Abraham Lincoln Portrait Getting a Likeness in Artist Charcoal
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- Join me as I create a charcoal drawing portrait of one of the most beloved of American Presidents, Abraham Lincoln. I don't hold anything back in teaching you my technique of getting a likeness.
Artist supplies used in this video:
Derwent charcoal pencils, medium
General's charcoal pencils, medium and soft
Winsor & Newton Artist' Vine Charcoal, medium
Master's Touch Jumbo Soft Willow Charcoal (Coates jumbo willow charcoal tree stick works just as well!)
Strathmore 400 medium surface drawing pad 18X24"
Kneaded eraser
Acetone in a spray bottle (Use with extreme caution as this is a cancer-causing liquid. Use only in a well-ventilated room)
Pounce pad (or pounce sock)
Sakura Electric Eraser
any sanding pad for sharpening charcoal, I use the Nitram Sharpening Bloc
any soft and hog bristle hair brushes for blending
as well as tissues, paper towels, and dirty fingers 
Хобби
Greatest President ever by far !!
He was something special. Men like him don't come along very often! Thanks.
I love how you demonstrated the art and also narrating him. A beautiful man drawing another beautiful man.
Aw, thank you Adnan. He was a very special man at the right time!
Just fantastic. You are incredible. I discovered you last week and have spent hours trying to watch everything you've done. You're drawing is an amazing as your oils and you have an wonderful pleasant comfortable understandable way of presenting your lessons. THANK YOU sooo much!
Hi Sam! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to let me know that it's helped you in some way. That's why I'm here =0) Let me know if you have any questions and if there's something I can show in more depth that you're interested in. Paint on!!
Yeah, this channel easily became my daily TV
I cannot draw, sketch, or anything like those, but I enjoy looking people creating art like this. Thank you for the video, good Sir.
I am hooked on all your videos,calm,honest voice and so much valuable information.
Thanks John, I really appreciate your feedback and I'm glad you find it helpful. Draw on!
Absolutely fabulous!
Thanks for showing your process, Steve. After seeing the "big dreaded wipe" it makes a lot of sense. It helps you sort of tone everything and draw over for darker marks, and pick out with the erasers for lighter parts.
Hey Robert, that's exactly right. And it gets rid of a lot of the construction marks you make when getting started. But having that mid-tone is a great thing to build on... kinda like working on toned paper, but you control where you want the tone. Thanks for the insightful comment!
You have done a great job. Love the way you blend that vine charcoal with pencil charcoal
Crazy beautiful. LOVE IT.
THANK YOU! That's so appreciated Atelieri Design... draw on!
I have never taken classes for drawing, but one day back 2018 ,I drew my dad 8 never knew how to draw ,it then I started drawing more pictures of my family, but your technique is amazing, love it...
Thanks so much for the demo. You make it look so easy! Just inspiring. Many blessings.
What an incredible drawing. You’re very funny and a great instructor!
Great demonstration! I’d love to do more with charcoal. That sock trick is really cool!
Thanks Jared, I appreciate that. I'd love to see you do some charcoal drawings! I'm looking forward to watching your new video and can't wait. I've had some rush illustration work come through today and wasn't able to take a break... but tomorrow I'm there!!!
Incredible to see such an amazing drawing develop and appear from the blank page.
Amazing!
Thank you so much 😀
wow that was a lot of work! thanks for sharing your techniques 👍😃
GREAT MASTER ARTIST ATKINSON'S LINCOLN'S PORTRAIT IN CHARCOAL IS SUPERB & LIVELY. ANILKUMAR...MUMBAI...INDUA.
Aw, thank you Anilkumar, you're very kind. Thank you for watching and for your generous comment.
the amazing thing about you is that you are not boring , you havve very interesting coversations...
Thanks Simon, I try to keep it interesting and mix it up. I appreciate you watching!
ARTIST ATKINSON . YOU ARE A GREAT GREAT PAINTER. YOUR CHARCOAL DRAWING OF GREAT HUMANIST ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS SUPERB. YOUR PAINTINGS LOOK LIKE THAT OF DIVINE MICHAEL ANGELO. MY SALUATION TO YOU. ANILKUMAR...MUMBAI..
INDIA.
