Portraits: Vine Charcoal?

[Twon Smith]

Hey guys, here are some recent portraits with vine charcoal. I was wondering how you all feel about its versatility. I know it can't go too dark but does it have any other limitations in portrait and figurative work. Thx in advance.http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/tscombo/IM000159.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/tscombo/IM000160.jpghttp://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j262/tscombo/IM000164.jpg

[Michael Jaecks]

The one on the top is my favorite.

About the medium. Personally, I can't stand the touch of vine charcoal. Its like nails on a chalkboard to me. Just something about the way it applies to paper. I dunno. I'm weird like that.

Obviously as a drawing medium, you've already identified its limitation. Range of value. Its good for lightly sketching something in, over which you'd use something else like pastels. But if charcoal is the medium that interests you, just go for the real deal and learn to love those values.

[Gory]

The range of value of vine charcoal is only limited if you let it be.

I have a couple of friends who work exclusively in vine charcoal and get a wonderful range of value. If you use good enough paper, it'll feel just as versatile as any other kind of charcoal. Vine builds up a whole lot nicer than compressed, which is better for subtractive work I think. Since vine is more delicate it's better suited for that kind of work. Experiment a little, knowing your materials inside and out will only help you create more consistent work.

Have fun.

[Twon Smith]

Thx for the replies, I will definately explore different papers and try to push it as far as I can before moving on to real charcoal if I have to.