I completed this charcoal in a figure drawing class taught by Leo Neufeld, who paints in the old master tradition. “Leaning Forward on Chairback” reveals the glories of drawing in charcoal with its contrasting soft and rough textures. I consider drawing from life to be something of a sport. It requires every ounce of my observation and skill to turn lines and values into proportional anatomy. Because I had to get everything I could onto the paper in a limited amount of time, this picture has my life force in it as much as the model’s. The shape of his torso and limbs zig zag dynamically through the page creating negative shapes. The light landing on his left arm creates an abstract shape underlining his face. After shading the light tones of his back, I made quick downward strokes with a kneaded eraser to create the lights of the ribs.