Charcoal Drawing: Intro; Materials + Examples of Marks

Intro to Charcoal

The main feature of these mediums is that they make very strong drawings in a linear, tonal, textural and atmospheric way, and the drawings nearly always tend to be very dramatic and expressive.

+++Charcoal, Conte Crayons and Compressed Charcoal.

INTRO to CHARCOAL

Charcoal is the oldest medium of the three materials in this section. It’s made from wood that has been slowly charred in a controlled firing. The material takes on the natural form of the wood that can range from a twig to something as large as a branch. The largest piece of charcoal we have seen is up to 2 inches thick and this is called scene painters charcoal.

Charcoal is a material that has been around since the dawn of man. As man discovered fire then he discovered charcoal, inadvertently at first then by purposeful production. The inadvertent discovery of charcoal enabled man to make his first drawings, recording his observations and thoughts of life in his surroundings. The mark that charcoal made would soon develop into a sophisticated visual language that would be an expression of the day-to-day lives of these early peoples as seen today on cave walls.

Since these early discoveries, man has developed the medium into other forms such as conte crayon, wax crayon, and a form of compressed charcoal. We have developed stabilizers to fix the drawings and make them permanent. We have also developed the use of erasers that remove or enhance the potential of the drawing.

Charcoal has qualities that are obviously different to other materials. Compared to graphite or pencil charcoal is a soft smudgy material that delicately survives on the surface of the paper until fixed and made permanent. The material produces a good strong line, tone, and textured surfaces in a similar way to graphite but with a character that is very different. Charcoal has what we can only describe as an ethereal, atmospheric quality to it. It feels more direct as a material when one is using it. It feels softer and gentler in its response, whereas graphite has a more immediate harshness to it.

Another material made from charcoal is compressed charcoal. This is a material that first came into existence in the first half of the last century, and behaves more like a pastel in that it holds the surface of the paper more substantially than charcoal, and has a propensity to be slightly denser than charcoal. Compressed charcoal is made by crushing charcoal into a fine powder then mixing it by rolling it with a fine binder to make a compressed charcoal stick. The stick has to be made to such a consistency so that it can be handled without crumbling or breaking, yet at the same time soft enough to make a mark when put to paper. Varying degrees of hardness and softness can be obtained for compressed charcoal as with pencils. The product is manufactured and can be brought from any art suppliers.

Finally, one can obtain charcoal in a pencil form. This enables the charcoal to be sharpened and allows it to be used more like a pencil. However, you do lose the intrinsic quality that charcoal has when used in this form.

CONTE CRAYON

Conte crayon is the same as compressed charcoal except that the pigment and the binders are different. Conte crayons are small square sticks that are made from pigment mixed with clay and a binder. They are harder than charcoal, compressed charcoal, and pastels. The traditional colors are black, white, sanguine, bistre, and sepia. You can however now get conte crayons in different colors. Conte crayon can also come encased in wood like a pencil. Conte crayon, like charcoal, can be smudged. However, it creates a very intense black tone that is much stronger and more difficult to remove than charcoal. Conte crayon is very good for both tonal drawings, and more intense mark making drawings.

WAX CRAYONS

These are very different in character to the previous materials. They are made from a mixture of paraffin pigment and wax. They can come in many different colors and they have a very greasy feel to them just like wax.

They are not at all dusty like charcoal so it’s not easy to smudge the material. If you need to erase the material on the paper you need to use a solvent and when this is applied it will smear and loosen the wax on the paper.

However, it’s a very useful material for building up layers of different colors, dark over light, and then scratching back through these layers revealing the colors from underneath. This technique is call scraphite, and the artist Paul Klee used it very successfully. The special qualities that emerge from this technique are that the marks that one scratches into the surface appear very luminous. This way of working does not lend itself to being a very naturalistic means of recording our observations, but it’s very good for rendering more symbolic and abstract statements.

SPANISH BLACK

There is a very quick and cheap way to make a poor man's charcoal that is known as Spanish Black. This charcoal is made from burning the end of a cork for a few minutes. W e can remember using this as a student for very soft drawings when we could not afford proper charcoal. It’s also very good as a cheap form of theatrical make up, and can be used for false beards and eyebrows.

FIXATIVE

Fixatives are used to preserve charcoal drawings. The fixative solution is applied with a sprayer or an atomizer. It should be applied to the drawing in fine coats to create the desired effect. Fixative is a binder that holds the loose particles of charcoal to the surface of the paper. The most common form of fixatives are diluted solutions of mastic, shellac, or manila copal diluted in alcohol.

