{"id":12138,"date":"2023-11-13T16:21:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T20:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=12138"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:58:07","slug":"spooky-skull-sketch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch","title":{"rendered":"Spooky Skull Sketch"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"insertbackground\">\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"videoflexwrapper\">\n<div class=\"videotop\">\n <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Su47zsvlp8A?si=oOtHl2SVL_dcOmKv\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrapperpage\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideo\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetabletcontainer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetablet\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"orangecontainermobile\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorange\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebartop\">\n<div class=\"vertalign\">\n<div class=\"logoimage\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/logosmall75.png\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarcarddescriptiondark\"><span>JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR<\/span><br \/>\n    Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today.<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbuttonholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttonsmem\">START FREE TRIAL<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<hr style=\"background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttons\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"contentfix\">\n<h2>Drawing a Skull with Charcoal<\/h2>\n<p>In this lesson, we&#8217;ll work on stipple paper by the Bee Paper Company and complete the drawing of a skull with charcoal. We&#8217;ll only use compressed charcoal pencils and sticks. This unique paper features a very unique surface that is heavily textured, which will be important in our final drawing.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at the completed drawing&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Stipple-paper-Drawing-complete.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal Skull Drawing\" width=\"800\" height=\"1079\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Stipple-paper-Drawing-complete.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Stipple-paper-Drawing-complete-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Stipple-paper-Drawing-complete-759x1024.jpg 759w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Stipple-paper-Drawing-complete-768x1036.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>See also:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/how-to-draw-a-glass-of-water\">How to Draw a Glass of Water with Graphite and Charcoal<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at the photo reference&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/charcoal-stipple-paper-reference.jpg\" alt=\"Skull photo reference\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/charcoal-stipple-paper-reference.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/charcoal-stipple-paper-reference-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/charcoal-stipple-paper-reference-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/charcoal-stipple-paper-reference-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Graphite Pencil Sketch<\/h3>\n<p>We&#8217;ll begin the drawing with <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/Artists-pencils-graphite-pencils-explained.html\">a HB graphite pencil<\/a>. I want my marks to be visible, but I want them to be light.  We begin by finding a location for the top of our skull and the bottom of our skull.<\/p>\n<p>Then we find the areas where we see strong contrast. I draw lines where I see an edge or a <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/Value.html\">difference in value<\/a> between dark and light locations. Details are purposely left out. While I&#8217;m striving for accuracy, I&#8217;m also leaving myself open to some discrepancies between the photo reference and the drawing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal skull drawing - graphite sketch\" width=\"800\" height=\"524\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12136\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Shading with Charcoal<\/h3>\n<p>With my graphite sketch in place, I can switch over to a charcoal pencil <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/shading-techniques-basics.html\">for shading and texture<\/a>. There is no blending or smudging, I&#8217;m just going to work with the texture of the paper.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m paying attention to the areas of highlight or the areas of lightest value. We want to leave these areas open as we&#8217;re adding the charcoal. You&#8217;ll also notice that I&#8217;m starting on the left side of the picture plane  to work my way to the right and lower down the picture plane. I&#8217;m doing this simply to keep the palm of my hand out of the way of the drawing so I don&#8217;t smear any of the graphite that I&#8217;ve applied.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-2.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal skull drawing - shading with charcoal\" width=\"800\" height=\"524\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-2-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-2-768x503.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m going to go ahead and put a little bit of the dark value behind the back edge of the skull so that I have some contrast there. That will help me better evaluate the values as I add them to the drawing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimage\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>25 Days to Better Drawings<\/span><br \/>\n    Learn a new drawing concept and skill every day for 25 days. Each drawing concept taught includes a short drawing exercise (less than one hour) that reinforces the concept taught.<br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/25-days-to-better-drawings\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW COURSE<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Before working too far down the front of the skull, I&#8217;m going to go ahead and add some tone and value to the top part of the skull. I&#8217;m using an extremely light touch with the charcoal pencil. You can see I&#8217;m holding the pencil very low down on the shaft so that it&#8217;s just barely making contact with the surface of the paper. As we make strokes with the pencil, we&#8217;re considering the cross contours or the plane in which each one of the marks is crossing over. This is going to affect the directional stroke that I make, and it&#8217;s also going to help create the illusion of form.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-3.