Thank you Anilkumar, you are very kind. Cheers, Steve in Prescott, Arizona
Well dad gum it! (official southern slang learned from my dad)! I keep wondering when you'll put out a video that I'll say, "meh, I'll probably skip this one." Not yet is the answer. You always blow me away with your charcoal! All of your stuff blows me away but especially the charcoal. You show techniques I've never tried but want to. Oh, and I so love the comment about spending the time to get it right so you can enjoy the completion. Perfectly said. A lesson I need to take to heart more often. I get so many comments from viewers about being impatient with the art process and that idea kicks impatience to the curb. By the way it was Abraham Lincoln that said, "Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." Probably not talking about art but hey, there it is. Always look forward to seeing your video gems Steve. Believe it. I'm not fishing for reciprocal compliments when I say that.
Thank you so much Steve, I appreciate it more than you know, us being a couple of old advertising war horses n' all! It's difficult to tell artists who are where I was along the path to just keep at it and don't give up, so much of your progress is just time in the studio and the willingness to persevere and never quit even when it's hard. I love the Tom Hanks quote in A League of Their Own when he says "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard ... is what makes it great!" Wish I would listen to myself when it comes to practicing my guitar though, ha! Thanks for sharing the Lincoln quote, I love it. Stay well my friend!
Steve, I really enjoyed this video of your charcoal sketching. I have never tried charcoal since high school, just painting. You are a great talent
I love your drawing of president Lincoln, amazing 👏
Great Job!! amazing portrait!!
Fantastic humility and humbleness to and for the ART, Sir, despite being nonetheless more than talented: ambitious at all times, and willing to learn! Thank you so much for the teachings! Yes, the "mouths/lips" are the hardest too for me having it nailed right on (and I am not talking here about the first two or three attempts...).
Absolutely stunning Steve! Just subscribed. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.
Wow! I love all the techniques specially the kneaded eraser. Can't wait to practice them thank you.
Go get 'em Emma! Let me know how it goes for you :O)
I love charcoal sketching you maked beautiful..
Thank you GRV 1798! That's much appreciated.
Great art. Great commentary. Love your videos.
Thanks SkipMcGrip! That's very kind of you... and thank you for tuning in and commenting. Draw On!
Amazing sir! Thank you!!!
Just fantastic,,,thank you
Exact as a daguerreotype 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👏🏻
Let Edgar A Poe be your next project
You’re adding new dimensions to charcoal.Lovely
I like that idea... I'll put it on the to-do list!
Talented Artist...
Wow your an amazing artist
Thanks Mary Dee, much appreciated! Draw on!!
Excellent ✍️😊👍 and entertaining - thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it Silvano and thanks for watching.
Hi Steve ... your video was amazing... drawing has been my personal passion.
I love it!!
Thanks Vania! 😁
Thanks. Great video!
Great demo/tutorial! I really enjoyed this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very well done. Excellent likeness.
Hiya jeffhreid, thank you so much. Have you done any charcoal drawings since you watched this? If so, how did it go and do you have any questions I can answer for you?
Amazing❤
Beautiful. Well done.
Thanks for watching Lola! =0)
This is an amazing portrait!
Thanks Christopher!
Awesome Steve. Love the drawing and watching your process. Very interesting as are the "factoids ". Lol. Thanks.
Thanks so much Karen, this was so much fun to do and I'm glad you liked it. He is such a fascinating person with a great face to draw. Thanks for watching and letting me know.
What a nice video, and the drawing is wonderful! Superb!
Thanks! Much appreciated!!
I LOVE THIS PIECE. What a great president, I agree.
Thanks Genie, he was great and always will be... no matter what!
In school, a very long time ago, I did a book report on Lincoln. The book included pictures of him through the years. The changes in his face r e a l l y bothered me. I asked my teacher if I could do someone else but she said no. I did my talk and probably talked to much about the changes in his face but I got through it and no one went to sleep. Later in life that I read that they felt he had Marfans syndrome. He is was the only person that I studied his face and wanted so much to talk to him, his eyes really speak to me.. Guess I needed to know more than what the book told us about him. Wow this charcoal of him is amazing, you should keep it.
Hi Essie, I've never heard of Marfans syndrome. I will look into it, thank you. I always look forward to your comments!
