Com J08 - How To Draw With Charcoal

How to Draw
with
Cindy Wider
Author of: Draw and Paint in Your Pyjamas!
J08 INTERMEDIATE: SKILLS & SECRETS

Medium: Charcoal on grey Mi Teintes paper
In this lesson you will be taught four popular

techniques for drawing with charcoal. Once you
have completed this you might consider the lesson
on ‘How To Draw Curly Hair’ or enroll into the unit
four portrait unit where you will learn another 8
charcoal techniques among many other wonderful
things.
This lesson is divided into the following five sections:

 Introduction to charcoal
 Willow charcoal and charcoal pencils
 Charcoal papers
 Fixing your image after completion
 Prepare your paper for drawing with charcoal
 1. Cover medium sized areas with willow charcoal
 2. Draw fine lines with willow charcoal
 3. Draw fine lines with charcoal pencil
 4. Experiment with erasing techniques
This project is recommended for artists age 14 and up, as well as students
of home schooling, academic, and recreational fine-art educators.
11 PAGES – 18 ILLUSTRATIONS
Published by Drawspace.com, Halifax, NS, Canada – August, 2010

2
ART MATERIALS LIST

 HB Charcoal Pencil (for fine lines)
 White charcoal pencil
 Several Willow charcoal sticks preferably 6mm and 9mm in diameter
 Automatic or click eraser or normal plastic eraser and craft knife to cut into a thin slither
or chisel shape
 Putty Eraser (or kneaded eraser)
 Ruler
 Pencil Sharpener to sharpen the charcoal pencils (optional extra; you could consider
buying a special charcoal or pastel pencil sharpener.)
 Medium to coarse sandpaper 80 grit (to prepare your willow charcoal)
 Special Paper: Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing Paper – light grey; suggest Flannel Gray
(colour 122)
 Soft, clean water colour brush (I recommend the 3/4" size) or a new and clean make-up
brush for gently removing eraser particles
 Can of fixative is optional to spray your charcoal drawing afterwards
 Non-greasy baking paper to place under your hand while you work and protect the image
from smudging. This is optional but recommended.
 Glassine sheets (special paper purchased from an art supply store which prevent your
work from smudging.) This is optional.
INTRODUCTION TO CHARCOAL
Charcoal has been used in various forms by artists for centuries and is one of the oldest drawing
materials.
The Charcoal that artists use these days is made from willow, a plant that grows in long rods up
to seven feet high. Willow is grown in plantations and harvested every year in winter. The
willow is cut into long lengths, bundled up and boiled in water. It is cleaned, dried in open air
then sawn to the right length before being placed in metal boxes, filled with sand and lids placed
on. The sticks are then fired at a very high temperature in a kiln for several hours before being
left to cool. The entire process takes about three days. Finally the sticks are packaged and sent
off to stores.
WILLOW CHARCOAL AND CHARCOAL PENCILS

During this lesson we will be using charcoal that has been prepared by the manufacturer in two
different ways; willow charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils. Charcoal pencils are quite difficult to
erase. We will mostly be using these for fine details or after an initial under-drawing with the
willow charcoal stick.
Copyright to all articles images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this course belong to StuartCindy Art and may not be
reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of StuartCindy Art.
Email info@paintpj.com Web site http://www.paintpj.com
3
There are two sizes of willow charcoal that we will be using in this lesson; medium (9mm in
diameter) and thin (6mm in diameter.) Providing you don’t press too hard, willow charcoal will
wipe off your paper almost like chalk off a blackboard. Just a fine line will be left behind. Often
called a ‘Ghost line,’ this remaining fine line that cannot be removed becomes an expressive
part of your drawing.
You will be shown how to prepare your willow charcoal so that you can achieve either very fine
lines or cover large areas.
Charcoal is a wonderful sensitive drawing medium; your results will be greatly influenced by how
you hold the charcoal. Hold the charcoal softly in your hand for fine results and smile while you
work to relax your shoulders and entire upper torso. To help prevent your charcoal from
smudging you can place a small sheet of non-greasy baking paper under your hand but make
sure you always peel back and lift it off – never drag it across the surface or it will smudge.
CHARCOAL PAPERS
The type of paper you choose for charcoal drawing is a vitally important part of the process of
drawing with charcoal. Charcoal cannot adhere to a glossy or shiny surface. The paper needs to
have a little bit of texture, or ‘tooth.’ There are many different papers on the market which you
can use, with a variety of colours. A popular paper used by artists is; Canson Mi-Teintes paper.
This paper which has a 65% rag content is very strong. It is especially designed to allow
repeated reworking so it is ideal for charcoal work.
One side of this paper is smooth and the other is quite textured; both sides give different effects.
When we use a mid-toned grey paper, the colour of the paper provides the middle values in your
artwork. It gives your drawing a fresh appearance if we leave the paper untouched in those
areas then add white charcoal or white conté into the center of those areas as a finishing touch.
Your choice of paper is really just a matter of personal preference, providing you choose a paper
with some tooth. Watercolour papers are also great to use. You can use white paper with
charcoal, however for the purpose of this lesson your will need to use light grey paper with a
little tooth.
FIXING YOUR IMAGE AFTER COMPLETION

