Final answer:
The common feature made with graphite pencil, charcoal, or Conté crayon is tonal gradations of black and white, allowing artists to create chiaroscuro effects and a range of shades from light grey to deep blacks to depict light and shadow.
Step-by-step explanation:
A common feature made with graphite pencil, charcoal, or Conté crayon is D. Tonal gradations of black and white. These materials are popular in drawing for their ability to create a range of tones from light grays to rich blacks. Graphite pencils are graded by hardness, with soft pencils (B) creating dark marks and hard pencils (H) producing lighter, grayer lines. Charcoal, one of the oldest drawing media, is known for its soft application that results in velvety blacks, especially in its vine and compressed forms.
Conté crayons, developed in response to a graphite shortage, consist of a mixture of clay and graphite, and are well-regarded for their hardness potential and color variety which includes red and gray besides black. Chalk and pastels differ from these media by producing more color hues and are made from materials like limestone, with a waxy or greasy binder.
Each of these mediums allows artists to create chiaroscuro effects, where the interplay of light and dark creates depth and a dramatic look reminiscent of Renaissance and Baroque artworks, highlighting the power of tonal gradations within monochromatic schemes.