Charcoal Drawing Tutorial (Complete Beginners Guide!)

Charcoal Drawing Tutorial (Complete Beginners Guide!) In this video learn about how to use charcoal, different types, paper choices, techniques and more.

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PAINTS AND BRUSHES

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Charcoal Drawing Tutorial
1:02 Pros & cons of charcoal vs graphite pencil
3:35 Types of charcoal for drawing
7:40 Choosing paper types for charcoal
10:53 Choosing erasers for charcoal
13:30 Choosing sharpeners for charcoal
15:10 How to apply charcoal for sketching
17:02 Choosing and using blending tools with charcoal
20:03 How to avoid making a mess with charcoal
23:25 How to use charcoal with watercolor
26:41 How to store charcoal paintings

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[junethiel]

as a professional calligrapher, I learned to use a sturdy acetate sheet to cover my lettering (in for instance an award)...lettering first, once ink has dried, cover all lettering with said acetate sheet. That way, I can have the entire piece in view as I add gilding and all the fine detail illumination. I follow this route with pastel sketches as well - for animal portraits, I usually do the eyes first, this gets set with fixative, then covered with acetate to protect but still see the eyes in context to the rest....LOVE your channel!

[sweetbb]

You can also wrap a small piece of aluminium foil from the kitchen around a small part of the charcoal stick so that your fingers stay cleaner.

[tradingpostfarms]

Now that I am a lot more confident in my watercolor technique I find myself more interested in adding mixed media. I really appreciated the paintings that's you showed us where you added charcoal. That was inspirational for sure. Thanks

[rdstewart]

Thank you Michelle. You always give important details that others often omit!

[sujanithtottempudi]

Hi Michelle....you have MIDAS touch!✨✨✨ Whatever topic you touch it turns into Gold! You have a very structured teaching for everything...I had seen so many of your videos...you have always had a systematic approach to anything. Superb 👌👌👌👌🙏🙏🙏🙏

[connielester]

I’ve never used charcoal but this just might get me to try. Thanks so much! I love that you attempt to call things the way we do in America.

[paulgilbert]

I have a box of willow charcoal which I bought a long time ago i was never sure how to use them the proper way this video will help me get started with charcoal thankyou Michele.

[carolpenn]

Well…although i am 2 years too late to the party I thank you for such a comprehensive tutorial of using charcoal.. you really are such a good teacher. Many thanks 👍

[PatriciaPageMosaicArtsCrafts]

Thanks Michele, I actually enjoyed using charcoal ever since school, I always felt like a great artist when I used it 🙄, dont know why I stopped. I have some stored away and the derwent charcoal pencils, certainly worth playing with. All the best to ya!

[tarjaholmberg]

Thanks for a great video. I use charcoal on a toned paper to plan my watercolor paintings and also acrylics. When I´m ready to paint, I only use those drawings as my reference. Colors are usually on my memory already, but charcoal helps me to focus on the value.

[markdonovan]

Excellent information and tips from year of experience. I bought some charcoal a few months ago, but got in a mess with it. I haven't used them since. Having watched this video, I feel inspired to give them another go. I have some sketch drawing paper, so maybe that will be better for trying charcoal sketches for example. Thank you Michele.

[lvg]

Michelle, as always you covered all aspects on your tutorials, considering the problems and solutions of the media - in this case charcoal- wonderful!
Love it!💖

[kendrah]

WOW! first time watching one of your videos. Really enjoyed how you explained everything in a very natural order. A friend suggested I should try charcoal so purchased some and realized I had no idea what to do with it. Now I know and and going to spend the rest of the day playing with it. Oh and as well will be watching other videos of yours. Thank you for being so clear about not only how to do things but what papers to use as well as other tools. Very informative.

[ToughWitty]

I am just getting back after sometime thanks for taking the time to help out.

[pk]

Love all of the info you provided. I have been curious about charcoal for some time so this gives me everything to get started. Thank you

[roylathwell]

I love your tutorials and I would love to see more on charcoal sketching i.e landscape etc . I am relatively new to sketching and found your videos really interesting and easy to follow. I love the tips you share..

[keithroy]

For storage, I use a standard artists portfolio with polythene pockets (available in most UK art shops). I lay the work face down on the acid free black inner and secure it with flat paper clips before slipping into the sleeve without smudging the drawing.

[sugansugan]

You are such a great teacher- you explain things so well and know so many things that I need to know!

[susanbuckley]

This is a great video, jam-packed with really useful information and tips. Thank you!

[Katie-wvgc]

Thank you for this information. I have a set of charcoal pencils but colored pencils and coloring books are my favorite. With your tips I might be brave enough to try charcoal pencils with them once in a while. I really want to learn watercolor so I will look forward to more of your lessons.