Charcoal images are very delicate as the particles can easily fall off the surface of the paper. To
protect your image from smudging with a swipe of your finger, you can spray your artwork with a
‘Fixative.’ There are some very good spray fixatives available on the market today. When
sprayed your image usually dries very similar to before you sprayed, or it may go a little darker.
Always test a small sample whenever using any new product to see the effect before using it on
an important artwork. Spraying your charcoal drawings still does not completely protect your
work but just makes it a little less likely to smudge.
You can further protect your artwork from smudging by placing a sheet of glassine over the top.
This is a shiny paper that can be purchased in many good art supply stores.
4
PREPARE YOUR PAPER FOR DRAWING WITH CHARCOAL

Before you begin this exercise, make sure you have your sheet of light grey Mi-Teintes paper
with the smooth side facing upwards. Rule this sheet of paper into four similar-sized sections
using a ruler and HB Charcoal pencil. You can do this simply by approximation like this;
 Divide your page into half vertically. Use your ruler and a HB charcoal pencil for neatness
but no need to measure.
 Turn your page sideways and divide it into quarters horizontally.
You can be creative with the small patterns that you create in each section. You don’t have to
copy the same shapes in the designs that are demonstrated. Have some fun with the following
charcoal techniques. Write these names of each technique in a box before you place an
example in the individual sections;
1. Cover medium-sized areas with willow charcoal
2. Draw fine lines with willow charcoal
3. Draw fine lines with charcoal pencil
4. Erasing techniques
1. COVER MEDIUM SIZED AREAS WITH WILLOW

CHARCOAL
You can cover medium sized areas of your page using your medium willow charcoal stick
prepared in a special way known as the ‘Chisel Point’ tip.
1. Place a small section of coarse sandpaper (80 grit) onto a flat surface such as a table.
2. Gently rest the tip of your willow charcoal stick on the sandpaper holding it perpendicular
to the surface to begin with. Gradually lower the charcoal until it is approximately on a 30º
angle off the surface of the table. Holding it in this position, rub back and forth to shave
the willow stick (see Fig. 1a.) This shaving action will gradually wear the charcoal down to
form the vitally important angle known as a ‘chisel point’ (see Fig. 1b.)
Fig. 1a. Shave medium willow on sandpaper Fig. 1b. Ellipse on medium willow
5
3. If this is done correctly, you should create a large ellipse shape with a tip on the end.
4. Place the large ellipse-shaped area flat onto your page. To do this, you will need to
position it so that you are holding it on the exact same angle as you just held it on when
shaving it across the sandpaper (ie: on a 30º angle off the surface of your paper.) Once
positioned on your paper you can then drag it across the surface in any direction you
choose. You can use strokes or soft circular motions.
5. By varying the pressure you apply to the willow stick you can create a variety of tones.
The harder you press the darker the tone. To achieve very light tones, hold your charcoal
with a very soft grip and lightly skim the surface of the paper. You can even blend this
area with a Q-tip or paper stump afterwards for very soft effects.
Never blend charcoal with your fingers; the natural oils in

your skin will place a barrier on your paper which is impossible to remove. Charcoal will not
adhere properly in that area. Make sure your hands are always clean and don’t work anywhere
near a kitchen to avoid coming into contact with oily surfaces. Always wash your hands well with
soap before drawing with charcoal.
If, during the shaving process, the tip of your charcoal shatters (or when you are
drawing) this means you have applied too much pressure. Make sure that you are holding the
ellipse area flat onto the page.
You can also cover small areas of your page using the thin willow charcoal
stick prepared and applied in the same way as the medium willow sticks.
Fig. 1c. Chisel point on thin willow Fig. 1d. Ellipse area on thin willow
2. DRAW FINE LINES WITH WILLOW CHARCOAL

