Charcoal is one of the most basic of all drawing materials. Maybe you’ve used it at school?
It is usually made of thin peeled willow twigs which are cleverly heated without the presence of oxygen. This changes the twigs into black, crumbly sticks. When you draw with a charcoal stick, it leaves tiny particles in the paper that can be very dark or very delicate.
Charcoal makes wider, smudgier lines than a pencil, so it’s good for free, loose drawing and sketching. You have to be careful though! Charcoal smudges easily. If you’re left-handed, you might find you’ve got a very grey arm when you’ve finished, by accident! You can protect your finished pictures with a special spray called a fixative.
What’s your favourite charcoal picture? Have you uploaded any to My Gallery?
Tags: About Art
