Drawing pencils are often considered sturdy, reliable and precise. Charcoal, on the other hand, is a wild counterpart: it’s bold, daring and dramatic. It’s much darker than any pencil and has a richness, making drawing with charcoal completely unique experience.
Charcoal is also a versatile medium. While you can create extremely realistic, sensitive drawings with it, there is something about picking up that dusty stump of charcoal that frees us to go big, expressive and gestural.
Charcoal of All Kinds: Charcoal comes in several different forms.
- The compressed stick, which can can be hard, produces a grayer shade, or soft and very deep black.
- A softer charcoal is easier to smudge: it’s the one that will get all over your hands, your paper, and probably your clothing and face too!
- Pressed charcoal also comes as a pencil. This is useful for detailed drawings because it can be sharpened to a fine point. It is also much less messy!
- Willow or vine charcoal comes actually as a willow stick: it is long, cylindrical and wiggly. Willow charcoal is also very soft and produces a velvety, dove grey. It has a great texture to draw with, but is also very smudgy.
Why I love Charcoal:
Charcoal is used much the same way as a pencil. It’s a tool for drawing, shading and blending, but there is something psychologically different about using charcoal. It lets you get more expressive and work larger without getting stuck in details. Charcoal sticks especially can force you to focus on large shapes and general contours because of their blunt ends.
Charcoal Drawing Techniques:
- Charcoal can be used in the same way you use a pencil to draw and shade anything, but it’s best suited to to more expressive types of shading like hatching.
- Charcoal can also be used to do the preliminary drawings of a painting on canvas.
- Once you’ve blocked in your shapes and values, spray with a workable fixative and start painting. Turning your charcoal stick on its side and filling in major areas of a subject is a great way to train your brain to see shapes rather than contours.
- One of my favorite thing to do with charcoal, however, is gesture drawings. It’s the perfect tool for executing the large, sweeping strokes needed to capture a gesture.
- Use a nice chunk and a big pad of cartridge paper to get the most out of your drawings.
It is always a good idea to have a variety of drawing tools to choose from. The pencil is great for detailed renderings, but when it comes to expressive drawings I always reach for may stick of charcoal!
Do you prefer drawing with pencil or charcoal?
*****
Guest artist/author Miranda Aschenbrenner is a fine artist who specializes in graphite drawings. You can visit her blog to learn more about her art tips and drawing techniques. http://www.learntoart.com/
Thank you Miranda for another great guest article! ~Lori
PS. Let’s meet on Twitter and Facebook and Google Plus…and here is my website to view my paintings. ~Lori
Here are a few other articles you might enjoy:
6 Tips for a Stress Free Sketchbook
Photo Realistic Drawing Tips
5 Websites to Help You Draw
About Lori McNee
I love your pencil art…
And these are very useful tips for me..
Thanks for taking time to comment here. It is great to see you & glad you found this article useful!
Best – Lori
Pencil! Tho most ppl that know me say my charcoal works are better, to me the good ol graphite pencil will be always the best! I dont smudge it, and its like the whole drawing becomes your signature, when i do a portrait on charcoal,as good as it seems, it doesnt look so “personal” as my pencil drawings
You can compare them on my site and tell me your opinion
http://danielsanart.com/
Thanks for the tips
Hi Daniel. Thanks for stopping by this blog for a visit. I agree with you about the pencil vs. charcoal. As I was developing as an artist, I specialized in graphite wildlife drawings. I found the pencil easier to control and less messy than charcoal. Maybe I didn’t give charcoal enough of a chance, that said, I did enjoy gesture drawing with charcoal over the pencil though…charcoal is a looser medium and lends itself to this type of drawing.
I looked at your site and I have to agree that your charcoal drawings are stronger than your pencil works. In my opinion, there is more depth and richness of character. You have motivated me to give charcoal another try!
Thanks for sharing your site with us-
Lori
Hi! thanks to you, Im glad you saw them . Great, i cant wait to see your charcoal works
Ill keep watching your blog, its so rich and useful 
Have a good day!
Thanks again Daniel. I appreciate your nice feedback…let’s keep in touch!
Lori
i still dont understand how to use charcoal sticks and what they are used for
Hello Dustin-
Charcoal is a ancient medium that was used by the first known artists – cave dwellers. They would use the chunks of charcoal from the fire to draw on the cave walls. Today, people use the charcoal sticks for drawing. The sticks allow for a looser stroke than a charcoal pencil will make. Also, the artist can smudge it and use the side of the stick for different effects.
I hope this helps a little…
Happy drawing-
Lori
I agree with you on pencil- it’s totally best used without smudging techniques. I do, however, feel that charcoal is a better medium for me personally because of the realism of it. I can get a lot of detail out of pencil and ink, but if I want life-like and extreme contrasts between light and dark- like getting the shine on a person’s nose or cheekbone just right, then I go for charcoal all the time. One of my first charcoal portraits was a picture of Marilyn Monroe, and when I set it out at a distance in a mid-level lighting area, the picture almost took a 3-dimensional form and I felt like I was looking at a bust instead of just a picture. After that, I was hooked.
Hello Brian, I tend to prefer graphite over charcoal myself because it is easier to control. I do agree with you about the greater contrast that can be made using charcoal. I would love to see your charcoal portrait. Have you heard of powdered graphite? I have seen wonderful results and want to give it a try soon.
