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/d...

👇 MATERIALS I USED IN THIS VIDEO

A3 printer paper
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xerox-Perfor...

Willow Charcoal
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coates-Willo...

PanPastel Sofft tools
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colorfin-Pan...

Blending stump
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blending-Art...

Kneaded eraser
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faber-Castel...


📌 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!


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