Work in Progress

I thought I would share this new piece as it progresses. It is charcoal (and other media, to be determined) on a 16" x 20" Ampersand Gessobord.

Usually, I do a prelim sketch on newsprint, then transfer it to the board using vine charcoal as a sort of carbon copier. This sketch went directly onto the board with a vine charcoal base and extra soft charcoal on top of the vine charcoal. I will add more layers of extra soft, extra black charcoal as the drawing progresses.

Vine charcoal is extremely erasable. The extra soft, compressed charcoal; not so much. The vine charcoal allows me to do many changes as the final drawing emerges. Since I do not copy photos and rely heavily on my imagination and memory to create a piece, the vine charcoal is a godsend. It allows my imagination to run wild. I can change my mind and change a line on whim. With one sweep of a cloth and few swipes of an eraser, I can change the position of the horse, the muscle, the expression. Anything. Memory and imagination are not static!

Once I see what I want to see, I can use a more permanent charcoal and add a thick, black line. The charcoal is given a coat of archival art varnish once the piece is completed.

I will post updates as this piece progresses.