Hi Lori,
I am a would-be painter, but I still lack some basic skills in painting. Your tips are so useful. Your site is a huge inspiration. Thanks
Pencil!!! I’ve found graphite always messy & hard stick on to paper… i really wonder how people create magnificent portraits with charcoal.. some of my effort with pencil can be seen here..
http://nikhilroynikz.wordpress.com
Beautiful work, Nikhil! Thanks for sharing. I have never been successful with charcoal either. I love the pencil…in fact, I am planning to return to that medium soon.
Happy creating-
Lori
Thank you very much for visiting my blog … I’m an engineer by profession and do artwork only in my freetime… i have an affection towards making portraits and oil painting….but due to time constraints i’ve shifted to pencil shading…
By the way, i visited you website…. ur landscapes are magnificent… i loved the way you paint reflections (especially reflection of sky) in water…
Regards,
Nikhil
Fantastic work! I too love charcoal even though I am not nearly as talented as you. Let me know what you think of my work http://www.itutorblog.com/2011/04/charcoal-and-pastels-a-peek-into-my-sketchbook/
Great work posted here. I recently finished a charcoal and graphite portrait but I am not sure about mixing the grey of graphite with this really dark of charcoal. I love the darks but also love the control that you can have with graphite– but the graphite has a little shine next to the texture of charcoal. Is this something that I should mix or is it one or the other? Also how much workable fixative is it possible to use when building darks? Thanks.
Hello Jesse,
Mixing the two drawing mediums will make it difficult to even out the shine. I am not aware of a product that will help even them out. Here are some general guidelines for using a spray fixative.
Make sure your drawing is free from dust. Shake the can will help the fixative flow smoothly through the nozzle without drips and blobs. You can use 2-3 coats and let them dry in between. Follow the instructions on the can.
Good luck-
Lori
Thanks, I was a little confused when I read “pencil” in some instructions and thought the meaning was graphite instead of charcoal pencil. I’ll keep trying.
hey im alisha im 17 years old. ive been drawin with pencil since i was 3. i just recently tryed charcoal pencils. it is so much easier than pencil. but i still have some more learning to do.
I love working with charcoal pencils. I have actually made a real nice drawing using charcoal pencils. Not only did I get some great values, but I can capture finer details, all without the charcoal stuff on my fingers.
I have worked with pencils, but they don’t get the dark shades that I like.
Hello Kiki,
Yes, charcoal really makes beautiful darks. I can get pretty dark with a 6B pencil, but not the rich, deep value. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am glad you stopped by!
Cheers-
Lori
I am interested in your use of charcoal, and in particular your use of fixative. I have a problem when using fixative in that spraying the drawings changes the tones of the picture, creating a dull and sunken appearance. I use the fixative while building up the drawings, and as a final layer of protection.
Can you offer any advice on the use of fixative?
Thanks.
Hello Michael…yes, fixative can alter the way a drawing or pastel looks. Be sure and hold the can about 3 feet away when applying a light mist. 2 or 3 light coats in opposite directions work best. One tip, is to apply the fixative right before the final layer of the drawing. Some artists do not use fixative due to the sunken intensity it causes. I have not found a good way around this!
I hope this helps,
Lori
Hi,
your drawing is owesome.
i like to draw the pencil sketches, but i cant use charcoal i use only pencil in drawing sketches. so plz help me how to use charcoal?
Hello Sanket,
Good luck with charcoal. Just like with pencil, it just takes some practice. You might like it in pencil-like form first, rather than charcoal sticks – they are messier.
Lori
Hello Lori,
I love your paintings…I like charcol paintings but not sure how to do it and also here is none of the charcol painting classess so can you please let me know how can i start.
Thanks in advance.
Reagrds,
Shweta
The best way to start drawing is to just do it! You can start with easy objects like a sphere,(a ball), a cup or a shoe. Then work your way up to more difficult subjects. Good luck and have fun!
Lori
I want to use my charcoal to draw a person, but I don’t want it to spread/smudge. Is there a spray or something I can put on it to make it not Spread/smudge?
Yes, I use a spray fixative. Krylon makes a good one- here’s what it looks like. http://www.amazon.com/Krylon-6-Ounce-Crystal-Acrylic-Coating/dp/B001K65K26/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358897917&sr=8-2&keywords=krylon+fixative also, work with a piece of paper under your hand to help keep the drawing from smudging.
Hope this helps you Emily.
Lori
In my experience, charcoal has always been a great medium for showing some strong emotions. As you said, it is a lot looser than pencil itself, and I think that’s what makes me feel a strong sense of freedom when I pick it up.
Of course, I sometimes get really messy with it but that’s all part of my experimentation. Though I do have problems with it, for example: when trying to use it to show the small subtle waves of an ocean scenery. It starts looking more like Lava than anything else.
I like that thought…charcoal is great for showing strong emotions. I would agree. It is a challenging medium and very messy for sure! Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts.
Lori
Hi Lori,
What tips would you say can you give a first timer? I’ve always wanted to try charcoal drawing but have no idea where to start and what basic tools to use. I mostly like to draw nudes or the outlines of a human body. Your insight on this would be greatly appreciated
Thanks very much,
Christine
Hello Christine,
I would first buy a large pad of inexpensive newsprint paper at an art store. Also, try a range of different charcoal sizes and textures. Just enjoy playing and be free. You might also like to try Conte crayon too. Charcoal and Conte are perfect for drawing nudes. I love to vary the pressure of the stroke to follow the human body’s form. I hope this helps!
Happy drawing,
Lori