Charcoal's earthy origins started with the charred ends of sticks, and truth be told, working with charcoal these days is no less messy, and no less grounded. Technology and advancements have made using charcoal these days easy and pleasurable.
Charcoal is favoured by some artist as working with charcoal is said to allow the artists to focus fully on the essence of a subject, and ignore many things that can often detract from a subject's true nature. In short: charcoal brings the artists down to earth, back to basics, and demands focus!
Depending on preferences, Scrap-n-Crop.com has stocked charcoals with different 'hardness' - for more details of the product, please click on this link that brings you to Scrap-n-Crop.com's Fine Art section of the online store.
Charcoal however should not be dismissed as a drawing or sketching medium as it is in essence a flexible medium.
Unlike working with most graphite, you can blend it into varying shades of gray, create strong, solid lines, or blur the lines into a swath of shadow.
Working with charcoal is very close to working with the essence of art: positive and negative space, perception, and tonal values become the keep components, as well as the areas where an artist should focus their attention.
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Important Tips on Charcoal
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Vine Charcoal
Vine charcoal is uncompressed charcoal. One of its characteristics is that it is easy to erase. It is also called willow charcoal.
Compressed Charcoal
Compressed charcoal looks like graphite and comes either in pencil form or stick form. It is available in various hardness levels: soft, medium or hard. Softer charcoals are darker, while hard charcoals are lighter.
Materials for Charcoal
Paper
The best paper choice for charcoal work is white, thick paper with a bit of texture. It shouldn't be too smooth, or the charcoal will not stick to the paper. Choose paper that is not too dark, otherwise the detailing will not be as visible.
Kneaded Eraser
Kneaded erasers are soft and bendable so that you can knead them into any shape. Kneaded erasers are great for creating subtle changes.
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