Learning to Push Values: A Charcoal Still Life Journey

*This was originally written in February 2024.

In my Drawing I class at SCAD Atlanta, I’ve been building a strong foundation in the fundamentals of drawing. For my latest project, I pulled together everything I’ve learned in my first ten classes: composition, placement, proportion, contour, cross contour, and shading, to create a 24x18 charcoal still life drawing. It was one of those projects where all the pieces finally started coming together, and I could really see how each skill I’ve practiced contributed to the final result.

Before jumping into the finished piece, I started with sketches. These quick studies helped me think through the composition and how I wanted to place objects within the frame. Composition is more than just where things sit on the page. It’s about guiding the viewer’s eye, balancing positive and negative space, and creating a sense of unity. Placement and proportion also came into play here, making sure each object felt grounded and in the correct relationship to the others. To do this accurately, we used sighting and measuring techniques, which gave us a way to check angles, alignments, and scale. It was a bit tedious at times, but it paid off once I began to see the objects start to take shape realistically.

Contour and cross contour lines were also central to the project. Contour drawing focuses on the outlines and edges of forms, while cross contour helps describe the volume and curvature of an object. Combining these techniques made my drawing feel less flat and more dimensional, as if the objects could almost be picked up off the page. Once the structure was in place, I moved into shading, which is where charcoal really shines.

Something I’ve learned from this project, especially from reviewing my work with my professor, is the importance of pushing values. In the beginning, I tended to stick to medium tones, which made my drawings feel a little flat. My professor encouraged me to push myself to go darker with the shadows, lighter with the highlights, and not be afraid of high contrast. By applying both low and high keys instead of staying in the middle, my work started to feel richer and more dynamic. It completely changed the way my still life looked, and I could immediately tell that was a lesson I will carry with me into future projects.

Seeing my progress from the early sketches to the finished charcoal drawing was really motivating. The photos I took throughout the process reminded me of just how much thought and layering goes into a piece like this. Each stage: planning the composition, measuring proportions, building the contour lines, and finally shading, worked together to create a drawing that feels solid, balanced, and expressive.

This project taught me that drawing is as much about patience and process as it is about skill. Every step builds on the last, and each decision, whether about composition, proportion, or value, matters in the final outcome. While I still have (honestly, a lot of) work to do in pushing my values even further, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, and I’m excited to take these lessons forward into future classes and projects.