The chisel-point shape on a stick of thin willow charcoal also provides us with a narrow but
strong tip which enables us to create very fine lines. Hold the thin willow on even less of an
angle when preparing for fine lines (approximately on a 20º angle off the surface of your paper.)
This will achieve a larger ellipse shape and more long and narrow tip (see Fig. 1c. and Fig. 1d.)
6
The advantage of being able to use willow charcoal for fine lines is that it is very easy to erase
unlike charcoal pencil. It is best to draw your fine lines with willow first then firm these into place
with charcoal pencil in any areas you feel a need to darken such as the hair, eyes, nose and lip
line on a portrait. This is not necessary though. You can spray your work once you have
completed your drawing to help the charcoal hold in place better.
1. Create some fine lines with your thin willow charcoal stick prepared with a long chisel
point by placing the narrow tip almost perpendicular to your page (see Figs 2a and 2b.)
Draw a series of fine lines including straight, wavy and curved strokes (see Fig. 2c.) You
can experiment to find the most comfortable position that also allows you to create fine
lines. Support the willow stick by resting your little finger on the page either in an
outstretched position or by resting the outside of your hand on the page (see Figs. 2a and
2b.) Make sure there is a sheet of scrap paper or non-greasy baking paper under your
hand at all times.
Fig. 2a. Hold the willow stick on its tip Fig. 2b. Use your little finger for support
Fig. 2c. Hold the willow stick

on its tip to create fine lines
3. DRAW FINE LINES WITH

CHARCOAL PENCIL
In your collection of art supplies you should find a HB
charcoal pencil as well as a white charcoal pencil. The
HB charcoal pencil is good for general drawing of fine
details and the white charcoal is used to achieve the
lightest highlight tones in small areas or thin lines.
We can achieve very fine lines with charcoal pencils if we
first of all sharpen to reveal the maximum amount of
charcoal and then create a chisel point tip just as you did
with the willow charcoal stick.
7
Be careful not to shatter the tip. If you have problems sharpening your charcoal pencils consider
investing in a special charcoal or pastel pencil sharpener.
Charcoal pencil is quite hard to completely erase so you need to be very sure of your mark-
making before applying it to your page. Have a practice with both the black and white charcoal
pencils to see the fine lines you can achieve with these (see Figs. 3a and 3b.) You can also use
hatching or stippling (short) strokes (see Figs. 3c and 3d.)
Fig. 3a. HB charcoal pencil Fig. 3b. white charcoal pencil
Fig. 3c. HB hatching strokes Fig. 3d. HB with stippling strokes
4. EXPERIMENT WITH ERASING TECHNIQUES

Within your list of supplies you were asked to purchase three different types of erasers; a gum
eraser, putty eraser and a hard plastic (or click eraser.) In this section we will look at the various
uses of each different eraser.
8
It is important to understand that the eraser is not simply used for removing mistakes. The
eraser when used with charcoal is also a drawing tool. You can draw into any area that has
been covered by charcoal, using your erasers. Each eraser will achieve a different effect and
therefore suit a slightly different purpose.
1. Before you begin, please shade the entire square that was set aside for this technique on
your sheet of Mi-Teintes paper. Use a medium piece of willow charcoal dragged across
the surface, then blend the area afterwards with your paper stump or Q-tip.
2. Divide the square into 4 sections using your charcoal pencil on top of the shaded area of
charcoal by halving it horizontally and vertically (see Fig. 4a.) You will be creating four
different eraser techniques; one in each of these four quarters.
Erasing techniques
Fig. 4a. Example of the shaded square with 4 different erasing techniques
3. In the top left quarter of the square, draw some lines

and marks into the layer of charcoal with your gum
eraser (see Fig. 4b.) Notice the kinds of marks it
makes as you remove the charcoal. The gum eraser
is great for erasing larger areas and thick lines. It is
very crumbly so that you cannot easily ruin your
paper, making it ideal for erasing more stubborn
charcoal marks and larger areas. Because it is quite
large and cumbersome it isn’t suitable for finer details.
Fig. 4b.
9
4. In the top right quarter of the larger square remove some areas with your putty eraser to see
the kinds of marks you can make.
You can draw very fine lines and larger shapes with the
putty eraser (see Fig. 4c.) Working with just a small
piece, you can mould the putty eraser into different
shapes depending on your needs. Try preparing it so
that it becomes a small ball with a point on the end like
an ice-cream cone (see Fig. 4c.) or you can squash it
as flat as a sheet of thin cardboard. Whatever way you
prepare your putty eraser just be aware that you will
need to continually re-mould it as it fills with charcoal
very quickly. After several swipes across the area it will
Fig. 4c. need reshaping.
5. In the bottom left quarter of your large shaded square, try a combination of putty eraser
and lines with curves added to the outside of the erased shapes with your willow charcoal
or charcoal pencil. Blend some of these charcoal areas (see Fig. 4d.)
Putty-erased
area. Putty-erased area.
Charcoal pencil Putty eraser was

added to form a used in this area.
hard line. Willow charcoal
added and left
Charcoal pencil
untouched.
added then
blended in with a
stump.

