Crispin Robjent wows the group with Charcoal Portraiture

On November 15th there was a very good turn out of art groups members and guests who were treated to an impressive demonstration of charcoal Portrait Painting by renowned artist Crispin Robjent (crispinrobjent.co.uk).

Crispin began his artistic career after training in an Italian Art School specialising in portraiture. He paints both in oils and charcoal which was the subject of his demonstration. Using an oil painting as his reference picture he demonstrated his technique with pure charcoal. His preferred brand was Nitram which he sharpens on sandpaper. These charcoal sticks are wax free. Crispin’s preferred paper is handmade  Fabriano Roma. Occasionally using a putty eraser hand moulded to selectively lift charcoal from the paper Crispin created contrast and details. His only other accessory was a fan brush which he gently dry brushed over the charcoal background for blending. After our coffee break Crispin gave a useful demonstration of his technique on how to start the portrait.

An important feature of Crispin’s approach was that he repeatedly stood back from his work after making just a few marks. This coupled with everything set at eye level provided the right conditions to build the portrait.
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Very few in the art group paint portraits, or in fact, use charcoal as a medium so this was an insightful demonstration and provided lots of learning opportunities. The group truly appreciated having such a talented artist to share their skills and tips with the group. Thank you again Crispin. Here are some of the photos from the session