Hi Jean,
First off, VERY beautiful drawing! I'm a real fan of this way of working and you've done a superb job. Bravo. I like the red that you introduced in the shirt. It's nice and subtle.
As for the whites that you've added: Steven is absolutely right when he suggests:
Quote:
Consider some very judicious use of white pastel or chalk to punch up only the very lightest values and highlights.
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Key words: "very judicious" and "only the very lightest values and highlights." (OK, like every word in the sentence. ALL of Steven's words are "key" words!) I find that some of the white you've added works fine. Most of the white in the hair looks good - gives him a more "senior" look. But his right sideburn area to me looks like there is more white than necessary. And the white on the earlobe seems too "hot" almost looking like a pearl earring (after Vermeer?)The white on the nose and other areas of the face look fine. Where I think it doesn't work as well is in the beard.
When I work in this fashion I never put white over charcoal, for a couple of reasons. Whatever value I'm after, I can get it with varying shades of charcoal, varying shades of white, or the tone of the paper itself. There is no need for me to mix charcoal and white. I try to let the tone of the paper do as much of the "work" for me as possible, not because I'm lazy (I am, but that's not the reason) but because the drawing will look better.
I also don't mix charcoal and white because it gives off a very different (and in the context of the drawing, I think a strange) "look" and maybe you've sensed this already. Whatever the value of the "mix," you probably have that same value somewhere else in the drawing that was achieved without mixing - the same value done two different ways, and looking very different.
On the beard area of your drawing, the whites don't look integrated. Here, I think letting the paper do more work for you will help. There may be touches, highlights here that would warrant white, but they should arise out of your midtones, out of the value of the paper.
"Less is more." It really applies here. I've done a number of these type drawings and I still have to fight the temptation to draw more than I should.
Now, having put forth my Treatise On The Non-Mixing Of White And Charcoal, somebody will post (in this thread) a drawing full of mixing that is a gem, a true masterpiece and make me (goat-like) want to eat my words. But I'm not an absolutist and the look of mixing may be a fine method in the right hands. It would be different kind of drawing. For the way I work though, mixing doesn't work and the sense I get looking at your drawing, I don't think it will work for you either.
For what it's worth, I hope this helps.
David