• Menu
  • My Account
  • Shopping Cart0
[email protected]   toll free (888) 202 8512
  • Home
  • Store Policy
  • Location
  • About Us
  • Art Tips
  • Contact Us
  • Teachers
  • My Account
ArtSupply.Comhome
Shopping Cart 0
ITEMS
QTY
PRICE
TOTAL
Your Cart has been updated!
Subtotal
$0
Discount
[DISCOUNTS]
TOTAL
[CARTTOTAL]
There are no products in your shopping cart.
My Wish Lists Login Register Search 0 Shopping Cart Menu
Search
Search
ArtSupply.Com
  • Home
  • Archival
    • Archival Foam Board
  • Board
    • Bainbridge SuperBlack Mounting Board
    • Chip Board
  • Paint Brushes
    • Signature Bristle Brushes
    • Pure Sable Fan Brushes
    • Hake and Bamboo Brushes
    • Grey Matters Acrylic Synthetic Brushes Angled
    • Grey Matters Acrylic Synthetic Brushes Bright
    • Grey Matters Acrylic Synthetic Brushes Filbert
    • Grey Matters Acrylic Synthetic Brushes Flat
    • Grey Matters Acrylic Synthetic Brushes Round
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Bright
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Egbert
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Fan
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Filbert
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Flat
    • Grey Matters Bristle Brushes Round
    • Grey Matters Oil Synthetic Brushes Bright
    • Grey Matters Oil Synthetic Brushes Angeled
    • Grey Matters Oil Synthetic Brushes Filbert
    • Grey Matters Oil Synthetic Brushes Flat
    • Grey Matters Oil Synthetic Brushes Round
    • Grey Matters Synthetic Rake
    • Grey Matters Synthetic Rigger
    • Grey Matters Watercolor Synthetic Brushes Angeled
    • Grey Matters Watercolor Synthetic Brushes Flat
    • Grey Matters Watercolor Synthetic Brushes Liner
  • Canvas
    • Stretcher Bars
    • Cotton and Linen Canvas
    • Canvas Panels
    • Canvas Pads
    • Canvas Pliers Brushes & Gesso
    • Hardwood Painting Surfaces
  • Drafting
    • Vyco Borco Board Covering
    • Parallel Rulers
    • PXB Parallel Boards
    • Templates
    • T-Squares
    • Drafting Kits
    • Adjustable Curves
    • Drafting Scales
    • Adjustable Triangles
    • French Curves
    • Triangles
  • Drawing
    • Blending Stumps
    • Charcoal
    • Drawing Boards
    • Drawing Manikins
  • Easels
    • Best Easels
    • Metal Easels
    • Plein Air Easels
    • Sienna Easels
    • Lyptus Easels
    • Easel Backs
    • Table-Top Easels
  • Fine Art
    • Sculpture
    • Pastels
    • Printmaking
    • Screen Printing
  • Foam Board
    • White Foam Board
    • Black Foam Board
    • Self Adhesive Foam Board
    • Bainbridge Foam Board
    • Self Adhesive Foam Board Cut Sizes
    • Eaglecell Board
    • Acid Free Foam Board
    • Ultra Board
    • Bainbridge Black Foam Board
    • Falconboard
    • Fome-Cor Board
    • Archival Foam Board
    • Flame Resistant Foam Board
    • Non Memory Foam Board
    • Polystyrene
    • Corrugated Plastic Plasticore
    • PVC Board
    • Foam Board Cutters
    • Ryno Board
    • Z Board
    • Heat Activated Foam Board
    • Dibond
    • Jetboard
    • FiberMate Board
    • Metallic Coated Boards
  • Gator Board
    • White Gatorboard
    • Black Gatorfoam Board
    • Kraft Gator Board
    • Gatorfoam Board With White Surfaces And Black Core
    • Gatorfoam Board White and Black Surface on Black Core
    • Self Adhesive Gator Board
  • Furniture
    • Stools
    • Flat Files
    • Taborets
    • Print Racks
    • Cabinets
  • Paint
    • Oil Paint
    • Watercolors
    • Casein
    • Palette Knives
    • Palettes
    • Spray Varnishes and Finishes
  • Paper
    • Tracing Paper
    • Clearprint Vellum
    • Canson Mi Teintes
    • Charcoal Pads
    • Drawing Pads
    • Newsprint Pads
    • Sketch Pads
    • Watercolor Paper
Shopping Cart0

Contact us by email
[email protected]

Phone support
M-F
9am -1pm EST
888-202-8512
After phone support hours
please leave a voice mail.

New Article:
Art for Children with Learning Disabilities

gift certificate

E-Gift Certificates!
Instant gift solution for your favorite artist.
Click here for details

art tutorials program

  1. Home
  2. Drawing
  3. Charcoal

Charcoal

Charcoal: Velvety Black Beauty

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. Working with charcoal allows 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. Charcoal brings the artists down to earth, back to basics, and demands focus.

But, charcoal is also 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.

Getting Started
Because charcoal is a notoriously messy medium, make sure your space is well-prepared. Cover your workspace with newsprint, and have clean paper towels at hand. Make sure your workspace is well-ventilated, and get down to business.

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.

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.

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.

Gum/White Erasers
Gum erasers are comparatively harder. These are good for revealing white highlights.

