WIP charcoal, chalk

I started this sketch with the idea of practicing to draw another skull. I found a painting by Gerhard Richter with a skull. And what is nicer than painting just skull? Painting a skull with a candle.

I have seen around here some real nice and smooth value transitions. Probably it is my technique, but I feel I am getting stuck a bit. I recently bought Giaconda white coal in four gradations of hardness and realize I don’t know what hardness is best to use and how to utilize it properly to get those real nice transitions for the background.

Update:
As an experiment I used the softest and just started, eh, smudging…something a former teacher of mine would frown upon…Still, it looks smoother, but not yet where I would like to get it…

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I think it looks pretty good. Maybe get some dark paper and work on the value scale exercises mentioned in the LOD section of the forum until you are happier with your technical skills with the white charcoal?

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