and it’s still too low so the end of the pencil would hit a surface or a knee.
My eyes can see the shapes and exactly where everything goes but. My. Fucking. Hands.
If I had a proper easel it would be easier. But I’d need an adjustable gaming chair rather than standing and even then would get exhausted sitting for too long and moving the weight of my own arms. Plus I’m going to be tripping over all of it in my flat.
Edit: I think I’m going to sand the nib into a flatter shape, less curved. And put a few sketchbooks behind the current one. Then idk put it on top of a box of the right height. I have a desk but that’s being used
Would putting one of those thick framed canvases on the easel and taping paper to that instead of using a book work? Or maybe run a string through the books binding to hang it over the top? You can pick those up cheap at most op shops (either cheap generic prints or random people’s art attempts).
I never really liked working with charcoal, too messy and smudgy. But my artistic talents definitely do not lie in the realm of drawing.
Trying a portrait in charcoal and getting the physical urge to beat my head into the wall. It looks ok but I’m having trouble controlling the charcoal to put marks where my eyes want them. I try instinctively to shade with the side of the point but get it marking a centimeter lower because I’m holding it at the wrong angle. This would be easier if I had the paper vertical at the right height.
Holding it upright in the air with my other hand has given a better angle to control where it goes. But I’ve noticed myself holding the pencil sideways because then there’s not much room to hold it vertically. Sitting/crouching on the bed isn’t the best position to be working in. I have that portable easel but I’d have to put things behind the sketchbook to bring it flush with the ledge to avoid catching my hand, and it’s still too low so the end of the pencil would hit a surface or a knee.
My eyes can see the shapes and exactly where everything goes but. My. Fucking. Hands.
If I had a proper easel it would be easier. But I’d need an adjustable gaming chair rather than standing and even then would get exhausted sitting for too long and moving the weight of my own arms. Plus I’m going to be tripping over all of it in my flat.
Edit: I think I’m going to sand the nib into a flatter shape, less curved. And put a few sketchbooks behind the current one. Then idk put it on top of a box of the right height. I have a desk but that’s being used
Would putting one of those thick framed canvases on the easel and taping paper to that instead of using a book work? Or maybe run a string through the books binding to hang it over the top? You can pick those up cheap at most op shops (either cheap generic prints or random people’s art attempts).
I never really liked working with charcoal, too messy and smudgy. But my artistic talents definitely do not lie in the realm of drawing.
Yeah, that’s a good idea. I was looking for the masking tape last night but couldn’t find it