Want to Draw Better? Try This Cast Drawing Exercise

Charcoal Cast Drawing | Classical Realism from Photo Reference In this video, I take you through my process of drawing a plaster cast in charcoal. You'll see the entire process unfold — from blank page to a fully rendered classical drawing — while I talk through the tools, techniques, and ideas behind this kind of training. This is a great foundational exercise for improving your understanding of form, light, and value in realistic drawing. Timecodes 0:00 Intro 00:29 Boxing up the head 00:44 The Envelope 02:11 Shadow Mapping 04:21 Blocking in Shadows 07:47 Rendering Surfaces 09:54 Why Draw from Plaster Casts? 11:02 Final Result 11:05 Closing Thoughts 📥 Download the Free Drawing Pack I've put together a free resource to go with this video — it includes: ✔️ The reference photo I used ✔️ 5 in-progress photos of my drawing 👉 Grab it here: https://www.jamesottoallen.com/post/drawing-a-classical-plaster-cast-in-charcoal-a-study-in-form-light-and-tradition 👇 MATERIALS I USED IN THIS VIDEO A3 printer paper https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xerox-Performer-Multifunctional-Paper-Sheets/dp/B000SHONFS/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1HHMB6BZ7CRMD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-pUFRXbzajwasWCFOfDUJQw9iY50smaktIBFpKGaoDHbw-lLaJ3Q_ptuyCflTXrNA7fomUkG3UdPfb165v1tFDSgdTcHfjtWXdTu8VwgXkejgaqggS2wClKA0RvewpBszV1iFdGceU4V8O_wLWBqawf4goUno7J4WTnxtGExUu2nj2FJUkb7X_Rqrf_poFF4LDNooM7BDCD0K3z4HQfVwDEa4ade1IW7OTJ9bXklel10dMj4IO0yGLwrXqq08Vs8Ium4cVTnc_1b2m1t7s3ZgsWwALq9PKcbCTlB94hqp4U.4iOo64DuOghD5xppJxXaw8rtYWW96q8rMiOIMghPWSE&dib_tag=se&keywords=a3+printer+paper&qid=1744653477&sprefix=a3+printer+pa%2Caps%2C301&sr=8-5 Willow Charcoal https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coates-Willow-Charcoal-Assorted-Pieces/dp/B001PNG4LA/ref=sr_1_5?crid=32HI5X1EASUF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pbwEmHc3qTQbbOZENhU5a6Z8uYR5WcFxauDTc8YNK73La5-21cVA-luW9h4FL77adMKffRW3ZJS-8pifDEpDV-t5_X3EbDHUyy25tQhuJJ5o1wDpueVQd8c9UPzBjXyQv8VaMCbBc6M136QDwMFGunzTZgHjiaFDGTOissLJCVKqO-ppTxUcF1sNXVkhqOXKaLKZ_6dR_x8QF2aPc4k1nf7uxvC-gm56AtB01MfNvLx_OwywT3GDZ5X1waifwmVTBCHKpDmxH6Uxok_wBCZNhHGZ_GgCflAdcRazNgINEMM.69QDCxuMnmFXAptmQwx0-SP7oUu6KopeXhTvwhE1fWM&dib_tag=se&keywords=willow+charcoal&qid=1744653527&sprefix=willow+charcoal%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-5 PanPastel Sofft tools https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colorfin-Panpastel-Sofft-Tools-Combination/dp/B004G5ZZPK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3129P3CG99JBT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YsQASoRb6uHVYGjS-oqaIFYN9k62Yam-Nr0ol3Xahbdxoof-mrkCWgK17WxSei_uPVmU-tF-ipUUuHymsnwAkEzJBdtSaPz9nuZGE_yg3RtopzvEBswE7ljlJSw-5fKL0cbrDDvjrD7Q1ne8p5Mra-95pE544f9TCUtpkUsocb6wbL0oaK6UPi_K4MgfzwqzsV3AX2RDPiqgtiZ1-G1N9rOqH28KtWnu-09FVaG5PwCfRiiYGhU4hs69AIhLJI0DClxjJV1fMIvjRoJQMb3RFCclGo2o9Y5VOFnvrvZu-sY.dcQ-w7F3RkJw4EOucBonQh3n7644wJFmwWH3lv84rGM&dib_tag=se&keywords=panpastel+sofft+tools&qid=1744653550&sprefix=panpastel+sofft%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-4 Blending stump https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blending-Artists-Blender-Drawing-Supplies/dp/B0DNFY4GJW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2CTKM6OS0FEUG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oayi0dFEs_dPiEkJ9w20aI492Ku1fXxNPQGMqp9WQDDLoId6WIOmIW0PiPvesbhODvFPgtQRvcmhp35O4MkYIUdvOV8ftfCOMZMLWHJGCQ8YDxjkeG9s86YMxVvU0k8mpqp6vyQbhKPxJx1mUx_gxj35yZu90x3fuQiBTDZWjTzrIba6dy91QuwcF6u0FvNGTeJKH0_AZ7t6kjTU3__1hqEtlzO5eMELl9rh80wCWdysU405UPCH6zJ5oX9fW9ZRyTmpJ9c-dp8huUiLiTfSYN6ZoV3qlMpnCeKwupxF4iE.R22BynePGoRz0FzeTXcR71pm5ENZ3xYtNqoW8huRRsk&dib_tag=se&keywords=blending+stumps&qid=1744653624&sprefix=blending+stu%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 Kneaded eraser https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faber-Castell-Kneadable-Art-Eraser/dp/B01EFPZHOO/ref=sr_1_5?crid=34H2HEEA9GHAQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RLpWRsCJy0X3ca_BSvoWa0HeKOkZPwswwgF27NfBjv6Bq2gEsowj1FNzf20UrJQKygVTonN7jEUNeetgTMQCvv99TVwjddDZ6-uR2-omqWUOAK8lI5YAZsXyc63bmVbEOazeMKFj8sv30XGPBc_dxRUidd0yJfU_pPkS0dFM72lkdxQGsSKxfbbe6H_9nEzaoM-XUJh3H26BMzXc0K15P0MRUPJnTnz9vAkz3oztLoosDwO0j8zeq0oXQIhbqXVXjrURKRaB3_D8e1RxlekTe0vCkF0ka9HboDQCUfseUAA.Os1KqtR761w3cAvag3xhWbeh6dGQVmTf4M5n2NL4l-A&dib_tag=se&keywords=kneaded+eraser&qid=1744653644&sprefix=kneaded+eraser%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-5 📌 This is part of a bigger course I’m developing, focused on mastering charcoal drawing from 2D references. If you're interested in building strong drawing fundamentals, be sure to subscribe — and keep an eye out for the full course! #CharcoalDrawing #CastDrawing #ClassicalDrawing #Realism #FineArt #DrawingTutorial #CharcoalArt