Charcoal Portrait Drawing, RISD Art Professor Demo Step by Step for Beginners

See step by step how to draw a portrait in charcoal: drawing thumbnail sketches, various tools, how to show lighting, shadow with cross-hatching. Demo by RISD Adjunct Professor Clara Lieu.
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Clara Lieu was an Adjunct Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design from 2007-2020. Her artwork has been exhibited at the International Print Center NY, the Currier Museum, Childs Gallery, the Davis Museum, and more. Lieu received an artist fellowship from the MA Cultural Council, has written for the NY Times, and lectured at Brown University, the NAEA conference, and in Vancouver & China. She has been profiled in Artsy, Hyperallergic, KPCC, & WBUR.
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[@artprof]

Watch Prof Lieu's tutorial on doing gesture drawings of cats! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3irmKaIhJt-qNE

[@HCgamer4]

Hey! My old art teacher had that same eraser stick, and I don't remember the brand name, what is it?

[@toney1999]

I recommend ArtProf for anyone interested in learning more about how to express yourself artistically. Extremely well done, Clara!

[@artprof]

Thanks so much for your continued support Jeff!

[@mikemattison4110]

charcoal has a soul, this method steals all of it

[@artprof]

There's tons of different ways to utilize art materials-- charcoal methods can be so varied, and each one is interesting to learn! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@milesmartin4958]

Random bit of trivia for non-Rhode Islanders... The model Marianna is also a FABULOUS actress. Have seen her a number of times onstage at Gamm. Great walkthrough as always! I SO appreciate seeing such a sensible and non-pretentious art instructor at work!

[@artprof]

That's amazing that you recognized Marianna! She is an AMAZING actress, I saw her in "Blackbird" a few years back and was blown away. I feel so privileged to have worked with her as an artist model. -Prof Lieu

[@kalichicamacho4868]

OMG so generous of you thank you very very very much best art class I´ve ever taken. From sunny Puerto Rico best wishes.

[@artprof]

Thanks! We have many more free studio art courses on our main site: artprof.org/courses/

[@henriquezane]

Thanks Lieu, you gave me the information that I was looking for on what were the problems on my drawings. It's like when you don't know a word to express a feeling until you learn it and everything makes sense. Hope you can get as much as you give to all of us.

[@artprof]

I love the way you described this, thank you!!🙂 -Prof Lieu

[@Julia-mq9sk]

Around the 47 mark you talk about what to do if you don't know what to do next. Something I usually do at this point is to take the drawing and hold it infront of a mirror that way you se it as if you are watching someone elses drawing. It's esp. helpful to this if you feel that there is something off in the drawing but you don't know what it is.

[@artprof]

Yes, I do that too! Super helpful and the piece always looks so different. -Prof Lieu

[@deborahbarrett9609]

I am so glad I found your channel! You are such an awesome teacher!! I have learned so much from watching you! You explain everything SO well- AS you’re doing it!! I feel like I have a personal art instructor!! Thank you!! I feel like I’m back in college ! ( However, I feel I’ve learned more from you than I did AT college!)👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Thank You!!

[@artprof]

I’m so glad!!! Tysm for your kind words!!! -Prof Lieu

[@neilagangitlog]

This is like the ancestor of the draw alongs lol. I wanna make another charcoal self portrait now, but i gotta do homework first 😭😭😭

[@artprof]

Charcoal portraits will always be waiting for you!! - Mia Rozear, Art Prof Staff

[@daviedood2503]

Pro tip.. Walmart has those smart bulbs. You can use your phone or tablet to adjust the lighting intensity, color etc. Very useful so you don't have to get up and move things around. Can set a few of them up AROUND the subject and turn some on or off etc however you see fit.

[@lucychia6933]

I enjoy your lesson very much! Thank you.

[@shelmcmurtry]

What a great video! I've also found that in my own work, toning the entire paper is essential for any charcoal or tonal drawing when pulling out those values. Thank you for all of your in-depth expertise!

[@artprof]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@geog1388]

you are AWESOME!

[@C-S-D.]

I love the way you teach and the way you think! Keep on doing vídeos!

[@artprof]

Thank you! We have more video courses here: artprof.org/courses/

[@rorzelliart]

Thank you very much I certainly enjoyed this tutorial.Thanks for your energy and passion and for the way you explain all the fundamentals for a good piece of art and not only a ordinary drawing.

[@artprof]

Glad to hear you enjoyed this lesson! We have many more free video courses on our main site: artprof.org/courses/

[@mariamdraws3996]

You are AMAZING! Thank you so much!

