Charcoal Jack-O-Lanterns

These charcoal Jack-O-Lanterns are just what we need for a good
Halloween haunting! 

Our teen drawing class completed these spooky scenes while learning how to work with various charcoal art media.

We started by toning a piece of 9"x12" drawing paper to a middle value grey. We did this by laying the charcoal on its side and rubbing lightly, while leaving a white border. 

We then rubbed over it down with a soft paper towel to create an even middle grey tone.

We then used our willow vine charcoal to sketch in the shape of our pumpkin, and added a shadow below and to one side of it. We also learned how to use a white eraser to remove charcoal to add lighter areas and highlights.

Some of our pumpkins were strange in shape and quite scary!

Details were added using charcoal pencils, which included medium, soft, and extra soft charcoal lead. Excellent for drawing spider webs!

We also used our white charcoal pencils to add highlights and reflective details, such as a little shine to the bodies of our very-spooky spiders!

Some artists also chose to add a bit of color using soft pastels, such as an 'inner yellow glow' or a slightly pumpkin orange color to their Jack-o-lanterns. 

Take a look at our earlier post, Spooky Jack-O-Lanterns to learn more about this charcoal art project.