Imprimatura Charcoal Techniques

Imprimatura: A thin layer of transparent colour applied to a white ground to reduce its absorbency and tone down its brightness(1). Imprimatura is a transparent layer of charcoal (or paint when painting) applied to the paper prior to beginning your drawing. The “lights” are then created in this tinted area using a kneaded eraser (painting in when using paint, but subtracted with a kneaded eraser when using charcoal). Choose an appropriately lit subject. You cannot do imprimatura successfully unless you light your subject dramatically, or work from a dramatically lit photograph. The “flash-in-the-face” photos you get with fixed flash cameras are generally bland and devoid of interesting shadows, and therefore not suitable for imprimatura. Begin by covering your white drawing paper with charcoal, using the side of a soft compressed charcoal stick. (see Fig. 1). Then use a soft tissue (dry—not the kinds with lotion or other added liquids) or a few squares of soft toilet paper, and lightly smear the charcoal to get a smooth gray area (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

With the imprimatura prepared, knead your kneaded eraser (Fig. 4) by pulling it, then folding it over on itself, then pulling it again. Repeat process till it is clean, soft and slightly warm. This is done every time you begin work with a kneaded eraser, or as often as you wish to in order to remove charcoal build up and clean it. Interesting Note: kneaded erasers are the only type of eraser that will remove pastel chalk.

Begin your art by using your kneaded eraser to remove charcoal from the tinted area producing the lightest areas of the image (Fig. 5). Remove as much of the tint as you like, but keep in mind that you can continue to remove tint as your work progresses. Drawing light is as easy as drawing shadows, but we so often learn to only draw shadows (e.g., by drawing with a dark medium on a light surface) that we struggle when attempting to draw light. A little effort and you will no longer find it any more difficult than they way you have always drawn.

The next step is to add dark tones (Fig. 6). This stage is the first step in the process that uses the typical dark-on-light drawing technique with which you are familiar, and should therefore feel comfortable. Continue working in the darker tones, and backing out the lighter areas until you are satisfied with the overall appearance of your illustration.

This same approach can be done with colored paper (Strathmore Charcoal Paper, for example ). Just use the paper itself for the imprimatura (now called a "toned ground" since it's not transparent), and add highlights first with a light colored chalk or Conte crayon, then follow with the dark tones. Note: The work shown here is merely a quick example—your work should be carried out to a successful finish and be much better than this example. However, there is an interesting point in this example that is worth remembering: The darker tones fade into the imprimatura near the subject’s chin. This effect creates an interesting atmospheric quality and allows the artist to give emphasis to more important areas of the image while letting less significant portions recede. (1) IAN CHILVERS. "imprimatura." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 6 Jul. 2010 . (c) 2010, Mike Daymon