[@artprof]

Thank you!! 😊

[@franciscojgamboa8176]

I really like the way you explained all processes on portraits it's really understand on all you show thanks to share with us your knowledge thanks again

[@artprof]

My pleasure 😊-Prof Lieu

[@sichentang5622]

Thank you so much. Your video just makes me kind of want to start to draw right away!!!

[@artprof]

Great, glad to hear you enjoyed the video! If you like this video, you should visit our new site artprof.org/, which is packed with free art resources: video tutorials, art critiques, an encyclopedia of art supplies, resources for professional development, and more! If you register on the site (for free!) you can ask questions on any page of the site and our staff will reply!

[@marypartridge5154]

Thanking you so much and I love your channel and your style of teaching.

[@artprof]

You are so welcome, thank you for watching! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@margaretbailey1445]

Thank you so much. This video is so helpful.

[@artprof]

Thanks for watching!

[@jauresart1598]

Thank you so much for the video. It's very helpful

[@artprof]

Great, glad to hear it!

[@wenyulian9584]

👍👍 thank you. Learned a lot from your demo.

[@artprof]

You are so welcome! - Mia Rozear, Art Prof Staff

[@robinread2250]

Wow, that was so helpful, love the analogy with athletics and making Art. Sorry that I have not seen this a long time ago, it would have saved me a lot of time. I found the initial stages and explanations extremely helpful. Thanks you.

[@artprof]

We're glad it helped you out!! Thank you for watching :D - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@wendywalker627]

Great video I learned tons Thank you and so glad I found your channel

[@artprof]

Happy to have you here!! -Prof Lieu

[@krishnar1836]

Prof It's most helpful

[@artprof]

That's great!

[@sandraodams7787]

Hi I am living in England have just found you a couple of days ago and I am loving your videos I have learnt so much from them thank you

[@artprof]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@JokeNeyrinck]

cool & interesting

[@artprof]

We have more tutorials and free art resources on artprof.org/! Plus if you register (for free) you can ask our staff questions about anything art related: artprof.org/ask/

[@edgarramosrodriguez2230]

eres genial, muy dulce, te admiro tu talento y tu modo de ser y enseñar,me encantas...

[@artprof]

¡Muchas gracias! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@elenapiedra7769]

Very helpful and well explained tutorial! Learnt new techniques from a Master of drawing. Thanks Clara!

[@artprof]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate your comments. We are launching the new Art Prof website soon-it's a free, online educational platform for visual arts and will be packed with tons of free resources for visual artists. (what's on our KZbin right now is just the tip of the iceberg!) If you'd like to be notified of our site launch, you can sign up for our email list here: eepurl.com/bSrjSD

[@elenapiedra7769]

I already subscribe! Thank you again.

[@artprof]

Thanks for your support!

[@awefffffff]

Just found your channel, loving all the great content! :)

[@artprof]

Thank you!! We are launching the new Art Prof website soon-it's a free, online educational platform for visual arts and will be packed with tons of free resources for visual artists. If you'd like to be notified of our site launch, you can sign up for our email list here: eepurl.com/bSrjSD

[@YN-wv1rd]

Thank you, your tutorial inspired me a lot!

[@artprof]

Cool, glad to hear it! We have many more free art resources at artprof.org/, check it out! If you register (for free) you get to ask us questions and interact too.

[@SingingASMRSongs]

Wow this is eye opening, I had no idea about the layering with charcoal 😍👁️💡

[@artprof]

Glad it was helpful!

[@iwillbetrue2023]

I am watching this for the third time.. learning so much. Love your conversational instruction. Can you also do a video like this for charcol landscapes?

[@artprof]

We can! We also have this video on landscapes with oil pastel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/favIf3V4d8lljdU -Prof Lieu

[@iwillbetrue2023]

@@artprof thanks prof!! Checking it out!!

[@WatchJeffArt]

I loved this video and the way you teach! I learned a lot from you on my own portraits that I film on KZbin, so thank you! I was subbed to you with my other channel, but I just subbed up again with this new Portrait Drawing channel of mine. +1!!!

[@artprof]

That's great to hear, thank you!!

[@jessieg4901]

Prof lieu, I would LOVE to see more streams on how you work in intense rich black !! I feel like I’ve heard you say that you love black but I don’t see you work in it lol 😂 !!

