Charcoal – Studio Exploration – Teaching Portfolio

Charcoal Studio Exploration

Quality

3 Types of Charcoal
1.) Compressed Charcoal (pencil)
Powdered charcoal that is mixed together with gum/binder
The amount of binder used – determines the softness or hardness of the charcoal

B = Soft Charcoal HB = Medium CharcoalH = Hard Charcoal9 H = Hardest 9B = Softest

Compressed charcoal can come in a pencil form or can come without a casing

According to Nitram Fine Art Charcoal, “for artists, 2B graphite provides a good range of grayscale values and blend-ability, but there are times when something lighter, crisper and shaper is needed, so the artist will select something in the H range. When darker is desired, an artist will choose something higher in the B range.”

It’s smart to work from softest (B) to hardest (HB or H) when using charcoal

2.) Willow/Vine Charcoal
Made by burning pieces of wood
Like compressed charcoal – vine charcoal varies in softness and hardness

3.) Powdered charcoal

Loose powder form used for covering large areas or for the initial layer

Brands

There is not a significant difference between the different qualities/brands. It is important to keep in mind the different types of charcoal.

Lower Quality

Artist’s Loft charcoal

Medium Quality

Blick Charcoal
General’s Charcoal Drawing Assortment

High Quality

Prismacolor
Cretacolor Noir Drawing Charcoal 11 Piece Set
Winsor & Newton Charcoal

Age Appropriateness

Not appropriate for young children – due to the messiness

Best to keep it 3rd grade and up. Introducing more of a variety of charcoal to middle school and up.

Additional Resources to Consider

Erasers: Different degrees of thickness, Gum eraser
Surface – paper
Tape and a drawing board to make the artmaking process easier
Blending tools besides finger – smuging tool: different degree of thickness, paper towels, soft paint brush, rag, Q tip

White charcoal for highlighting
Fixative spray and proper storing for longevity
Cleaning supplies and proper safety precautions: wet cloth, charcoal should never be swept – dust mask in certain cases could be necessary
Pencil sharpener for charcoal pencils

Charcoal Basics

Limitations

Vine charcoal is very messy and delicate

Charcoal is very easy to break and shatter – compressed charcoal is not as fragile as vine, but is it not as easy to blend
Not always a lot of control with charcoal
Not all charcoal is nontoxic and it should never be digested

Safety:

Cleaning should be done with a wet cloth or mop – never swept up
Excess should be tapped off – not blown

Strengths

Low costing
Easy to blend
Charcoal produces a darker, richer value in comparison to graphite.
Soft charcoal – the easiest to draw and sketch with
Harder charcoal – good for harsh lines and details, not as easy to manipulate
There are many types of charcoal to work with
Diverse medium

How to sketch with charcoal

Personal Comfort Level

I have not worked with charcoal since college and it is certainly not my strongest medium. When I drew more often I preferred graphite with charcoal detailing.

I would have to experiment more in order to be fully comfortable teaching this medium.