How to Draw a Pumpkin That Actually Looks Real! | Easy Charcoal Drawing, by Sheila Raczka Cannon's SheCannArt on YouTube. 12 min 12 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 12 s
- Time to do it
- 40 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Draw the pumpkin outline in light pencil on the toned paper. Work from a three-quarter view, with your eye slightly above the fruit so you look down on the top.
Add the ridges as curved lines running from the stem down to the base. Space them wider in the middle and closer at the edges so they wrap around the form.
Sketch the stem as a short tilted cylinder and mark the ellipse where it was cut. Keep the lines light until the shape reads correctly.
Block in the shadow side with soft charcoal, following the curve of each ridge. Leave the lit side of the paper clean for now.
Blend the charcoal with a stump or tissue, stroking along the curve of the ridges, not across them. This keeps the pumpkin looking round.
Darken the creases between the ridges and the area under the pumpkin. Lift any charcoal that gets too heavy with a kneaded eraser.
Use the eraser to pull thin highlights along the top of each ridge on the lit side. Keep them narrow and follow the same curve.
Finish with the white chalk pencil on the brightest highlights and the stem edge. Step back and adjust any ridge that looks flat.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep every ridge line curved, because a straight line flattens the pumpkin straight away.
When you sharpen charcoal with a craft knife, cut away from your body and keep your fingers behind the blade.
Squint at the drawing to check the light and dark pattern before you add fine detail.
Let the toned paper show through as your middle tone instead of filling every area.
Questions
Do I need toned paper for this drawing?
It helps, because the grey or tan paper acts as your middle tone. Plain white paper works, but you will have to draw the mid tones yourself.
Can I use graphite instead of charcoal?
Yes. Graphite gives lighter darks, so build the shadows in layers and use the white pencil sparingly on top.
Why does my pumpkin look flat?
The ridges are probably straight or the shading does not follow the curve. Curve every line and blend along the ridges, not across them.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
