Charcoal Pencils

There’s a moment most artists know well. You’re standing in your local art shop — or, let’s be honest, scrolling through Amazon.co.uk at half eleven on a Tuesday — staring at two very different things: a box of slender, dusty vine charcoal sticks and a neat set of sharpened charcoal pencils. Both promise dramatic darks, … Read more

There’s a particular magic to charcoal that no other medium quite replicates. One swipe across a textured page and suddenly you’re dealing with velvety shadows, dramatic contrast, and an expressive freedom that graphite simply cannot offer. Small wonder that charcoal has been the medium of choice for draughtsmen from Michelangelo to contemporary portrait painters working … Read more