Chiaroscuro Portraiture

This piece/technique is a particular method of chiaroscuro portraiture done using mainly willow charcoal and an eraser to work up shadow and light evenly. This creates a dualism that will utilise the full range from white to black along with all of the shades and textures in between.

- Jacob Ditchmen

MATERIALS

• Paper (I used 160gsm)

• Soft willow charcoal

• Eraser

• Knife

• One piece of hard dark graphite

• 2h pencil

• One small piece of white pastel

STEP ONE

Any black-and-white portrait is essentially a two dimensional rendering exploring the different light/dark interactions of a three-dimensional face. To ensure that it’s aesthetically pleasing, preparation is all important. We spend incredible lengths of time looking at human faces, and are sensitive to flaws in their dimensions; this is why portraits are notoriously difficult to just “whip up” or to perfect. When selecting a subject and photo for reference, you are looking for a picture that captures the most interesting, diverse and dynamic interactions of light and shadow. For this reason, I always recommend that an artist should take their own reference photos. Always take the shots in natural sunlight, never use the flash, and take as many shots as possible and narrow it down afterwards. Portrait photography is an intricate art form in itself. If you take 10 or 20 shots, you might get one or two really standout faces for your portrait.