My son-in law is the State Historian and travels the country teaching about Illinois and Lincoln
Amazing
Absolutely gorgeous. Ive really enjoyed watching your channel grow and getting the opportunity to kinda get to "know" you and watch your journey. I think its one of the best things about you tube. Keep up the great work and Greetings from Nashville. 🎶
Hi Christi! I'm trying to keep up with the comments, and eventually I get around to them all, so my apology for taking so long to respond. I hope you're still tuning in and are having a ball on your artistic journey. Thanks for letting me be a small part of it... Paint On!!! Hello back from Prescott, Arizona ;0)
Very nice. Thank you~
Lovely job.
Thank you!
Best art work
Thanks jaykishan @ art!
this tutorial was brillant you have know earned a new fan, And such a great choice to choose Abraham Lincoln!!!! Inspirational, keep creating such amazing work~
Welcome aboard Yasso! I'm very honored you liked it and I hope you come back for more. Happy Drawing!!
Fantastic
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it.
Great job.
Thanks Paul, I appreciate you letting me know. Draw on!
Thank you sir..
Beautiful work! I LOVE how sculptural and geometric your drawings start out. It adds so much structure and believability. I really enjoyed all the Abe facts, as well. I had no idea about him being a wrestler and a smack-talker. Ha ha! Best Lincoln Fanboy art I’ve ever seen! 😉😂
Hey buddy, thanks for watching and for letting me know! I think I got the idea of doing some trivia as I drew from you and your Boris Karloff video. I hope you don't mind, lol. Yeah, good ol Abraham was one interesting guy. Hope you're doing good!
thank you sir
GREAT ADVICE!!!! I would love to start doing portraits, but have always found them to be intimidating.
Hi jacksontabasco (great name!), honestly, there's no need to be intimidated. Start where you are and know that you will get better as you go! Doing portraits is one of the very best ways to get better at drawing, it's a gift you can give yourself that no one else can ever take away from you. If you draw faces you are familiar you'll know if you are close to being accurate or not, as opposed to drawing a face that you've only just seen for the first time. You can do it. Just imagine how much better you'll be in a year if you put in 15 minutes a day doing it... everyone can find 15 minutes to invest in yourself right? Go for it!!!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt thank you for the encouragement and sharing your skills and ideas. I love watching others approach drawing or painting in a different way. I am lazy when it comes to my gift and will make a promise to myself to engage in my craft more this year!
I have spent months looking for good charcoal portrait tutorials. There are many, but not really good, some are too quick or too misterious (hidding the most important information). And now, just now, I've found you and I am completely amazed. I love how you explain every step, how you started doing a portrait one way and then you decided to do it more realistic at the end, so it's like having two tutorials in one. Love it! The advices, your style, everything. Thank you so much. You are such an amazing artist. And so generous. I am going to watch everyone of your videos. I'm already subscribed, with notifications alerts :D
Hi Miriam, thank you for your lovely comment. It really made my morning! It makes me happy knowing in able to help you on your artistic journey. Experiences like yours makes all the work put into these videos worthwhile. Welcome to the family!
Amazing 👏
Thanks 1000 subs with no vids (great name!)
Draw Paint Repeat thanks 😉
I’m no artist for sure, but people say I’m pretty good.... mostly family lol. I came across an old photo of my grandpa from 1918. My dad wants me to draw it for him in charcoal. I have never done charcoal, so I watched your video. You are an excellent teacher, and I love your commentary 😁. Thanks for sharing your work. I’ve subscribed and will definitely be watching more. I’m gonna go try and draw gramps now😂
That's exactly how I started doing portraits Tim, lol. Keep it up and you'll get great at portraits. And if you can do portraits, you can do most other things as well. Draw On!!!
woooooooooooow!
wow amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaizing
Thanks for watching Majnoo Arts!
Steve, didn't you feel strangely intimate with President Lincoln after this, like you kind of knew the man? My sister once said that half the face is the mother's & half the face is the father's. I have to agree with this, especially when looking at the constrast between Lincoln's eyes. Thank you from Tucson!
Nice
Just a few blocks from Lincoln Museum.❣️.
Lolol awesome vid lol......”ludicrous speed engaged”.......”smoke of ya got um”
Thanks Snapper!!! ;0)
Mantap
Terima kasih
nice drawing, sometimes at the big wipe stage makes me feel like i want to torn the paper and start all over again :D
HA! Yeah, me too.
Wao.... Amazing..... I can draw but yours is totally fantastic...... it just wonderful, thanks to share it with us.... Well, that's why you are the artist, I am just an old amateur that should take art more seriously when I was young.... But like my Grand Pa' used to say.... "Youth and Stupidity most of the time goes holding hands....", and I am a good example that it is true... and the sad part is that you realize it when old age knock in your door!!!!.... anyway, Have a wonderful day....
