Charcoal
Charcoal drawing is addictive. Maybe it’s because charcoal drawings are so fast and immediate, or maybe because the final look is often so impressive, but people love charcoals. Even the great Michelangelo created a number of charcoal drawings. | Thomas Fluharty
Introduction to Charcoals
Charcoal is a raw and ancient medium. It is made simple by charring twigs of willow and vines at a very high temperature. This produces a very light and brittle stick, which is a great sketching and drawing tool. Its stroke can be altered with pressure and erased easily with a sweep of the hand. And then there’s compressed charcoal made of compressed charcoal powder and binder, then formed into round or square sticks. It is sturdier, creates rich dark strokes, which are more permanent. Although this medium pairs very nicely with soft pastel or ink, it also stands alone. One can draw quickly with it and produce the most dramatic results, because of its tonal range.