Charcoal Drawing Workshop | Individual facial features with Michael Simms

In this one-day workshop, students will learn how to construct human facial features including an eye, nose, mouth and an ear using both graphite pencil and charcoal.

Michael will provide tips and tricks on how to simplify some of the most seemingly complex areas of the face into basic geometric shapes that make drawing digestible and fun. Students will learn how to embed structure into their drawings before building them up to achieve a sense of volume and form. 

Michael will conduct demonstrations and provide individual feedback throughout the day. Students will work from photo references provided. 

Suitable for all skill levels, this workshop is a great introduction to the face for those who may feel daunted about drawing a portrait, but also provides an opportunity for those with some portraiture experience to delve deeper into the specific facial features.

Topics covered:

• Overview of materials
• How to create a variety of effects with charcoal
• Basic anatomy of the eye, nose, mouth and ear
• Planes of the face and tonal shapes
• Understanding tonal values
• How to achieve a sense of volume and form in your drawings

Materials:

• Butchers paper 
• Archers Smooth Watercolour Paper 185 gsm. 1 sheet. 
• Generals Compressed Charcoal Pencil, HB, 2B, 6B 
• Willow charcoal (thick and thin) 
• Can of Spray Fixative
• Tissues 
• Kneadable eraser 
• 2H, HB and 2B graphite pencils
• Jasart size 12 flat brush and size 6 flat brush