This is a "rub-out" technique. It's very sculptural. You spend the first five minutes knocking out the pose in conte, then you tone your paper with the side of your charcoal stick untill it's a neutral grey all over. Next, you remove charcoal from the light areas with a kneaded eraser, and darken your shadows with more charcoal, saving your conte for the darkest darks. You continue "pushing and pulling" the tones on the paper until the end of the pose for a very three-dimensional effect. It's a very good way to learn about the subtleties of light and shadow.

Conte, vine charcoal, and kneaded eraser on 24"x18" newsprint. 20 min. pose.

Copyright notice: All images are copyright © 2001-2003 Fiona Lynn Zimmer, all rights reserved. Every bit of art on this site is drawn by me, and it's how I earn my bread and butter. Please ask me nicely before you use or abuse it. If you do put my art somewhere other than your own personal desktop, please include my name and a link to this page. Thanks.

 Help the Fight Against Spam!