Capturing Likeness

John Fenerov demonstrates his technique for creating genuine portraits in charcoal and graphite

- By John Fenerov

Amara, charcoal, white chalk and graphite on smooth cartridge paper, 12 x 8½ (30 x 21 cm) This drawing was made last year during Black History month in February. I toned the paper with a used napkin and ink to give it a timeless vintage look. I proceeded then with graphite and used charcoal, massed in, lifting out lights, drawing back in with charcoal pencil and chalk. I wanted to keep the work expressive, sensitive and as much accurate as possible.

For nearly a decade I have been using charcoal and graphite, and there is something vulnerable about them that makes me familiar with them. I feel like I am recalling a moment or a memory from the past. It feels timeless, vintage, even Victorian Romantic. I have a steady stream of ideas and inspirations that allow me to create a work with just a feeling that charcoal gives me. These two mediums together can be used to convey powerful messages or create beauty with a specific mood that not only you can feel, but others can feel as well. It can be happy, sad, melancholic, nostalgic and euphoric.

My process for a drawing composition can sometimes change and evolve repeatedly, often in a direction I hadn’t envisioned. Nevertheless, I intend to stay true to myself and express my feelings on paper without overexaggerating the nature of the project I’m working on. This is because I want to keep it as clean as possible—too much information in your work without understanding your intentions can be confusing. To prevent that, I do my research to establish a foundation to build on.