Step by step of "John"

I am including a step by step of the charcoal drawing "John".

I began by covering the surface of the paper with charcoal dust followed by a dusting of acetone.
I then began to work into the mid tones erasing for the lights and adding charcoal for the darks.

In this stage I focused more on composition by removing the surrounding charcoal with a paper towel.

The dark values were added with a round paint brush dipped in acetone and powdered charcoal and then applying it to the paper.

Finished stage "John". The paper used is Strathmore 400 3-ply smooth.