Everything I know about charcoal drawing in one video

MENTIONED

TIME STAMPS

00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Why I love charcoal
04:24 - My charcoal workstation setup
06:01 - Pan Pastel
06:55 - Vine charcol
07:18 - Charcoal pencils
07:42 - Achieving a "painterly" look with charcoal
08:14 - Erasers
09:39 - Paper
12:03 - My drawing/painting process (painting a crow in charcoal)
14:58 - Sharpening charcoal pencils
16:57 - How I avoid smudging my charcoal drawings
17:59 - Using spray fixative to seal my drawings
19:34 - How I store my charcoal drawings

ABOUT

Hi, I’m Louise: an artist, writer & creative solopreneur from Sweden. As a multi-passionate creative, I have spent my entire adult life avoiding traditional employment and instead making a living off of my art.
On this channel, I talk about everything I've learned along the way: About art making, creativity, mental health, and making a living as a creative. Dealing with perfectionism, fears, and overwhelm. Staying sane and productive among stress and distractions. And much more.

LEARN WITH ME

Portrait Drawing for Beginners -

SHOP MY ART

MUSIC

All music is from Epidemic Sound.

[shoozymusic]

My favorite thing about charcoal is going into public not realizing I have smudge marks after scratching my face while drawing causing me to look like a forlorn 19th century chimney sweep boy.

[Stickman]

Great video about such a great medium. I teach a 12 week beginner, intermediate drawing class that continues into an advanced session. That class can go another 12 weeks so we cover a lot. On day one I tell students they won’t be using erasers to fix mistakes in my class and many folks get upset. As we get deeper into the class the eraser is finally introduced as a tool to strengthen values and negative space. Each session I marvel as they suddenly see my reasoning for allowing erasers back into their tool box. By the advanced session everyone is doing negative pull drawings and using pan pastel with graphite powder. Their drawings are all loose with dramatic texture and tonal values. I’m truly blessed to see these advancements happen right in front of my eyes and I have graphite to thank for it. Have fun and happy drawing everyone.

[fineartist]

I am professional artist and instructor here in Chelsea, Manhattan and I also create with charcoal.
I love the medium and its ancient history....It was probably first used the very night that prehistoric cave primates, possibly Homo Habilis, 2million years ago or Homo Erectus, 1 million years ago, first controlled fire and cooked a meal with burning wood. After dinner they must have played around with the burnt wood, smudging each others faces for fun and later maybe to scare any rivals that would come into their territory to take resources.
Wonderful video! ...I liked and subscribed!

[IceBullit]

You have the best explanation of toning your "canvas" that I have found so far. Thank you for sharing your work!

[robjenkins]

I had a good, long, genuine laugh at the "why do I have a white desk, drawers, etc..." part. Thanks

[serbarriston]

This is how charcoal captured me as well. Tried it in highschool and had a very negative experience. Got back into drawing again at the beginning of the pandemic and went straight for graphite. A year later I tried charcoal again, fell in love with it and never looked back. It's expressive, mysterious and cloudy, incredibly forgiving and you can reach super high levels of contrast .

[KathleenRenninger]

Thank you so much for this very helpful --and calming---video! You covered a lot. I'd never tried toning the paper, or using smooth textured and never thought of using Pan the stick with the ball on the end. Back in my sign-painter days, we referred to it as a mahl stick.

[IceCenders]

You have a wonderfully calm voice, your channel name is quite perfect! Reminds me of great meditating videos I used to listen to, with super soothing voices. Great taste in birds as well, crows are wonderful!
Charcoal is also something that clicked with me (I'm just getting started though). I also fell in love with the depth of contrast and the fact that with a very few amounts of strokes, a drawing can come to life in such amazing, almost magical ways...

[rochellebogie]

I’m very much a beginner in terms of charcoal drawing. This video was HUGELY informative and helpful. Thank you. Very excited to be making charcoal drawings.

[michellegratwick]

you explain so well and your passion comes through. You are very easy to listen to as well. Thank you from Australia

[pressedoff]

i use sandpaper to sharpen my charcoal! Love the video

[asderocher]

I love a cool silver grey in my studio. Not pure white to hide paint and smudges but not so dark that it absorbs all the light in the room

[ElizabethBattle]

Very helpful! Thank you!
I also am into depicting crows and ravens in charcoal right now, and doing studies on different papers. And we have a resident crow family that hangs out in the yard around my studio, providing lots of inspiration!

[peterdishal]

'Thank you' Louise for this marvelous video! I, too, am completely taken by charcoal and the pan pastel experience. It feels like sculpting to me and the open-ended ease of creations is pure joy...you really conveyed it all in 20 minutes! Mollie

[setwave]

Mad Charcoal got me back into drawing. Nice work you’ve got there too.

[pentachronic]

Wonderful information (Jättebra!) and thank you for sharing your knowledge. And I totally get you on the smudge marks everywhere!! BTW, alcohol and kitchen paper towels remove it quickly but wet wipes are the best IMO. Great choice on Corvids too - love them and they are so damn smart!!

A few other tips from what I’ve found:
#1) For the tombow, for very fine lines cut the end off at an angle!!
#2) To stop smudging in your sketchbook tape some glassine paper to cover the charcoal. Like adding in a extra page and bind/tape to folding edge.
#3) Use glassine paper to rest on and cover work whilst drawing too avoiding the smudging.

[myartpixie]

I really enjoyed your video. I like Charcoal. I used it more back in art school than I do now. I still have a portfolio of some of those pieces. Your work is beautiful!

[mrguzmanG]

Thank you for sharing. I’m hoping to start a charcoal piece of my wife. But I haven’t worked up the courage to do it. Watching your video certainly helped

[exclusive]

You just made me your fan.. the way you spoke and approach towards the drawings and painting hobby to achieve enjoy happiness and satisfying for the creative and artistic minds who are stuck with boring IT jobs.

[yoitsjonmac]

Ive been struggling so hard with it for a month now, switched to tan paper and started using a white charcoal pencil and some grey pastels in addition to compressed, took everything i learned and it finally clicked, produced my first portrait ever that I don't hate. I cannot say the same for graphite despite it being my primary medium. Think im gonna go all in and get the powders and special brushes. You sold me. Thanks for sharing your art with us.