[@artprof]

Her charcoal techniques are so rich and beautiful!! I'd say any of these might pack a punch: artprof.org/?s=charcoal - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@nishatjahan2708]

Your technique was amazing,I've also cross hatched Sketch in my channel ❤🌼

[@tazrink.9893]

Would you recommend a drawing like this goes into our art-portfolio (for school admissions), or is something much more detailed better?

[@artprof]

It's hard to give an accurate answer unfortunately; when evaluating an art school portfolio we really have to take under consideration all of the artworks together as a group, and we have to see the artworks themselves. Sorry!

[@_tianawong]

Would you be interested in doing a tutorial on how to fill backgrounds? You always say to use the backgrounds more because it enchances the drawing but, could you go more in depth?

[@artprof]

Good suggestion! This drawing course does have a video that talks about how to do backgrounds, watch video #8: artprof.org/courses/drawing-in-color-still-life/

[@_tianawong]

Art Prof Thank you so much! I will be sure to check it out!

[@ernestvenn8291]

would you recommend using white chalk with charcoal.

[@artprof]

You totally can! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@Deepti_Kajemoole]

Hi Clara... Can you please let me know what fixative can I use when I have a Art piece which have different medium like Pencil work,pen work and also some acrylic paint... I sometimes mix these mediums and don't know which fixative I can use...

[@artprof]

For pencil you can use Krylon Workable Fixative or Krylon Crystal Clear for a permanent version. Pen work you shouldn't need fixative. Acrylic paint you can buy a gloss varnish or a semi-gloss varnish as a final layer to protect your painting.

[@Deepti_Kajemoole]

Art Prof Thank you :-) Love your work. Looking forward for more Art portfolio Cric videos :-D

[@yahushaking4367]

ohhh do you have a course on charcoal?I am interested.

[@artprof]

Here is another charcoal course on our main site! artprof.org/courses/self-portrait-charcoal/

[@johootly]

Hi! I'm 19 and currently undergoing a bachelor degree in Visual Arts and Design. However, I want to make myself a good enough portfolio at the end of the next two years I have left to apply to CALARTS or Gobelins animation schools. Is there any tips of how I should professionally construct my portfolio? How should I present it? What kind of things should I display?

[@artprof]

I would recommend that you read this blog post I wrote about how to assemble a portfolio for college admission; it's the most popular post on the Art Prof blog and is includes everything you need to know: wp.me/pasJI-15o Also, I have video critiques of student art school admissions portfolios, many students have told me that watching these videos critiques helped them enormously in preparing their own portfolio. Here is a playlist of 4 video critiques: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIi4o56shMuDjsk We are launching the new Art Prof website soon-it's a free, online educational platform for visual arts and will be packed with tons of free resources for visual artists. If you'd like to be notified of our site launch, you can sign up for our email list here: eepurl.com/bSrjSD

[@robinread2250]

It is so true that each successive drawing is not necessarily an improvement. You put my mind at rest - thanks. Can you suggest a low toxicity fixative spray for the charcoal? It’s also difficult to draw and talk at the same time - an interesting subject.

[@artprof]

I looked it up and this one seems to be non toxic! I haven't tried it, but it's worth a google for sure: shop.archsupplies.com/products/spectrafix-non-toxic-fixative#:~:text=SpectraFix%20Non%2Dtoxic%20Fixative%20is,no%20toxic%20fumes%20or%20odors! Thanks for watching! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@jauresart1598]

If I may, which paper is good for charcoal drawing and which one is good for graphite

[@artprof]

We recommend Strathmore white charcoal paper for charcoal drawing and Strathmore Drawing paper for graphite.

[@artprof]

You can see our full supply list for charcoal drawing with product links on this course page on our main site: artprof.org/courses/self-portrait-charcoal/

[@michaelanderson790]

Hi, so I am in high school and I want to be either an art teacher or a professional artist. I was watching a video about art school vs self-taught vs atelier. I'm really scared because it seems everyone's views are extremely biased and I don't know how to go about my future. Any advice on where I could go to develop my art the most?

[@artprof]

I wouldn't say that everyone's views are extremely biased, I would say that art is a subjective subject and everyone will have a different take on it, which is fine! I think what's tough about making a career in visual arts is there is no pre-determined path, you have to pave that path yourself. I think best way to get started is to expose yourself to as many different art materials, ways of working, ways of thinking as possible. Having a very diverse skill set will help you tremendously, especially if you want to teach. Here is an article I wrote about the advantages of going to art school vs. teaching yourself: claralieu.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/ask-the-art-professor-would-you-improve-more-if-you-took-art-classes/ This article also discusses why art school can be a big advantage if you want to pursue a career as a profession artist/teacher: claralieu.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/ask-the-art-professor-should-i-drop-out-of-art-school/

[@michaelanderson790]

Thank you so much.I love your videos, they are so helpful and fun to watch!

