Charcoal is such a great medium for expression and i find it easier than graphite to get my contrasting values. The lightest part of these drawings is the paper. Same as with my watercolour i always try to maintain the original light of the paper and not add too much,if any opaque whites over the dark tones. I truely believe you can never gather enough knowledge of basic drawing. My paintings can only benefit from constantly revisiting the fundamentals with a fresh eye.