Toned paper holds the middle value, so darks and lights resonate against it rather than competing against bare white.
Vine charcoal establishes the structure; pressed Conté deepens into the tooth for saturated darks that never flatten to black.
Chalk highlights are reserved for the final passages, placed only where light truly falls, preserving their authority.
The first marks are sweeping and searching — proportion and movement established before any contour is committed.