Blending Stumps
Blending stumps are also called tortillons. 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.

Wrapping It Up
Just as when you work with pastels, once you finish a charcoal piece, you probably want to cover it with a fixative so that it doesn't get smudged or damaged. Remember, as a safety precaution, to keep your hands away from your face when working with charcoal, and wash them immediately after you're done. Charcoal dust is not something you want to breathe in.

Products [10]

Sort by:
Natural Vine Charcoal (Jumbo Soft)
Natural Vine Charcoal (Jumbo Soft)
(Item Number 870009)
The Compressed Charcoal is made from a scorched blend of black, wood ground charcoal, gas and Chasov Yar clay. It is a soft-medium grade, producing even coverage. Natural Vine Charcoal sticks are cut to 6" in length in a variety of widths.
MSRP: $27.90
YOUR PRICE $17.96
INFO ADD
Natural Vine Charcoal (Regular Medium)
Natural Vine Charcoal (Regular Medium)
(Item Number 870006)
The Compressed Charcoal is made from a scorched blend of black, wood ground charcoal, gas and Chasov Yar clay. It is a soft-medium grade, producing even coverage. Natural Vine Charcoal sticks are cut to 6" in length in a variety of widths.
MSRP: $6.05
YOUR PRICE $3.86
INFO ADD
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Hard)
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Hard)
(Item Number 870031)
The Compressed Charcoal is made from a scorched blend of black, wood ground charcoal, gas and Chasov Yar clay. It is a soft-medium grade, producing even coverage. Natural Vine Charcoal sticks are cut to 6" in length in a variety of widths.
MSRP: $2.45
YOUR PRICE $1.54
INFO ADD
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Medium)
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Medium)
(Item Number 870032)
The Compressed Charcoal is made from a scorched blend of black, wood ground charcoal, gas and Chasov Yar clay. It is a soft-medium grade, producing even coverage. Natural Vine Charcoal sticks are cut to 6" in length in a variety of widths.
MSRP: $2.45
YOUR PRICE $1.54
INFO ADD
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Soft)
Natural Vine Charcoal (Thin Soft)
(Item Number 870030)
The Compressed Charcoal is made from a scorched blend of black, wood ground charcoal, gas and Chasov Yar clay. It is a soft-medium grade, producing even coverage. Natural Vine Charcoal sticks are cut to 6" in length in a variety of widths.
MSRP: $2.45
YOUR PRICE $1.54
INFO ADD
Natural Willow Charcoal (1/Box)
Natural Willow Charcoal (1/Box)
(Item Number 870052)
The Natural Willow Charcoal is produced from willow branches scorched without air access. Charcoal produced from willow is very soft, which provides easy shading from black to pale grey, and produces a deep black favored by many artists. Sticks are cut to 6" in length and vary in width.
MSRP: $4.25
YOUR PRICE $2.74
INFO ADD
Natural Willow Charcoal (12/Box)
Natural Willow Charcoal (12/Box)
(Item Number 870046)
The Natural Willow Charcoal is produced from willow branches scorched without air access. Charcoal produced from willow is very soft, which provides easy shading from black to pale grey, and produces a deep black favored by many artists. Sticks are cut to 6" in length and vary in width.
MSRP: $8.80
YOUR PRICE $5.66
INFO ADD
Natural Willow Charcoal (25/Box)
Natural Willow Charcoal (25/Box)
(Item Number 870044)
The Natural Willow Charcoal is produced from willow branches scorched without air access. Charcoal produced from willow is very soft, which provides easy shading from black to pale grey, and produces a deep black favored by many artists. Sticks are cut to 6" in length and vary in width.
MSRP: $8.50
YOUR PRICE $5.44
INFO ADD
Natural Willow Charcoal (30/Box)
Natural Willow Charcoal (30/Box)
(Item Number 870047)
The Natural Willow Charcoal is produced from willow branches scorched without air access. Charcoal produced from willow is very soft, which provides easy shading from black to pale grey, and produces a deep black favored by many artists. Sticks are cut to 6" in length and vary in width.
MSRP: $9.65
YOUR PRICE $6.19
INFO ADD
Natural Willow Charcoal (4/Box)
Natural Willow Charcoal (4/Box)
(Item Number 870048)
The Natural Willow Charcoal is produced from willow branches scorched without air access. Charcoal produced from willow is very soft, which provides easy shading from black to pale grey, and produces a deep black favored by many artists. Sticks are cut to 6" in length and vary in width.
MSRP: $8.50
YOUR PRICE $5.44
INFO ADD
Links
  • Shop
  • Art Tips
  • About
  • Workshops
  • Contact Us
  • Location
Information
  • Information
  • Blog
  • Gift Certificates
  • Advanced Search
  • Category Sitemap
  • Product Sitemap
  • My Account
Customer Service
  • Customer Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rewards Program
  • Returns Policy
  • Sales Policy
  • Shipping Info
  • International Shipping Info
  • Store Location

Mailing List

Ooop! The email you entered isn't valid.
WooHoo! You subscribed successfully.
Ok! You're unsubscribed.

Copyright ArtSupply.Com. All Rights Reserved.

Visa American Express Master Card Paypal
TOP

Categories

Menu Links

Contact Us

[email protected]
(888) 202 8512
0 Items

Store Search