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal Skull Drawing - shading the forehead\" width=\"800\" height=\"527\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-3-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-3-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>See also:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/charcoal-drawing-on-gray-paper-timed-drawing-exercise\">Charcoal Drawing of a Skull in 45 Minutes<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Working Down the Skull<\/h3>\n<p>As we continue to work our way down the picture plane, I&#8217;m going to add a little bit more of that dark background at the top. Then it&#8217;s back to the center part of the skull, working in one of the eye openings. In this eye opening on the right, we can see some subtle shifts of value inside. Since this sketch is loose and quick and since the surface dictates it, we&#8217;re not going to include all the details that we see. We just want an impression of the skull. We want a loose sketch, and this paper helps us to achieve that loose look.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-4.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal Skull Sketch - shading the middle of the skull\" width=\"800\" height=\"521\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-4-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-4-768x500.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our light source is originating from the right side of the picture plane. This means that all of the parts of the skull that stick out or protrude are going to be lighter on the right side compared to the left side. Even still, we still need to make some of the values on the right side a little bit darker, so instead of leaving them white, we&#8217;re going to create areas of gray. We just want to make sure that our value contrast is there so that we preserve the illusion of the light source in the final drawing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-5.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal Skull Drawing - Shading the bottom of the skull\" width=\"800\" height=\"517\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-5-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-5-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As we work down to the lower part of the skull and in the teeth section, I&#8217;m going to give an impression of the teeth, without defining all of the details. Since we only really clearly see the right side of the bottom of the jawbone, I&#8217;m only going to include a range of value here. On the left side, we&#8217;re going to focus mainly on the shadowed shapes that we see. <\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagedays\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>The Charcoal Drawing Course<\/span><br \/>\n    In this course, we explore the traditional drawing medium of charcoal. Learn the foundational principles of drawing while creating a variety of drawings using various forms of charcoal on different surfaces.<br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/the-charcoal-drawing-course\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW COURSE<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Finishing the Skull Drawing<\/h2>\n<p>Now we&#8217;ll finish the drawing by simply filling in the background with a heavy application of compressed charcoal.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-6.jpg\" alt=\"Charcoal Skull Drawing - finishing the background\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-6-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Charcoal-Skull-Drawing-Step-6-768x504.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now our drawing of a skull with charcoal is complete.<\/p>\n<h2>Spooky Skull Sketch &#8211; Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>A skull is certainly a spooky subject, but it&#8217;s also a great subject for practicing drawing. Every skull is slightly different and the light can be dramatically different. This provides a nice challenge. Skulls have been the subject of countless artworks and is one of my favorite things to draw. I hope this lesson helps you draw your own skull. <\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagenews\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Like This Lesson?<\/span><br \/>If so, join over 36,000 others that receive our newsletter with new drawing and painting lessons. Plus, check out three of our course videos and ebooks for free.<br \/><script src=\"\/\/static.leadpages.net\/leadboxes\/current\/embed.js\" async defer><\/script> <button data-leadbox-popup=\"v2CJtikZQDhPy8h6xv3hv4\" data-leadbox-domain=\"thevirtualinstructor.lpages.co\" style=\"background: rgb(230, 125, 55);border-color: rgb(230, 125, 55);border-radius: 10px;color: #FFFFFF;display: inline-block;vertical-align: middle;padding: 16px 32px;min-width: 150px;border: 1px solid rgb(230, 125, 55);width:70%;margin-top:8%;font-size: 1rem;font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;text-align: center;outline: 0;line-height: 1;cursor: pointer;-webkit-transition: background 0.3s, color 0.3s, border 0.3s;transition: background 0.3s, color 0.3s, border 0.3s;  box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);\">YES! I&#8217;M IN!<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbottom removep\">\n<div class=\"relatedcoursescontainer\">\n<div class=\"relatedcourse\">Related Courses and Classes<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/portrait-with-charcoal-old-man\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Portrait Drawing with Charcoal<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Portrait-Drawing-with-Charcoal-400.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/portrait-drawing-the-smart-way\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Portrait Drawing The Smart Way<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Portrait-Drawing-The-Smart-Way-Course.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/figure-drawing-with-charcoal\" class=\"sidebarbottom-curriculum\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"leftlean\"><i class=\"far fa-play-circle\" style=\"margin-right:5px;\"><\/i>Charcoal Figure Drawing<\/div>\n<div class=\"rightlean\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/charcoal-figure-drawing-lesson-series.jpg');\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"MoreLessons\">More Lessons You&#8217;ll Love&#8230;<\/div>\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"FlexContainer bluelink\">\n<div class=\"FlexOneThird hovereffect\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/matte-drawing-pencils-no-more-graphite-shine\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card--content\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/magic-pencils-matte-drawing-black-pencils-800.jpg\" alt=\"Matte Drawing Pencils\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"cardtitle\"><strong>Matte Drawing Pencils<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"FlexOneThird hovereffect\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/how-to-sharpen-any-pencil\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card--content\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/how-to-sharpen-artist-pencils-800.jpg\" alt=\"How to Sharpen Any Pencil\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"cardtitle\"><strong>How to Sharpen Any Pencil<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"FlexOneThird hovereffect\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/stippling-without-dots\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card--content\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/stippling-without-dots-stipple-paper-800.jpg\" alt=\"Stippling