The Art of the Silhouette: Capture Character (and Cat) in Under 30 Minutes
Learn how to simplify a portrait into its most basic shapes and values to create a "chiaroscuro" image in under 30 minutes.
Capture the essence of your subject without getting lost in the details. In this lesson (22 mins), artist Charlotte Hamilton demonstrates how to simplify a portrait into its most basic shapes and values, allowing you to create a striking, high-contrast "chiaroscuro" image in under 30 minutes.
Rather than striving for a rigid, hyper-realistic likeness, Charlotte guides you through a process of discovery. You’ll begin with a five-minute continuous line drawing to map out the composition, a low-pressure way to find the flow of the face and the silhouette of a companion, like the cat featured in this piece.
Throughout the session, you'll explore the tactile nature of mixed media, including:
- Artgraph water-soluble graphite for building soft, tonal foundations.
- Nitram compressed charcoal to achieve deep, dramatic blacks.
- 14B pencils for adding final "wispy" details and defining shadows.
By the end of the lesson, you’ll learn to trust your eyes by squinting to see values and using a paintbrush to lift and blend charcoal as if it were ink.
Ready for some dark and furry fun? Let's get started!
