Charcoal Drawing - The Basics of Using Charcoal

When it comes to drawing or sketching there are a number of instruments that artists can use to transfer their imagination onto a sheet of paper. One medium that is commonly used by artists when the are drawing or sketching is charcoal. Drawing with charcoal is easy and accessible, because the artist can use charcoal to create light grays as well as rich dark blacks, and it is very easy to work with. The popularity of charcoals seems to be steadily growing as more and more artists realize its unique quality to enhance the visual presentation of their sketches and drawings. Compared to that of the pencil, drawing with charcoal is more visually stimulating. Artists that use charcoal for their drawings and sketches are taken more seriously as an artist.

Before you begin using charcoal in your artistic endeavors, you need to be aware that there are more than just one type of charcoal to choose from. First of all there is the charcoal pencil. The charcoal pencil is made up of tightly compressed pieces of charcoal that are then wrapped in a plastic or a timber like material. The charcoal that is used in these pencils can be flaky and powdery, so if you decide that you are going to use a charcoal pencil without its plastic or timber covering, you might end up with dirty hands.

Charcoal pencil are great because they are very easy to sharpen, and this is very important when it come to the finest details of your drawings. Another of type of drawing charcoal that artists use is; willow and vine charcoal. This type of charcoal is generally comes, and is used unwrapped. Willow and vine charcoal can produce shades that range anywhere from pale gray to a deep black. This is a great utensil for everyday sketches. One of the more noticeable traits of the willow and vine charcoal is that it tends to smudge. Hard charcoal is a strong, tough sketching tool that is used primarily to make extremely fine lines. You might want to consider using hard charcoal on strong, thick art paper. Most charcoal are general very affordable. This should allow you to try all of them so that you can find the on that fits your needs the best.

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