Basics: Charcoal

Types of Charcoal

Willow and vine charcoal -

Willow and vine charcoal comes in long, wispy strips. It is the most delicate of the charcoal, and you don’t have to press very hard on your page to use it. This makes it best for quick sketches, where you’re trying to capture something as it’s happening; your hand will glide across the page.
Because vine charcoal is so delicate, (you can easily crush it between two fingers) you can’t get as dark as you would with other types of charcoal. If you’re going to use it for a more polished drawing, you’ll want to reserve it for the lighter values.

Charcoal Pencils -

Charcoal pencils contain a core of compressed charcoal that is then covered in a wooden shaft. It can be sharpened to a point, which is great when you want to add fine little details. You have to be very careful with your charcoal pencils. If they drop, the core of the pencil will shatter and break, which makes it a nightmare to work with, and to sharpen later. Charcoal pencils are also available in different colours where they add pigment to the charcoal when they manufacture it.

Compressed charcoal -

Compressed charcoal has a very similar structure to chalk pastels. It is powdered charcoal held together with a binder of gum or wax. This type of charcoal is harder than willow and vine, and it will maintain its shape as you draw. Because of this, it’s great for details in a charcoal drawing with fine lines and textures.
Compressed charcoal comes in sticks or its more popular pencil form. The pencil is very handy because you can sharpen to get a nice point.

Woodless Charcoal Pencils -

Woodless Charcoal pencils are slightly harder than willow and create a dark, rich mark. You can use them for covering large areas or creating fine lines. They are different from charcoal pencils that are placed in a wooden shaft. The woodless charcoal usually just has a hard lining around them.

Charcoal Powder -

Charcoal powder usually comes in a tub. I prefer applying it with a fluffy makeup brush but you can also apply it with your blending stump, or with a bit of paper towel. This is great to quickly cover large areas in charcoal.

White charcoal -

Not actually charcoal, more of a soft chalk, but works the same as the traditional black charcoal.

Tips for Holding The Charcoal

Vine charcoal and compressed sticks should be held differently in your hand than a drawing pencil. It will vary from artist to artist, but my suggestion is to hold the charcoal with your thumb and forefinger with your palm facing the surface of the paper.

This allows you to make marks using your shoulder and elbow instead of with just your wrist.