In using the bread, never press hard; if the charcoal or crayon will not come off, use the pointed rubber stump.
In laying in a mass of shadow, if too much charcoal gets on the paper, so as to become inconvenient, wipe it off lightly and evenly with a soft cotton rag, and if then the tone is too light, work on it again with charcoal, as before, using the stump in the same way until it becomes the right tone.
In working heads, life studies, etc., in charcoal it is the practice in all the large art schools to finish them with black crayon. The crayon is not touched, however, until the shadows are all put in and the proportions found to be correct. The whole effect being blocked in the way already described, the crayon is taken up and the two materials used together at first, as required, in the following manner:
The outline, which has been sketched in with charcoal, is now very carefully drawn with a finely pointed Conté crayon No. 2. First dust off the charcoal a little with a rag until the outline is quite light, though easily seen, and do not make the crayon outline too dark and thick.
Next proceed to block in the hair with charcoal. Do this at first in the simple masses of light and shade, rubbing in the charcoal in close lines at first, so as to well cover the paper, and then using the stump to make one flat, even tone.
If the hair is dark, cover the light mass with a general tone of light gray, using the charcoal very lightly and rubbing it flat with the stump as before. If the hair is light, put in a fainter tone for the dark mass and a very delicate tone over the light mass. Do not attempt to see any reflected lights or small details as yet.
Having the head now well started, we proceed to carry it on by putting in the half tints which connect the masses of light and shadow all over the face. Do this with a clean, medium-sized paper stump by dragging the charcoal from the shadow over the light. Do not put any new charcoal on for the half tints, as it is very important that they be kept light at first. Keep a clean stump always at hand for delicate half tints, and never use an old one.
The face now begins to model and look round, and is further carried on by putting in the dark accents of shadow and taking out reflected lights with bread.
The features are brought into shape, using the sharp pointed charcoal and a small stump.
At this stage the crayon is taken up permanently and the charcoal laid aside.