Written in the Coal: Charcoal Portraits
October 3, 2025 2025-12-15 4:47Written in the Coal: Charcoal Portraits
By: Poorvi Roopesh
I know we have all seen those amazing black and white art pieces upstairs. All of them so full of life and made with so much passion. I’m sure these charcoal art pieces have grabbed everyone’s attention. The real question is what is this project for (Ms. Glastetter, Art teacher) explained. “The goal for this assignment was focusing on value, the lightness and darkness of a color.” So students a show a full value scale.
This assignment began with students selecting a subject of their choice someone or something meaningful for them represent in their art. They then used a grid technique to help accurately draw proportions before shading. Many students were new to charcoal so it was both a learning experience and adventure. For anyone inspired to try charcoal art themselves, a piece of advice is to practice making a value scale first, and go square by square to focus on one piece of the art at a time. A simple but useful tool called a viewfinder helped students focus on small sections of their reference images, making even the most complex portraits manageable. (Amalie Coss 11th grade) is a art student that shared her experience. “I chose my cat as the subject for my art, as I didn’t really know how to smudge at first but I’m glad I did my cat since I did not want to do a human.” So make sure you make sure go check out this amazing art work when you get the time!
