Al - original charcoal portrait drawing from life by Connie Chadwell

This twenty-minute drawing of Al is an example of my all-time favorite art method - drawing from life with a stick of vine charcoal. I have a box of different thicknesses of charcoal that is very messy and disorganized; at the end of the session, there is as much charcoal on me as on the paper. In the heat of battle, I just grab a stick and go to work.

I don't really look - just reach. If that stick works, great; if not, I grab another.

Timed drawings from life are such great training - you don't have time to focus on each mark and can put your drawing know-how to work without really thinking about it.

This piece is 24 x 18" on Strathmore 400 drawing paper.

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