Why So Serious?

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I’m Just Joking Around

So, I have seen a lot of really impressive art based on Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker character from Batman in the 2008 movie The Dark Knight.  Mr. Legder’s portrayal of the Joker is considered one of the best performances of his unfortunately short career.

I decided to give the character a go myself.  I used a still image taken from the movie as a reference.

I created this sketch in my Strathmore Toned Tan Sketchbook (5.5″ x 8.5″), using 2H, HB, 6H, Charcoal Powder, Tombow Mono Zero Eraser, & a white colored pencil.

Something I’ve been trying lately for large areas of shading is charcoal powder.  I create the powder by rubbing a soft piece of vine charcoal on sandpaper.  This produces a fine powder, I then use a cosmetic brush to spread the powder onto the paper and gradually rub the powder into the paper.  This produces a consistent tone with soft edges.   This method may be fairly common, but, it’s new to me.

Joker Sketch

Thanks for visiting – Mike

13 thoughts

    • Thanks, it certainly has the potential to get messy. But, using a brush you can “paint” it onto the paper easily using a blotting technique to for the initial application then brush either linearly or in circular patterns to really get into the paper. You can also purchase charcoal powder, which I intend to do at some point. Thanks for commenting and have a great day!

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