Is it possible to darken a pencil drawing to match the colour of charcoal?

Question

I am busy sketching the Mona Lisa using pencil and charcoal (unfortunately I cannot add the picture).I used pencil to do her face and head in the beginning and then used charcoal to start doing the dress. The problem I ran into was that the dress was way darker than the head because of the use ofcharcoal. Now I need to make the head darker as well, to match. Is there I way I can do this? Is it even possible? The detail looks just like the original but now the 2 different tones on the artwork make it look pretty crap.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, the answer is no, it is not possible to darken a pencil drawing to the degree of charcoal. I assume that by "pencil" you refer to a graphite drawing tool. Graphite has a tendency to burnish itself on the drawing substrate which actually creates a reflective surface, thus adding to the illusion that it is lighter (or higher) in value than charcoal. You've probably noticed that adding more pencil (graphite) only creates more shine and does not darken the surface.

While this does not help your current drawing of "Mona Lisa," I recommend investing in some charcoal pencils. They are available in varying levels of hardness, just like graphite pencils. I prefer General's brand of charcoal pencils, and recommend adding several softs and hards to your pencil case.

Remember: a good drawing artist draws every day! Keep your pencil case and sketchbook handy always.

Best,

Letha