Thanks Walt! Yeah, you and me both. I feel the same way about my guitar playing, I shoulda taken it more seriously when I was younger. But it ain't over till it's over, right? We're gonna keep learning till we can't anymore. You keep at it and draw every day and you'll amaze yourself with how quickly you'll improve. There's a challenge out there called the #100HeadsChallenge in which you draw 100 heads in 10 days (easy, that's only 10 per day, if'n my math ain't wrong)! If you do that challenge, take a look at the last 10 heads you draw and compare them to the first 10 and I bet you'll see much improvement just in that short time. Thanks for the great comment and for watching!
Thanks to your videos on drawing and watercolor, I have ("with your permission") been trying to use your teachings on improving my skills and yes it's has helping a lot, So at my 60's I still can learn from you all.... Thanks for your videos, and insights.....
impressive, willow charcoal perfect if used for shading, but how can we make it to be more dark? did in that videos u uses other charcoal type or only ur charcoal pencils (compressed) ? but its likely harder to shade if using pencils type
Love your portrait of Lincoln,
Your using 18x24 pad, but what size is the photograh?
for the angles have you ever used a plumbers level? They work great ! I think I got mine at Home Depot
I've been drawing Abe lately too!
He's got a great face doesn't he? Thanks Mary Kay for checking in!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt yes, a very interesting face. Careworn and uneven. Great work Steve!
which charcoal are you using ?
As usual I'm enjoying your videos! You mentioned you took classes from an atelier in Minneapolis. Do you mind me asking which one? I spent four years at 'The Atelier' in Minneapolis. I'm so grateful for all I learned from them.
Hi Debra, it's great to hear from you and thanks for the question! It's been a while since I had to come up with that name in my head, but after a few minutes of thinking I remembered... it was at the Atelier Lack in Minneapolis. It was somewhere in the early 90's and Richard Lack was no longer teaching, but a couple of his female students had taken over and were running it. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't remember what their names were. Is that where you studied as well? There may have been other ateliers but I didn't know about them at the time. Thanks for tuning in and for the question...Paint on!!
Yes, that is where I studied. The two women, Cyd Wicker and Dale Redpath were running it when I was there too. Cyd is still there, but Dale had to give up teaching due to health issues. @@SteveAtkinsonFineArt
Beautiful rendering, I would hang this in a prominent spot myself. Do you spray fix the final piece?
Hi FlibbidyFleu, thank you and I would spray this piece only after I finished with the dark charcoal and not after I put down white chalk. The spray fix would darken or make invisible the white chalk. But really, there's no need to spray it, as long as it is framed under glass and no one can touch it, it'll be fine.
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Steve, does it also help if you spray fix before applying the white charcoal highlights because the white will not mix with the dark charcoal? When adding white on top of the black charcoal, it always seems to mixed and become dull. Would that help solve that problem?
@@chriswhitehouse8982 it sure does help. As long as you put a light coating on. Too heavy and it can darken your drawing, and not in a good way.
Hi would you share what type of paper do you use? I feel whenever I try to apply charcoal or paper it’s kinda slippery… ando can’t soften without rub off all the charcoal.
Steve, were you using vine charcoal prior to "the big wipe". Looked like it was a pencil?
I use both charcoal pencil and vine charcoal. The pencils gives me marks that won't be completely wiped away.
Why did he use the acetone stuff?
Hi, would you please explain the Acetone spritz and the breakdown if any. Is it straight Acetone and at what point or points do you decide to do this ?
Hi Deborah, I'm glad to expand on when and how I use the acetate spritz. I will spritz the acetate full strength on the drawing after I've nailed down the drawing but before it's finished. It needs to be far enough along that all the drawing inaccuracies have been worked out. The acetate will only react with the charcoal if the charcoal hasn't been rubbed into the paper too much, it needs to be loosely applied and almost falling off the paper. This is when the acetate will give me the grunge spatter I'm looking for. You can use a discarded sheet of paper to protect the drawing in places that you don't want to be affected. I hope this helps, and happy drawing!
