jpinMilwaukee wrote: As an artist I like things down and dirty. I like to get ink on my hands and paint under my fingernails.
go for the charcoal then! I always manage to get covered in whatever I'm painting in and charcoal is excessively, gloriously messy!
If you want to get away from the graphic then you do need to work and large and really go for it, work
fast, the lost edges and expressive marks will take you away from the graphic style detail.
Are there any classes you could attend to get feedback from a tutor? it could help you move forward. We have adult ed classes for all levels here from beginners to post grad challenging ones.