Charcoal Primer

Nearly every beginning artist is exposed to the use of charcoal. Charcoal is inexpensive, so even the hungriest of "starving" artists can afford to buy it; and it is easy to find - nearly every art and craft store handles some form of charcoal. But despite its commonness, charcoal is an expressive creative tool, valued for its richness and ease of application.

Charcoal is marketed in several different forms. The most widely recognized type--that used in beginning classes and for initial drawings on canvas prior to painting--is vine charcoal. It is actual vines (or in some cases willow twigs) slowly heated to remove moisture and to extract all but the carbon in the plant tissues. This process converts the raw material into smooth uniform sticks, perfect for artistic uses. These sticks are packaged in a number of ways, usually found in envelopes of 3 to 5 sticks to boxes of around 48 sticks.

The second most common type of charcoal is compressed charcoal. It is usually formed into square sticks from 3 to 5 inches long. Packaged in small sets or up to 25 sticks per box, this high quality charcoal is a bit firmer and blacker than vine charcoal. It is the choice of artists who work extensively in charcoal and want the capabilities of the wide strokes and coverage possible with compressed charcoal.

The third form in which an artist might encounter charcoal is pencil. Charcoal pencils are offered in a wide range of softness degrees. The softer the charcoal, the richer and darker the line will be. These pencils are much neater than either vine or compressed charcoal and are easily brought to a sharp point in a hand sharpener.

Sets of all types of charcoal are available and often contain one more item. Remarkably, sold in conjunction with the charcoal is what is called "white" charcoal. It is a smooth, opaque white that can be worked over black charcoal to create a full spectrum of gray tones. This white charcoal is available in both stick and pencil form and closely resembles conte crayon or hard pastel.

Erasing charcoal lines can be done with almost any eraser, but the best results occur with a kneaded eraser. The slightly "oily" feel and absorbency of the surface of a kneaded eraser lifts and removes more charcoal than most other erasers. Drawings could be diminished by simply blowing across them to remove eraser crumbs. Kneaded erasers leave few crumbs to disturb the drawing or smear during removal. Stumps and tortillons can be used with charcoal to smooth and blend any area of a charcoal drawing, to softly feather the edges of a design or to blend an erased area.

Special papers, designed specifically for pastel, are available by the sheet or in pads and come in several sizes. These papers are often toned in pastels and gentle earth colors, sometimes in assortment packs, to complement the sharp contrasts created with the rich black (or white) lines of charcoal. Pastel boards are also available. Other surfaces that lend themselves well to charcoal include velvet or velour papers and any that are designed for pastel work. These extra rich and toothy surfaces hold the charcoal powder better than hard surfaces such as conventional drawing papers. A fine granular surfaced paper, actually a specially made sand paper, is now marketed that works very well to grip charcoal powder and hold it in place. The texture is easy to work with and can be sprayed with fixative.

Speaking of fixatives, they are very useful in holding the powdery surface of charcoal (and pastels) in place. They help "seal" the surface to prevent smearing and smudging and loss of detail.

In the actual application of charcoal, there are several tips that might help you get the results you want. Since the powder generated by dragging charcoal across paper tends to create a lot of dust, one suggestion is to set a tilted drawing board above a slightly dampened studio towel. This dampness attracts the dust and holds it, creating less mess.

When applying fixative, there are two tips that pertain to charcoal. Use a permanent fixative, not a workable one. You will still be able to work over the sprayed surface (once dry), but it will be far less likely to smudge. When applying the fixative, stand well above the work and allow a shower of spray to float down to the surface. This avoids any possible pooling and wetting of the charcoal surface. Apply several light coats or one heavy application through the back of the paper. Saturate the back of the drawing, allowing the fixative to soak through the sheet. This will anchor the charcoal and cause no loss of line or detail and should be done with the work hanging rather than lying facedown.

Transporting charcoal is very much like transporting pastel. Avoid rolling the drawings if at all possible, as this is the easiest way to smear or distort a finished charcoal. For optimum protection, use any slick surfaced paper that is non-absorbent over the drawing and transport in a folder or artist's portfolio. The slick surface and rigid surround will neither attract the powdery surface nor allow the drawing to come into contact with mishap.

We might have started our art education working in charcoal, and it may seem an elementary art material, but it has a richness and velvety quality that is appealing to almost everyone. Charcoal is inexpensive, expressive, fun and ready in an instant. What could be better?