I have maybe a silly question. Do you clear coat charcoal when you’re done? Or how do you keep it from getting smeared when it’s finished?... I have grandkids that touch things lol 😆
I get this question lots, not silly at all. Don't spray your finished drawing with anything. Unless you are incredibly skilled at spraying, you run the risk of darkening your charcoal drawing, and if you've used ant white chalk,it will disappear on you. It's best to frame your work under a matt and glass to protect it. If you don't want to frame it, keep it stored horizontally in a flat file with a sheet of clear acetate ( you can get different size pads of acetate sheets on Dick Block or other art supply stores) covering it. Another way to protect them is to but some clear plastic sleeve bags that are just a bit bigger than your drawing. These sleeves are like envelopes that can be sealed on the back. This'll keep your drawings from getting smudged by little fingers, but they can still see your drawings and worship you, lol!!! 😆
Draw Paint Repeat That all makes perfect sense. Thanks for the response.👍
how long did it took for drawing this ??🤔🤔
It was a while ago, but I seem to remember it was 4 hours.
What is your opinion of using a digital projector so you can trace the portrait? Some people think that's cheating. I don't. I just see it as a tool.
Hi Taylor. I gotta say that I'm not a big fan of using it. Yes, it makes things a lot easier and I used to use an old fashioned Lucy when I first got out of college to make my illustrations go faster. With the deadlines we were dealing with, anything you could do to speed things up was appreciated. But if you're doing fine art, art for art's sake, you're robbing yourself of the greatest joy of all. To know that you created something that's totally you, from your mind to your paper. There's no better feeling for an artist. So, yes it's a lot more work to draw it, but it pays off in spades. But then there are always people who think using photos for reference is cheating. They think you should only draw from life. Otherwise, it's cheating. Or some believe you should only work from the images in your head and not look at anything at all. Otherwise, it's cheating. See? In the end it comes down to what you are comfortable with. After all, Norman Rockwell used to hide his projector when J.C. Leyendecker would visit his studio because he didn't want his friend to know he used one. But Rockwell was perfectly capable of drawing his compositions on his own. However, the deadlines he worked under were only for those with super powers. I'll pass along a piece of advice I once read in Harley Brown's book "Eternal Truths for Every Artist". He said that you shouldn't use a projector or trace, but that if you do, try to put as few details down as possible so that at least some of you comes through. It's an excellent book. Here's a link: www.amazon.com/Harley-Browns-Eternal-Truths-Artist/dp/1929834063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1547178831&sr=1-1&keywords=harley+brown
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt , thanks for the input. I only use it for basic scale, I never put in details because I don't need it...just the basic outline. I've just found that my painting goes on easier when I use one, otherwise, I'm always trying correct the basic scale, and that's SO frustrating. Thanks for the link.
@@taylorvanbuskirk8040 I hear you and understand, of course. Hey, we do what we need to do to get it right!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt , you're a better painter than I, so I guess I need the help. LOL!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Steve, thanks so much for the book suggestion. It looks like a good book and I will ask Santa for it for X-mas.
can you draw gorge washinton
please
That last comment was from Les LeFevre, not Robin my daughter
Nonostante ci sia qualche"secchezza"lo trovo un ritratto riuscito e somigliante.
Giacomo Gennari ci sono una marea di imprecisioni! Sarò pignolo io...ma basta guardare già la bocca per capire che lui forse, stava ritraendo un pò troppo attenendosi alle costruzioni accademiche e non invece, nell’analizzare...studiare il volto. Per un ritrattista dovrebbe essere la base oltre a catturare “quella magia” del momento
Sir, may I ask what's your average price for a piece like this? Excuse me if I'm intrusive, I would just like to know what's the price range of a real artist
I will usually price my drawings based on how long it takes to produce. When I first started selling, I would sell at $50 per hour, but now it's $100 per hour. So this would go for $500.00 - $600.00 as it takes a while to get the likeness exactly right. I hope that helps, and it's not intrusive at all. Its a reality of business that we have to put a price on our work. Draw on!!
@@SteveAtkinsonFineArt Thanks Steve
not a fan of charcoal drawing, but nice work
Hello there! I just found your channel and coincidentally I just posted my own
version of how to copy one of my favorite historical characters Abraham
Lincoln. Your instruction is very interesting. I 've established my own way of
creating a likeness in portraits by using a geometric protractor. When you have
time, please check out my video and let me know whether it might work for you also. A Portrait of Abraham
Lincoln Thanks for a great tutorial!
Sight size measure sucks
The wrinkles came from the stress of trying to save our country
True that!