Gorgeous in Grey

Just a quick but cute sketch I made of Little One again. Today, she goes monochromatic in grey! Another cute experiment here again, as a few weeks ago, I bought a sketchbook with grey paper. Already possessing the tan version of it and drawing on it from time to time, I was naturally curious to see what a grey tone would be like for a change. Here I went for a pad of Strathmore’s sketchbook. And of course, Little One was more than happy to pose and be model again!

The Tools

It has also been some time since sketching with charcoal and chalk together, the staple supplies for a pure monochromatic effect. Also a bit out of practice, I thought this would be a good chance for me to reintroduce myself to these mediums and retrain myself with light and shade. Sennelier’s charcoal sticks were a perfect choice, but for finer lines, Koh i Noor in pencil form was also handy to have. Then for chalk, I discovered in my drawers a set by Cretacolor which I had bought years ago. Amazing what you find hidden among the heap!

The Model

Little One looks so sweet doesn’t she? She always does whatever we paint or draw her as. So excitedly I began sketching away, firstly with the charcoal pencil to get the outline. The rest I just enthusiastically breezed through, sliding through her hair with the charcoal stick before working on her face and dress. I used a blending stick to spread the color when most suited, and used white chalk wherever highlighting was needed. A quick and simple drawing but very kawaii! Once finished I sprayed it with Sennelier’s fixative.

Monochromatic art is beautiful too! I forgot how pleasant it is to work with charcoal and chalk. Must do that more often! Although I enjoy working with bright and vivid colors, just going back to the basics like focussing on black and white is a great change. It helps me reinforce the concept of light and shade and to understand more about tint and tone for colors. Besides, this exercise worked very well on grey paper, giving a cooler effect compared to the warmer tan toned version. I would love to work with soft pastels to see how the colors turn out against a grey background. Coming up soon!