Charcoal Drawing Techniques - How to Draw with Charcoal

Let's first understand what exactly is a charcoal drawing. A charcoal drawing can be defined as, 'The use of charred sticks of wood to make finished drawings and preliminary studies.' - Encyclopedia Britannica. It produces an intense and a very dark, velvety black line. Unless some form of resin or gum is applied, charcoal as a medium easily tends to get smudged or erased which makes it perishable. This special characteristic of charcoal is used in wall murals outline which is either drawn directly on a wall or on sketches. It is also used in roughing the outline of a large painting on canvas which is further completed by using something which is more permanent such as oil. It is often used by the artists to have a quick replication of a preliminary idea.

The edge of a charcoal is soft and that is why charcoal tends to prefer broad, robust drawings. It gives emphasis on mass and movement rather than on the fluidity of the lines. An artist can freely draw and make changes in the drawing, since charcoal particles usually tend to fall off from the canvas. Some of the renowned charcoal artists of the 16th and the 17th century are Albrecht Durer and Paulus Potter. It continued throughout the 19th, 20th and the 21st century with notable names like Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Ernst Barlach and Kathe Kollwitz.

Techniques for Charcoal Drawing
For more effectiveness and ease, charcoal drawing should at first be done with a medium-sized charcoal. You can simply use your finger or paper towels to rub off any part of the drawing. Shading, merging, highlighting, toning, etc. are some of the steps that are required in a charcoal drawing. So it is important that you should have proper charcoal drawing supplies. They are mentioned below:

• Paper: Select a white, thick paper with a bit of texture. It should not be too smooth, else the charcoal will not stick to the paper. The paper should also not be too dark, otherwise the detailing will not be done properly.
• Vine Charcoal: Vine charcoal is an uncompressed charcoal that is easy to erase. It is also called willow charcoal.
• Compressed Charcoal: These look like graphite and come either in pencil or stick which is soft, medium or hard. The soft ones are darker, while the hard ones are lighter.
• Kneaded Eraser: These erasers are soft and bendable so you can knead them into any shape. Kneaded erasers are good for creating subtle changes.
• Gum/White Erasers: These erasers are comparatively harder. These are good for revealing white highlights.
• Blending Stumps: Blending stumps are also called tortillon. They are good for blending in smaller details.
• Paper Towels: These can be used for blending large areas. These are also effective for rubbing vine charcoal sketches.

Tips to Draw with Charcoal
Start off by setting up your workstation. Remember working with charcoal is a dirty job. In order to keep it clean, put some newspapers on your working table. Now, you can get ready to learn charcoal painting:

• Take a paper and cover it with charcoal. Be careful not to leave any white spots.
• Take a good black and white photograph or even a portrait if you are a beginner. Turn the picture upside down to lend your own imagination and uniqueness to the drawing. Just try to give some basic highlights of the face since you don't have to replicate the image.
• Rub off the outline of the head with an eraser.
• You can start with the eyes. Be careful not to place them on the top of the image, since you will also have to draw the hair.
• In the photo, start finding the places that are the lightest. Erase out those areas completely. Apply less pressure as you go on rubbing out the areas.
• Work on the details with a charcoal. You can also erase out additional areas.
• Now you can start erasing the area that is supposed to be the hair. Try to follow the patterns of the photo.
• Erase out the other areas besides the portrait. Fill the outline that was white with the charcoal.
• Your portrait will be ready by now. It may not be the best of the portraits, which means that you will need more practice. You can try some other pictures which include fruits, vases or flowers. Be careful to pay attention to the lighting and technique.

When you have completed these, you can try to draw intricate images like trees, streets and houses. Follow the same technique. Now that you have learned how to draw with charcoal, it is important that you follow a few safety measures. Try to work on a well-ventilated room. Wash your hands after working with charcoal and never put them in your mouth. With these few tips and techniques, your charcoal drawing is sure to be appreciated by all.