Questions tagged [charcoal]
For questions about arts and crafts specifically related to charcoal, most commonly its use in drawing implements.
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Method to fix charcoal to an oil painting
I often work with the specular properties of my paintings.
Since charcoal gives me a more matte black than almost any (combination of something with) black oil paint could, I at times want to use it ...
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Sharpener for Pastel and Charcoal Pencils
I'm having a big issue sharpening pastel and charcoal pencils. I've tried using a traditional pencil sharpener on pastel pencils but the lead keeps breaking.
I've also tried using a razorblade and ...
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How do I keep from breaking charcoal pencil leads when I sharpen them with a knife?
I'm fairly good at sharpening graphite pencils with a knife using the technique in the answer in What is the proper way to sharpen a pencil?
But I'm always breaking the points when I try to sharpen ...
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What are the pros and cons of graphite as opposed to charcoal?
My two favorite mediums are charcoal and graphite, and am asking for some pros and cons between the two. I was thinking like a Venn Diagram type of pros and cons.
Here are some examples:
Charcoal ...
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Drawing with white charcoal
Just a quick question since I've been drawing for a long time:
Do I really need that white charcoal pencil? How do you use it? Same as charcoal?
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What paper type should be used for charcoal drawing? [duplicate]
I have problems in blending and getting smooth texture when I use my charcoal pencil on a Monte Marte Jumbo Drawing Pad.
I have Strathmore but yet to try it out.
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Are there pencil extenders for charcoal pencils?
I bought a pencil extender. It works great for graphite pencils, which are thinner. However, charcoal pencils are too thick for it. How can I use my charcoal pencils when they are too short to hold?
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Pros and cons of using charcoal on a canvas
I have a commission due this Christmas, it has to be on a 40 x 30 canvas, and the whole drawing has to be in charcoal, so I want to know if it'd be the same thing as if I was drawing on paper. Or ...
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How do I mix charcoal and graphite correctly?
Using graphite is somewhat risky. I've seen that when I use graphite it ends up very shiny, am I doing anything wrong? If im correct, the process is: apply the charcoal then the graphite, but how can ...
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Is it possible to make a charcoal lump stop leaving marks?
I thought about using a charcoal lump (you know, the regular stove coal) as a stand.
Is it possible to make it stop leaving black marks on anything it touches? Like, sealing it, or something else?
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Paper's preservation (fixative not working)
Apparently, my (acid-free) paper (from 'SoHo Studio'; shown below) is yellowing, I have Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray Coating.
Obviously, fixatives prevent this issue to happen, what should I do?
Is ...
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What can I expect from a fixative?
I finished a charcoal drawing and want to paint over it with a clear coating (of acrylic gesso). For that I first used a fixative so that the drawing will not smudge when I apply gesso with a Brush. ...
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How can I make charcoal?
I googled it, but it didn't really convince me as websites aren't that trustworthy.
I wish to make my own charcoal.
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Vine charcoal and Willow charcoal
I'm about to buy a new set of charcoal, but I found vine and willow charcoal sticks, which I've never seen before. Before I buy this charcoal set I need to know the difference.
I'd like to ask people ...
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How do I identify good quality paper for charcoal drawing?
How do I identify paper that's good for charcoal? By "good", I'm referring to characteristics like how charcoal behaves on it, how fixative applies to the paper, durability, yellowing, etc.
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How can I protect my pencil & charcoal drawings once complete?
I have now built up a small portfolio of pencil/charcoal drawings. Most of the time they are kept in my folders, but sometimes they are viewed by friends and relatives. And on the odd occasion ...
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How do I blend charcoal enough to make it look like a skin surface? [duplicate]
I've been drawing Wonder Woman for quite a long time. Since she has a lot of bare skin, it's kinda hard to draw it without pencils, using only charcoal.
Here's the reference image I'm using:
Artwork ...
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Drawing damaged leather using charcoal
I'm currently drawing Wonder Woman with charcoal. While drawing I noticed that the armor has scratches:
Artwork by Shierly Lin. Click for larger version
Since it's a charcoal drawing, I'm having ...
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Charcoal and Pastel Drawing Storage
I need to store a lot of charcoal and pastel drawings as I've recently gotten back into drawing.
I can't afford a proper solution such as a flat file at the moment.
I'm worried about stacking the ...
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Differences between 'soft' and 'light' charcoal pencils
Is the charcoal that's branded with 'soft' the same as the one that's branded with 'light'? Are there any differences between them?
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Is there any eraser that can erase charcoal?
Is there any eraser that can erase charcoal?
I've been trying 3 different brands of kneaded erasers (Faber-Castell, Prismacolor, and an unknown brand) and nothing has happened.
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How can I draw single hairs on a black background with charcoal or graphite?
Every time I look at super realistic portrait drawings in charcoal or graphite, I wonder how to draw single hairs against a black background (on white paper, though) like in these pictures:
source
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Charcoal hatching
I want to add hatching to my charcoal drawings. But vine or charcoal pencils are very soft so the hatching lines become way too thick.
What do artists use to create beautiful charcoal hatching?
Is it ...
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Is it possible to combine charcoal and graphite in one image?
I'm drawing an image with quite a large range of tones and I plan to draw the darker tones in charcoal. However, I used a graphite pencil for the preparatory drawing. Is it still possible to draw with ...
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When to use a fixative in a drawing with charcoal and pencil?
I am making a charcoal and pencil drawing. What would be the difference between spraying the paper with workable fixative after applying the charcoal, and laying the pencil over that, or spraying the ...
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Is coconut shell good to produce charcoal for drawing?
Is coconut shell good to produce charcoal for drawing? Does the material that we use to make the charcoal decide its tonal character?
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How to stop or reduce graphite from reflecting light?
Drawings drawn with graphite shine a lot under even a little light. The paper needs to be held at certain angle for proper viewing. Anyway to reduce or stop this?
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How can I safely transport a charcoal drawing?
What is the best way of transporting a charcoal drawing over on a long ride?
The drawing is fixed with a workable fixative but im still concerned about smudging. I was thinking about rolling the ...
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What are the types of charcoal pencils and how do they differ from each other?
I noticed that in the following picture there are at least 3 kinds of charcoal pencils:
Wooden charcoal pencil with just the word soft written on it.
Paper wrapped charcoal pencil with 600-H ...
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Which kind of paper should be selected for graphite, charcoal, and pencil colors? [closed]
Type of paper may have an effect on the medium of drawing used.
Which kind of paper should be preferred for graphite, charcoal, and pencil colors, respectively?
Also, please mention the standard ...
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How do hard, soft, and medium charcoal pencils compare against their counterparts in graphite?
Example: For shading, I have soft charcoal pencil, and 8B graphite pencil. The charcoal pencil I have does not have a specific label except the word "soft" written on it.
Both of them are known for ...
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