Charcoal Drawing Technique
This technique uses Charred wood as a medium of drawing. Charcoal drawings are the easiest way for any artist to practice gestures. Charcoal is widely used and appreciated a medium for drawing due to its ability to create and effect of light and shadow.
As a drawing material, Charcoal is smooth and brittle and is available in different forms. With Charcoal, an artist produces shades which are intensely dark or even very light. Charcoal also has impermanence as its characteristic and thus can be easily changed , erased or smudged. Charcoal is applied to varying surfaces be it smooth or very coarse. To prevent erasing or rubbing off of charcoal sketches, fixatives such as gums or resins are used to solidify it.
Charcoal is one of the oldest medium or art and to be able to identify its origin is almost Impossible. It is know to have been used in stone age in cave paintings.
Material Required for Drawing
There are three main types of Charcoal : Powdered, compressed and Willow or Vine. Items needed for Charcoal drawing includes
Vine or Willow Charcoal
Compressed Charcoal
Sanding Block
Charcoal Pencils
White Charcoal
Electric Pencil Sharpener
Kneaded Eraser
White Stick Eraser
Blending Stump
Famous Charcoal Sketch Artists
Prasanna Narayanan is a very famous artist with her mastery with Charcoal . She recently gifted PM Narendra Modi, his Charcoal Drawn Painting. Born in Palakkad, Kerala, Prasanna started pursuing her dream of becoming an Artist at an age of 52. Quitting her well established job at UNDP, she competed her diploma in Fine Arts from Delhi College of Arts and started following her dreams without inhibitions.
Good Websites
Some Good websites covering details about technique and history of this Art are as below
https://metmuseum.org / about-the-met / collection-areas / drawings-and-prints /materials-and-techniques /drawing / charcoal
https://www.thestatesman.com / features / charcoal-art-popular-1503056888.html
https://www.schoolofrealistart.com /blog /materials-list-charcoal-drawing