Without Dots\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"cardtitle\"><strong>Stippling Without Dots<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"FlexOneThird hovereffect\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/drawing-on-black-paper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card--content\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Drawing-on-Black-Paper-800.jpg\" alt=\"Drawing on Black Paper\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"cardtitle\"><strong>Drawing on Black Paper<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FREE COURSE VIDEOS BECOME A MEMBER BECOME A MEMBER JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today. START FREE TRIAL FREE COURSE VIDEOS Drawing a Skull with Charcoal In this lesson, we&#8217;ll work on stipple paper by the Bee Paper Company and complete the drawing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drawing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matt Fussell\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.9\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TheVirtualInstructor Blog |\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spooky Skull Sketch\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-13T20:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-25T17:58:07+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Spooky Skull Sketch\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#article\",\"name\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch\",\"headline\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Spooky-Skull-Sketch.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch with Charcoal\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-13T16:21:24-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-25T13:58:07-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Drawing\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/drawing#listItem\",\"name\":\"Drawing\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/drawing#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Drawing\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/drawing\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#listItem\",\"name\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/drawing#listItem\",\"name\":\"Drawing\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"TheVirtualInstructor Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\",\"name\":\"Matt Fussell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#authorImage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/70dc8e6cb12c1d88b35238fe8177e8d80e9695394a5bcf443086b55bf484b0c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"width\":96,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"Matt Fussell\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch\",\"name\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch\",\"description\":\"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/Spooky-Skull-Sketch.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"Spooky Skull Sketch with Charcoal\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/spooky-skull-sketch#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-13T16:21:24-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-25T13:58:07-04:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"TheVirtualInstructor Blog\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thevirtualinstructor.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO -->\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Spooky Skull Sketch","description":"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#article","name":"Spooky Skull Sketch","headline":"Spooky Skull Sketch","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Spooky-Skull-Sketch.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"Spooky Skull Sketch with Charcoal"},"datePublished":"2023-11-13T16:21:24-04:00","dateModified":"2026-03-25T13:58:07-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage"},"articleSection":"Drawing"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing#listItem","name":"Drawing"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing#listItem","position":2,"name":"Drawing","item":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#listItem","name":"Spooky Skull Sketch"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#listItem","position":3,"name":"Spooky Skull Sketch","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing#listItem","name":"Drawing"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"TheVirtualInstructor Blog","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin#author","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin","name":"Matt Fussell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#authorImage","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/70dc8e6cb12c1d88b35238fe8177e8d80e9695394a5bcf443086b55bf484b0c4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","width":96,"height":96,"caption":"Matt Fussell"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#webpage","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch","name":"Spooky Skull Sketch","description":"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/author\/admin#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Spooky-Skull-Sketch.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch\/#mainImage","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"Spooky Skull Sketch with Charcoal"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2023-11-13T16:21:24-04:00","dateModified":"2026-03-25T13:58:07-04:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/","name":"TheVirtualInstructor Blog","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"TheVirtualInstructor Blog |","og:type":"article","og:title":"Spooky Skull Sketch","og:description":"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.","og:url":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch","article:published_time":"2023-11-13T20:21:24+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-03-25T17:58:07+00:00","twitter:card":"summary","twitter:title":"Spooky Skull Sketch","twitter:description":"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time."},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"12138","title":null,"description":"Learn how to draw a spooky skull with charcoal on textured stipple paper. Using this paper with charcoal allows us to create a complete drawing in a short period of time.","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"Article","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2023-11-13 19:29:49","updated":"2026-03-25 18:11:31","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing\" title=\"Drawing\">Drawing<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tSpooky Skull Sketch\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog"},{"label":"Drawing","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/category\/drawing"},{"label":"Spooky Skull Sketch","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/spooky-skull-sketch"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12138"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12704,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12138\/revisions\/12704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}