Rooftop – Where India Inspires Creativity

Charcoal Art Workshop With Divya Kadela

Charcoal Resize

An art form that exhibits a variety of sketches using a single colour but produces stunning artwork is Charcoal Art. It has been used for centuries to draw landscapes and extremely fierce portraits. It requires intense practice to achieve accurate tones, and once the skill has been mastered, there is a variety of art to be created. To learn more about this form, Rooftop conducted a charcoal art workshop with Divya Kadela. 

About The Artist

Divya is a self-taught artist and has worked on many drawing projects since childhood. In 2016, she started learning the techniques of creating charcoal portraits. With time, she acquired the skills to draw portraits. With the expertise of a few years, charcoal art became her forte. The coronavirus-induced lockdown helped improve a lot of these skills as it gave her a chance to explore more.

The Workshop Began

As mentioned by Divya, the basic materials required for this drawing of an eye are charcoal powder, charcoal pencils, and patience. To begin with, she advised everyone to use cartridge paper as it has textures and smooth papers won’t be suitable for it. At first, she drew an outline or rough sketch with a pencil. A vertical line helped to create an asymmetric eye. This reference outline didn’t need much pencil pressure as it had to be erased later.

She began using charcoal powder, with an earbud and made sure to rub it on a rough page before using it. This step helps avoid smudges and gives the right shade of black. Starting with the eyeballs, she moved on to fill darker shades into the pupil. Slightly erased highlights gave the eye a realistic look. Before working on the eyebrows, she gave a light base layer of charcoal over the paper. Eyebrows and eyelashes were drawn perfectly with simple strokes and blending techniques.

Towards The End of The Workshop

Using charcoal powder for sketching requires a lot of practice and the utmost attention to every minute detail. Despite such complications, many attendees followed through and created captivating eyes. Everyone was engrossed in co-creating and appreciated the tips given by Divya.

The attendees were from different parts of the country. They also belonged to different age groups but their love for art brought them together on a single platform. Rooftop, as always, was successful in connecting artists and curating a magical and positive vibe together. 

On this note, here’s us signing off until next time!

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