The Beauty of Charcoal

I have recently had the opportunity to explore charcoal. All I can say is that it is one of the most beautiful mediums to work in. There are different types of charcoal and its important to understand which type to use to get the right effect you want. Vine charcoal is a very soft charcoal and it sits on the paper, you can move it about the paper with a blending tool like your finger or a brush or blending stick. It is easily removed too with an eraser. It’s a good base to start drawing with. Compressed charcoal is a very graphic strong tone. The charcoal sticks to the paper and it’s hard to move about but it demands you to be confident. Charcoal pencils are harder still and they are good for detailed drawing. They are what I use as a finishing touch.

 

What paper you use is important too. Paper with a slight texture holds the charcoal better, but I don’t love textured paper so I used smooth paper and I struggled to fix the charcoal when I had finished.

Having worked with charcoal, I totally understand why many artists use it in their work. It has the capacity to be bold and strong and extremely graphic or you can create the gentlest tonal range. I totally respect it and I’m very grateful for experiencing it.