Willow charcoal
is added then
blended, forming
a hard edge
between the line
and the erased
area.
Fig. 4d.
6. In the bottom right quarter draw some lines and curves (see Fig. 4f) using your hard
plastic or click eraser. You can cut the tip on an angle either on one side or both sides to
form a chisel or ‘V’ shape tip. This eraser has been cut with a craft knife into a ‘V’ shaped
tip (see Fig. 4e insert. The ‘V’ shape is outlined in purple. ) The click eraser is fantastic
because it feels like you are using a pencil and is especially helpful when drawing single
lines. You can achieve very fine lines by continually sharpening your click eraser this
way.
10
Fig. 4e. A click eraser with chisel point
Fig. 4f.
Drawspace.com is proud to introduce
Cindy Wider
Art educator, art curricula designer, award-winning gallery-
represented artist, and author of Paint in Your Pyjamas.
Cindy Wider currently resides in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast of
Queensland, Australia with her husband Stuart, and daughters
Isha and Sumaya.
Art philosophy
I believe that almost everyone has the natural gifts needed for learning to draw and paint, and
that art has the ability to heal and help us to reach our full human potential. Art is the missing
language that can bridge the gap in communication when words are not enough. It is my life
purpose to share my love of art, through inspiring and motivating others to realize their natural
gifts for drawing and painting.
My passion for helping others to learn to draw and paint comes from the joy and excitement I
experience through the process of creating art and my desire to share that feeling! I stumbled
upon my natural gifts for art at the age of 23years and wished I had known about it sooner.
11
Professional accomplishments
After ten years of serious art study Cindy went on to become one of her community’s leading
artists with her artworks gracing the walls of many of the major hotels, corporate boardrooms
and private homes as well as selling overseas. She began tutoring at the local Technical and
Further Education College in 1988 and then went on to establish the largest on-going private art
tuition school in Port Lincoln, then several years later in Noosa Queensland.
For many years Cindy worked as a part time freelance illustrator for the internationally renowned
rubber stamp company, ‘Annaleey crafts.’ In 2005, along with her husband Stuart she was
commissioned by the Microsoft Corporation to produce an original artwork for their Sydney
headquarters, and limited edition prints for the annual corporate gift to their business associates.
You can view Cindy’s paintings at: http://www.thecoopergallery.com.au/wider/wider.htm
Paint in Your Pyjamas

Have you been asking yourself, "Who am I and what do I really want
out of life?” Perhaps you've been selflessly dedicating all your energy
to your children or partner to help them fulfill their dreams and
goals. Maybe you're working hard just to earn a living.
But now you feel the time has come to do something for yourself. If so,
this book is just for you...
You can buy Cindy’s book, ‘Paint in Your Pyjamas – every Woman’s
guide to finding your life purpose through art’ at:
http://www.paintpj.com/

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How to Draw

J08 INTERMEDIATE: SKILLS & SECRETS

In this lesson you will be taught four popular

This lesson is divided into the following five sections:

Published by Drawspace.com, Halifax, NS, Canada – August, 2010

ART MATERIALS LIST

WILLOW CHARCOAL AND CHARCOAL PENCILS

FIXING YOUR IMAGE AFTER COMPLETION

PREPARE YOUR PAPER FOR DRAWING WITH CHARCOAL

1. COVER MEDIUM SIZED AREAS WITH WILLOW

Never blend charcoal with your fingers; the natural oils in

2. DRAW FINE LINES WITH WILLOW CHARCOAL

Fig. 2c. Hold the willow stick

3. DRAW FINE LINES WITH

Fig. 3a. HB charcoal pencil Fig. 3b. white charcoal pencil

Fig. 3c. HB hatching strokes Fig. 3d. HB with stippling strokes

4. EXPERIMENT WITH ERASING TECHNIQUES

3. In the top left quarter of the square, draw some lines

Charcoal pencil Putty eraser was

Fig. 4e. A click eraser with chisel point

Drawspace.com is proud to introduce

Paint in Your Pyjamas

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