Nowadays, modern synthetic resins are used.

Charcoal that has been previously dipped in linseed oil before use needs no fixing.

However, you lose the soft atmospheric quality of the charcoal that is its main characteristic. It’s essential to fix your charcoal drawing when you have finished it, otherwise it will remain unstable and liable to get damaged through smudging.

FIXING YOUR CHARCOAL DRAWING

Charcoal is, as we have mentioned, a very unstable material. Once applied to the surface of the paper or support it can easily be erased or smudged, especially accidentally. When you are satisfied that your charcoal drawing has reached a point where you feel it’s finished, it’s important that you stabilize the drawing immediately on to the support. This is what is termed fixing the drawing.

Fixative is a solution that acts as a binder.

It seals the charcoal or the pastel on to the support which is usually paper. If the drawing is not fixed it will remain unstable and thus liable to damage and dis figurement.

The fixative solution is applied by spraying the solution evenly over the drawing surface, using two or three coats very thinly and allowing it to dry between coats. This ensures that the whole surface of the drawing has been covered. The solution should dry clear so as not to have an effect on the drawing. But some home made solutions can yellow with time. It’s best for longevity that you use a manufactured commercial solution. These fixatives can be brought at any art suppliers, and usually come in two different forms.

The first and easiest way to apply fixative is to buy the spray can version of the material (illustration 1). Although this can be expensive, in our opinion it’s worth it. The other option is to buy the fixative in a bottle.

It comes as a clear solution, and it needs to be applied through what is called a diffuser.

One end of the diffuser is placed into the fixative solution and the other end into the mouth (illustration 2). You then proceed to blow steadily. This action creates a spray, which you aim at your drawing. You must repeat this action two or three times, as you would with the spray can variety of fixative, to achieve a good covering.

A much cheaper way to fix your drawing is to make your own fixative from diluted resin. This is a very time consuming process, but if you like doing this sort of thing it can be very rewarding. (If you are interested in attempting this, you can find 'recipes' in the Artists Materials and Techniques'.) You will need a diffuser as applicator if you opt to make your own solution.

ERASERS

Most erasers that are used for charcoal can also be used for graphite. However there are particular erasers that are more appropriate for charcoal mediums. A putty rubber is a very good example, as it seems to soak up the charcoal from the surface of the paper, and it can be kneaded into different shapes to erase in particular ways that enhance the drawing. There are other erasers that also work well with charcoal.

A length of cloth can be used to remove charcoal from the surface of the support.

This is achieved by beating the cloth over the area you wish to remove. It won’t however completely remove the charcoal surface, but it will leave the ghost of the drawing. This can be a useful as when you redraw it stops you making the same mistakes over again.

One can also use bread to remove charcoal from the surface of the support, and also sandpaper. Compressed charcoal and conte crayon are much more stubborn marks to remove so our advice is to use a good quality plastic eraser. Marks or areas made by wax crayons can be removed by solvents or scratching at the surface with a razor blade.

Removing wax crayon marks can be difficult.

SUPPORTS

Most charcoal, compressed charcoal, conte crayon, and wax crayon drawings are made on paper supports. It’s important to experiment with different papers and surfaces, both flat and textured. Flat paper surfaces will allow an even line to be drawn and flat tonal surface to be created. Whereas a textured paper surface will give the impression of the texture of the paper.

Materials + examples of marks

WILLOW CHARCOAL

Willow charcoal or vine charcoal is a very fluid drawing medium and is much freer and more open in its application than pencil. It also lends itself to larger, broader drawing than the type of graphic drawings one associates with pencil. Examples of marks made by the willow charcoal are as follows.

1) A diagonal line that moves from light to dark. Charcoal is very useful for making tonal changes very quickly.

2) A tonal recession from light to dark that has been smoothed out by smudging the charcoal with the finger. Then lightly rubbed with an eraser.

3) Here the side of the charcoal has been dragged across the surface of the paper to create a textural tonal gradation.

4) Here we have a heavy strong line produced by placing a lot of pressure on the charcoal whilst making the line.

5) Is the opposite of 4. This is a very fine line produced using very light pressure.

6) Here we have a heavy dark thick line moving to a lighter thin line produced by changing the pressure whilst in the process of making the line.

7) A tight cutting type of line produced by dragging the side of the charcoal across the paper.

8) An open zigzagging line is produced in the same way as number 7, but this time one uses a pushing and pulling motion to create the line.

9) Here we have a similar zigzagging line as number 8 - made in the same way but it's a more compressed zigzag.

