Art Demo – Jan Prislin-Planinc

NEW CLASS WITH JAN

Jan will be running 3×3 hour classes in ”Experimental Drawing” at PAS
Term 1 2025 – on Feb 9, 23 March 9

Jan Prislin-Planinc Demo

Creating Texture with Charcoal

The art of drawing

Jan began her demo with some insightful reflections on the art of expressive drawing. Unlike photographs, drawings don’t simply depict a subject she explained. Rather they depict the artist’s perception of that subject. She cautioned us not to draw preconceived ideas of a subject, but rather to look closely and draw what we actually see.

Jan Prislin Planinc - Fragile1- botanical charcoal drawing of a on Arches Paper 80 x 120cm

Jan Prislin Planinc – Fragile1- charcoal on Arches Paper 80 x 120cm

Drawing is a very physical and immediate process – an extension of oneself. Don’t be afraid, Jan stressed, to use “searching” lines in the early stages of a drawing, and continue refining them until you have accurately captured the essence of what you see. Use line quality to express your perception of, and emotional response to, the subject eg thick hard lines to express frustration or anger; tentative fine lines to express fragility or uncertainty. Leaving traces of your initial lines in the finished drawing can enhance the expressiveness of the work as they reflect the process you went through in creating the drawing, thereby marking it as uniquely your drawing.

Jan Prislin Planinc explaining some fundamental drawing concepts with examples of a tonal scale and sphere.rendered in charcoal.

Jan Prislin Planinc explaining some fundamental drawing concepts with examples rendered in charcoal.

Expressive drawing, said Jan, communicates with the viewer much like poetry or metaphor. It can say much more than what is literally depicted. For example an expressive drawing of a withered artichoke flower can evoke concepts of old age and fragility.

The perfect medium for expressive drawing

The great thing about drawing is that, unlike painting, it can be done anywhere and with the simplest of tools. Jan sees charcoal as a simple but particularly beautiful and expressive drawing medium. It can be very messy, but so is life! Though in the past it has been primarily used as a preparatory medium, it lends itself to the creation of finished artworks with wonderful combinations of line, tone, texture and contrast.

Tone plus texture

With charcoal you can create a striking range of tonal values, from rich blacks to subtle greys. As charcoal comes in many forms, it is also great at producing intricate and detailed texture. This amazing potential for expression allows us to create large areas of tone and depth with a tiny stick of soft, willow charcoal (or some charcoal powder), and beautiful, intricate texture with lines created by compressed charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Add a kneadable eraser (and sometimes a bit of ‘white’ charcoal) to the mix to help create highlights – and you’re on your way to creating charcoal magic!

Charcoal Texture Collage by Jan Prislin-Planinc

Paper for charcoal drawing

The paper on which you draw is an integral part of the drawing. Jan recommends using good quality paper eg Fabriano or Cansten, at least 185 gsm, with a medium texture. Very smooth paper doesn’t hold the charcoal well. You can use rougher paper if you want a highly textured finish. Watercolour paper works well for large works. You can used toned paper as an quick and effective way to establish the mid-tone of a drawing, as well as introduce colour.

Blending & erasing

For blending areas to create smooth tones, Jan uses a mix of tools including blending stumps, tissues and fingers. Putty and hard erasers can be used to lift out highlights or draw into a dark area.

Types of charcoal

Charcoal comes in many forms:

Willow charcoal is ideal for initial sketching and line work being easy to erase.
Compressed charcoal creates hard dark lines that cannot easily be erased and is best used in the later stages of a drawing.
Powdered charcoal is great for creating large areas of tone.
Charcoal pencils, which come in different grades of hardness, are ideal for creating fine lines and detail.
White charcoal can be used to create highlights.

Conte crayons in traditional colours of black, white and terracotta can add dark accents, bright highlights or a touch of colour to charcoal drawings. Other colours are also available now.

Jan Prislin-Planinc – Pomegranates – charcoal on Arches paper 60 x 84cm

Drawing from a reference photo

Photo of a backlit glass of water on a table with reflections and shadows by Jan Prislin-Planinc

Photo of a backlit glass of water on a table by Jan Prislin-Planinc

Jan Prislin-Planinc at an easel sketching in charcoal from the reference photo

Jan reminded us that if you really look at your surroundings you can find beautiful subjects in everyday scenes. She based her demonstration drawing on her photo of a backlit glass of water on a café table. The refracted light created beautiful reflections and patterns within the glass.

According to Jan a powerful trick for creating an accurate drawing is to forget the name of the thing you’re drawing and focus on the shapes, tones, lines and edges. Squinting eliminates distracting detail thereby helping you judge tone correctly. Spend 75% of your drawing time studying your reference.

Jan began her charcoal drawing by lightly and loosely sketching out the composition using willow charcoal, then blocking in the areas of darkest tone with willow charcoal, and outlining the brightest highlights in white.

Adding highlight and shadow detail to a tonal drawing of a glass of water.

Adding highlight and shadow detail over blocked in tones

Close up of highlight and shadow detail

Once key darks and lights were established Jan used blending tools to create mid-tones and smooth tonal gradations. She used a blending stick to soften some areas thereby creating an illusion of transparency.

Working over these broad tonal layers, she used dark compressed charcoal and bright white to add details, constantly checking her reference for the correct placement of shapes and lines.

Jan’s finished drawing is testament to the expressive qualities of this wonderful medium and her mastery of it.

Bistro Lunch by Jan Prislin-Planinc - finished demo drawing of a backlit glass of water - charcoal on toned

Bistro Lunch by Jan Prislin-Planinc – finished demo drawing – charcoal on toned Fabriano paper