Charcoal Drawing

Charcoal is one of the oldest drawing tools in the world. It is made from burned wood. Artists press charcoal sticks on paper to make dark, bold lines. You can smudge charcoal with your finger to make soft shadows.

Types of Charcoal

There are three main types of charcoal for drawing. Vine charcoal is soft and light. It is good for sketching. Compressed charcoal is harder and makes very dark marks. Charcoal pencils look like regular pencils but have charcoal inside.

Drawing with Charcoal

Charcoal is great for shading and making shadows. You can use the side of the stick for wide marks. You can use the tip for thin lines. Artists often use their fingers or a cloth to blend the charcoal. An eraser can lift charcoal off to make highlights.

Fun Facts

• Cave artists used charcoal to draw on walls over 30,000 years ago.
• Charcoal is made by burning wood slowly without much air.
• Artists spray a special fixative on charcoal drawings so they do not smudge.

Did You Know?

Charcoal was one of the very first art supplies ever used by humans!