charcoal art

Charcoal Art

Charcoal Art:

When we think of charcoal we think of it burning in the fire place etc...... though I'm sure that this burnt form of wood was also probably used in the days of the cave man.

Think about it! you only had to a surface with it and a mark is left.

So, it's only natural that charcoal is still used today.

Indeed, a whole section of art is still devoted to it, and the texture and richness that charcoal brings to art of drawing is nothing less than amazing.

Have you ever tried to use charcoal, even as a child? If you have, then you realize the potential that this medium can offer.

And used properly, the most beautiful pieces of art work can stem from the artists hands and imagination.

Charcoal Art Sticks

Charcoal is available in natural sticks of willow and vine charcoal, and also a form of compressed charcoal in various grades in stick or pencil form.

You can still get charcoal in naturally burnt long twigs, and I can tell you, you will get a bit messy when handling it. Though who cares, when such wide strokes of one charcoal stick alone can deliver to your paper the broadness of texture and shades.

I have put some of my own drawings (that I did many years ago), for you to have a look at.

This is the time when I just went crazy on charcoal for a while. I did charcoal portraits night after night. And found that my speed was increasing at a fast rate. So you see......

Practice not only makes you a better artist, it also makes you quicker. With repetitive activity, you will find that you will naturally gain speed.

This is caused by your mind being exercised like a athlete in one area. Your mind gets accustomed to what you are doing, and familiarity... well you know what they say...........

Artist ~ Andrea Balch

You can see two of my Western hero's here. When drawing them at a fairly early age, I had also added a bit of white crayon and mixed it with the charcoal to create highlights.

Yes, you can mix them, though I would not mix too many different colors, as charcoal is best left simplified when creating the best impact.

I want you to experiment with charcoal, I find that there are many ways of using charcoal sticks.

You can lay them on their side, just break of a small chunk of charcoal and lay that bit on its side and drag it along your paper. You will find different textures showing up. It's great!

Charcoal Art Pencils

You also have charcoal in pencil form, which plainly means that; like a pencil, the charcoal is wrapped by an outer layer of wood. I use these for finer work in drawing, and also for cross-hatching if you want to do this in your drawings.

Charcoal Art Paper

Now I just don't want you to think that you should only draw on white paper in charcoal art. You can use most papers that you would use when drawing with pencil.

I drew my pictures above on a professional drawing booklet paper. I drew my pictures above in a sketch pad, my subscribers get more tips and tricks including: ideas on how to create patterns with charcoal in my free newsletter "pet art newsletter" .

You can also use different canvas if you like - or rough board. There are so many different surfaces on the market you can use these days.

Coarser paper surfaces tend to bring out the grain of the charcoal. If you don't want the grain to show through, well just fill in that space more densely.

Also, try using different colures of drawing paper, you will be delighted with all the different overall effects you can achieve in your drawings.

One of the main things I found about charcoal drawing. Is the freedom that you have, the ability of being able to do swift broad strokes, not as restrained as it would be with pencil. And this added freedom will also come out in your drawings.

Just go with it, and let your clean sweeps glide you over the paper. Resulting in effects that you will find delightful. Also smudge your work in areas as well, charcoal blends with itself so well.

I fully recommend that every artist does some form of art work with charcoal, as it builds up your confidence and gives you a freedom in drawing that you need to experience yourself.

Just one thing though charcoal art.... charcoal can get away from you, so this medium also makes you more controlled with your work when needed.