Introduction to Charcoal and Color Pencil Sketches
Charcoal painting is an amazing technique with diverse characteristics that artists are adopting. Charcoal can produce exceptionally brilliant or strong black lines, explore higher contrast, and develop visually rich-toned artworks. Charcoal drawing has ancient origins, with evidence dating back at least 30,000 years. Modern charcoal drawing began in the 17th century, with artists like Albrecht Durer, Robert Longo, William Kentridge, and Dan Pyle utilizing charcoal as a primary medium.
On the other hand, color pencil sketching is similar to pencil sketching but features a wide range of colors instead of just black. Color pencils can produce highly saturated, rich, deep, and luminous paintings. Color pencil sketching is gaining respect among artists, galleries, and collectors. While there is no known history of color pencil sketching, many artists, such as CJ Hendry, Marco Mazzoni, and Veronica Winters, have been influenced by this type of painting. The oldest known color pencil sketch dates back to Johann Sebastian Staedtler around 1834 AD.
Composition of Charcoal and Color Pencils
Charcoal sticks are primarily made of charcoal powder, such as burned willow or grapevine, and a binding agent like wax or gum. Charcoal is sometimes produced without binders by removing oxygen from the charcoal powder during manufacturing. It is a brittle, dry art medium made of finely crushed organic ingredients held together by a gum or wax binder.
Conversely, ordinary colored pencils differ from artistic colored pencils. Regular color pencils have less wax and pigment than professional art pencils. Artistic quality pencils produce truly rich, deep, and luminous colors. The finished artwork can appear smooth and colorful, resembling a complete painting.
Specific Properties of Charcoal and Color Pencils
Charcoal can produce exceptionally brilliant or strong black lines, but they are difficult to remove entirely. Using charcoal allows artists to explore higher contrast and develop visually rich-toned artworks. These charcoal pencils are popular among artists due to their versatile properties, such as a scratchy texture that leaves a less permanent impression than other visual art media.
Color pencils allow artists to add precision and detail to their sketches while creating vibrant artworks. Compared to other painting materials, colored pencils are inexpensive and simple to use. They enable depth, control, and precision. Artists can use fewer layers for an oil-paint effect or more for a softer appearance. Color pencils are also portable, allowing artists to work practically anywhere.
Key Features of Charcoal and Color Pencils
Charcoal, especially powdered charcoal or charcoal stick, is a dry medium that can be applied to practically any surface, from smooth to very rough. In charcoal drawings, fixatives are frequently used to harden the position and prevent dust from being erased or rubbed off. Using white charcoal pencils or white powdered charcoal along with black charcoal provides more versatile output.
Color pencils, being a type of pencil, are found in pencil form only, though sometimes pencil powders are used to blend the color. Pencil powders are non-toxic, archival, and act as a dry lubricant for the colored pencil medium, allowing artists to blend colors without solvents. Even a light coat of fixative or varnish can protect colored pencil drawings from external damaging factors like dust, sunlight, and heat.
Suitable Surfaces for Charcoal and Color Pencil Sketches
Charcoal can be applied to almost any surface, from smooth to very coarse, such as paper, wood, and canvas. However, like pencil sketching, paper is the most commonly used surface for charcoal painting. The main characteristic of charcoal as a medium is its impermanence; it can be easily erased or smudged until set with glue or resin.
Color pencil sketching can be done on different surfaces, such as wood, plastic, metal, and clay, but paper is the most popular choice among colored pencil artists. Acid-free papers with appropriate texture and weight make the final artwork more vibrant.
Other Specialties of Charcoal and Color Pencils
Professional artists use various forms of charcoal, such as sticks, crayons, powder, and pencils. Compressed charcoal sticks can be firm or soft, producing bright or dark lines depending on their hardness. Charcoal powders are used for creating patterns and pouncing, transferring patterns from one surface to another. Charcoal pencils, made of compressed charcoal in a hardwood jacket, are used for fine, crisp, and detailed sketching.
Color pencils can be used on a wide range of surfaces, such as wood, plastic, metal, and clay, along with paper. Artists can create color drawings with light strokes or continuous layers of numerous colors. The drying time is negligible since pencils are a dry material. Professional color pencil artists focus on aspects such as layering colors, pencil pressure, quality of medium, and paper texture and weight. Rough paper is used for multiple layer blending, medium grain paper or cold press for textured finishes, and hot press or fine grain paper for fine and detailed colors. Heavyweight paper is used for blending with solvents or combining pencils with wet media.
Toxicity and Vegan-Friendly Considerations
The charcoal stick or powder used for charcoal painting is extracted from natural resources like willow or vine (typically grapevine), making it non-toxic and vegan-friendly.
Unlike graphite pencils, artists' colored pencils are made of color pigments blended with wax, oil, or resin, making them non-toxic. However, some colored pencils contain beeswax or casein glue (an adhesive binder based on animal proteins) to blend the color pigment, so they are not always vegan-friendly. Pencils like Faber Castell Polychromos and certain Derwent pencils are found to be vegan-friendly.
Conclusion
In summary, both charcoal and color pencil sketches offer unique artistic possibilities and benefits. Charcoal sketches provide higher contrast and visually rich tones, while color pencil sketches offer vibrant and detailed artworks. Each medium has specific properties, surfaces, and techniques that artists must consider to achieve their desired results. The choice between charcoal and color pencil sketches depends on the artist's preferences and the effects they wish to achieve.
Additionally, GranNino offers a free art hosting platform where artists can upload unlimited artworks, including charcoal and color pencil sketches. This platform provides a supportive community for artists to showcase their work, receive feedback, and connect with other creatives. For more information and to start uploading your artworks, visit GranNino.
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