Charcoal
One of the interesting things about switching over from an engineering degree to an art degree is the vast amount of new mediums to work in. Since joining the art program at SIUC, I’ve worked with wood, metal, paint on canvas, alcohol markers, watercolor, and even paper mâché.
Although I initially believed working in so many mediums to be a waste of time, I now see that it has provided me with a unique prospective moving forward, as each medium has it’s strengths and weaknesses. Being experienced or at least familiar with a variety of mediums allows one to convey their ideas more accurately.
.
Initially, I hated using charcoal. I found it fickle and imprecise, but as I’ve used it more, I find that it is a very good way at conveying depth, and has honestly created a couple of the few works that I genuinely take pride in this semester. I even did one of my finals for an art history class in charcoal. Sometimes, all it takes is time to get used to something before an accurate conclusion can be made.
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Jacques-Louis David (1801)
Tom Cruise Crossing the Alps
Connor Kirchoff (2024)