Controlled mark making with charcoal.

Expressive and fluid marks with charcoal.

LINEAR SHADING TECHNIQUES USING WILLOW CHARCOAL

1 - 6: Show a series of techniques on how to build up crosshatching to create shading, and in turn, these techniques are used to create the illusion of form.

1) Diagonal parallel lines created by using the side of the charcoal. See holding the charcoal.

2) Diagonal lines in parallel directions. One set in one direction and the other set layered over the top going in the other direction.

3) Vertical parallel lines.

4) Vertical parallel lines over layered by horizontal parallel lines.

5) Section 2 over-layered by section 3 shows a build up of tone.

6) Section 2 over-layered with section 4 creates a much darker controlled tone.

7 - 8) this is called bracelet shading and is used to create the illusion of form.

7) Bracelet shading to give the illusion of a sphere.

8) Crosshatch bracelet shading - this type of shading was used by many artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to draw the human from.

Keep practicing these techniques - they are a vital component of many charcoal compositions.

EXPERIMENTING WITH THE CHARCOAL MEDIUM MAKING MARKS

As with the pencil, before you start to work with it in earnest you should become familiar with the medium and what potential it has.

Charcoal is a very natural medium and therefore it does not lend itself to very tight diagrammatic work - it’s too messy for that.

It fundamentally lends itself to a more fine art and expressive notion of drawing. So it’s a more open and expansive type of material to use.

The type of charcoal marks that are made in this section tend to imply texture and surface and therefore can be used in drawings that have a textural quality to them.

From 1 to 9 there are a few examples of mark making. These are just a few ideas to encourage you to experiment with the medium. What we advise is that you make as many potential marks as you can, so that you build up a glossary of mark making that can effectively be used in the future when and where appropriate.

1) Lay a piece of charcoal about 1" to 2" long flat on the surface of the paper. Then twist it creating a circle. Repeat this process in a pattern and you create a texture.

2) Lay the same piece of charcoal flat on the paper then move it across the paper in a wave like fashion. Repeat this motion slightly over lapping the first row and you can create a knitted type texture.

3) Do the same as number two but in a more geometric manner.

4) Take the same piece of charcoal and drag it to create a dash like mark. Repeat this at regular intervals. If you are drawing a building with many windows this is a very useful solution to that visual problem.

5) Do the same as four but angle the mark.

This textured mark could be used for the implied surface of a woven basket, or the surface of a parquet floor.

6) Take the charcoal end. Using it on its side make a small arc by pulling the charcoal in that direction. Repeat the process as a reflection of the first arc, and then make a row of these marks. This tends to give the impression of a woven texture usually seen on basketry.

7) A similar process as number 6 but one makes an angled mark this gives the impression of a rope.

8) Pulling the charcoal across the surface in an horizontal direction creates very tight lines giving the impression of wood grain.

9) Similarly drawing parallel wavy lines can produce a different type of wood grain.

USING ERASERS TO MAKE MARKS

The eraser is a very useful tool when used in conjunction with the charcoal medium either to make marks or to enhance the tonal qualities of a drawing. Making a reduction tone drawing can be a very effective way of creating a drawing. It also makes one think of the eraser as a positive tool rather than something that is used just for erasing mistakes. Like the other mediums, one can devise ways of using the eraser to create a glossary of marks that can be used as an expression for our observations. A good tip is to always keep the eraser clean. One can do this by rubbing it onto a clean surface, or if it’s a plastic eraser, it will stand washing.

An eraser was used to give this picture its tonal qualities.

TONKING

Tonking is a well-established way of erasing or knocking back a charcoal drawing. It was devised, we are led to believe, by one Professor Sir Henry Tonks.

1) Sketch your drawing in very basically using line to establish the composition. Then apply the tone from your observation to the drawing. Do this in a very broad way giving the drawing a black and white appearance.

2) Take a soft cloth and beat back the drawing dispersing the tone, and at the same time knocking back the tonal density of the whole drawing. This gives the drawing a very atmospheric feel and leaves us with the ghost of the first drawing.

3) You are now in a position to re-establish your drawing both compositionally and tonally until you have created the effects of chiaroscuro (light and dark). This process can be repeated many times until you are satisfied with your drawing and you have bought it to a satisfactory conclusion. Now 'fix' the drawing. Establish the composition. 'Knock back' the drawing.

Tonking can also be applied to still life subjects. Here each object is given form by the selective application of the technique. Re-establish the tone to give each object clear shape and form.