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Creating Emotion: Graphite and Charcoal Woman Portrait in My Sketchbook
This recent charcoal and graphite portrait in my sketchbook explores the depth of human emotion through subtle shading techniques. I spent hours working on the eyes, trying to capture that intense, thoughtful gaze. The contrast between light and shadow creates the mood I was looking for - somewhere between vulnerability and strength. Working in my sketchbook gave me freedom to experiment with different pressures and layering methods.
Hey friends! Just wanted to share my latest charcoal and graphite portrait that I finished in my sketchbook last week. This one took me about 4 hours spread over a few days.
I’ve been working on capturing more emotion in my portraits lately, focusing especially on the eyes. They really are the windows to the soul, aren’t they? For this piece, I used my softer 6B graphite pencils for the initial sketch and then built up layers with charcoal to create those deeper shadows in the hair and around the eyes.
What I love most about working with these materials is how they let me play with contrast. The challenge is always in the transitions – making those shifts from light to dark feel natural while still creating enough drama to make the portrait feel alive.
I kept the background intentionally soft and a bit dreamy to draw attention to her face. There’s something about the quiet intensity in her expression that I wanted to preserve.
For those asking about paper – I’m using my favorite mixed media sketchbook that handles both graphite and charcoal really well without too much smudging (though my hands were still pretty black by the end!).
Would love to hear what you think! What emotion does this portrait evoke for you?