[@artprof]

Thanks for watching! We are launching the new Art Prof website soon-it's a free, online educational platform for visual arts and will be packed with tons of free resources for visual artists. (what's on our KZbin right now is just the tip of the iceberg!) If you'd like to be notified of our site launch, you can sign up for our email list here: eepurl.com/bSrjSD

[@artprof]

@@genericname8727 Never to late to contribute your thoughts to the discussion! We love hearing from people in our art community, it's wonderful to hear a wide range of opinions.

[@Aagggyy]

I’ve been wondering, where do you get that thick piece of vine charcoal? Is it in the supply list?

[@artprof]

It’s a brand called “Bob’s fine vine charcoal”! -Prof Lieu

[@Aagggyy]

Art Prof: Create & Critique Thanks 🙏🏼

[@Aagggyy]

Art Prof: Create & Critique You were right about this brand! The thick blocks makes it easier to tone the paper which makes the taxes worth the while.

[@yahushaking4367]

way different than drawing in graphite.When I draw in graphite i do the Loomis head etc.but In charcoal you need to have more of an observational skill to do the proportions correct?

[@artprof]

In my opinion, it's not that charcoal itself demands observational skill, I would take the same approach of observational skill if I were drawing in graphite! I'm not a fan of those measuring systems because they tend to result in drawings that are very stiff and the faces end up looking really generic, which isn't good for something like faces which are each so unique. I explain this in this Portrait Sculpture video if you want more info! artprof.org/courses/portrait-sculpture/

[@WatchJeffArt]

In my experience, I would do the Loomis Head when drawing heads from imagination. But when I look at a reference, I almost never do a Loomis Head (at least not intentionally). My particular style is to get the overall shape first, and then work inwards towards the smaller shapes. I don't know if it helps, but feel free to also check out the portrait tutorials on my channel to illustrate what I am talking about. And of course, check out Clara's website for more of her amazing content because she's really an awesome teacher.

[@artprof]

@@WatchJeffArt Good points, thank you!

[@Mrdeluca666]

Another question I have is about signing your charcoal paitings. How do you do it? Do you use graphite, pencil...? =)

[@artprof]

Use charcoal pencil! Graphite will look strange on the charcoal because it will be shiny, whereas the charcoal is matte.

[@Mrdeluca666]

Art Prof thanks!! and charcoal pencil is archival proof?

[@artprof]

In general I wouldn't say that charcoal is a permanent material; since it's dusty and can be damaged easily. The most important part of charcoal drawings is that they are on acid free paper (for example newsprint is not acid free and will yellow over time) and that they are well protected, ideally under glass. So I'm not sure it's accurate to say that charcoal is an "archival" material, the way I would say that oil paint is. Hope that makes sense!

[@Mrdeluca666]

It really does. Thanks for your quick answers! Cheers! =)

[@artprof]

Happy to help!

[@Mrdeluca666]

Great vid! =) What kind of paper do you recommend to draw (charcoal)?

[@artprof]

Strathmore charcoal paper is really great, you can get links and all the info you need on charcoal drawing supplies here on our main site: artprof.org/courses/self-portrait-charcoal/

[@Mrdeluca666]

Art Prof thanks!! :-)

[@jumanas4012]

is details as important with charcoal drawings as values ?

[@artprof]

We always say hit the values first, THEN move on to details! Without the proper values, the details will look strange and out of place. - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@agntsmth77]

What was the texture of paper?

[@artprof]

The texture is from Strathmore 300 series charcoal paper!

[@donaldquarles8364]

So irritating that the in-video links pop up Roku KZbin on all your finished images, obscuring the view. Maybe show the finished images earlier than the end, or disable the in-link video pop ups.

[@artprof]

Sorry, didn't realize it was doing that. I fixed it, so you should be able to see the finished images better. This is one of our first videos from several years ago, when we had no idea how KZbin worked! -Prof Lieu

[@johsarah1343]

That's so interesting!! Love it! (Hope you have time to check out my drawing) 😊

[@artprof]

Glad you liked the tutorial. We are launching the new Art Prof website soon-it's a free, online educational platform for visual arts and will be packed with tons of free resources for visual artists. (what's on our KZbin right now is just the tip of the iceberg!) If you'd like to be notified of our site launch, you can sign up for our email list here: eepurl.com/bSrjSD