Definition Of Charcoal Art
Charcoal Art is simply the use of charcoal as a medium to produce artistic imagery. Its benefits range widely from ease of shading to concept drawing before painting.
It has been used for thousands of years and is among the first mediums used within art.
While charcoal is not often viewed as a dominant art but rather seen as a technique to use within other arts, it is still alive and well today. Since its rise in popularity what it offers artists today continues to expand despite how technology has altered the world of art.
Traditional Ways To Make Charcoal For Art
Believe it or not one can make their own charcoal for art if they wished. The process is not complicated.
Nevertheless know that modern adaptation from primitive methods offer a lot more in use and function as a tool in art.
Traditionally willow twigs would be taken and placed into a container then heated. This container would be deprived of oxygen. This oxygen deprivation would prevent the wood from burning.
Since the wood cannot burn the heat turns the twig into charcoal. The use of these twigs for art is likely a byproduct of other practical char burning methods often used in ancient daily life.
Today this same method of charring is used predominately by survivalist and woodsmen.
Modern Charcoal For Art
As early as the Renaissance period charcoal would be taken and mixed with other mediums such as wax. This purpose was to create a more substantial pen or pencil like stick which the artist could use.
It allowed for the charcoal to be better shaped for the purpose intended within art.
Today graphite has replaced many uses by which charcoal was once used.
Nevertheless it still remains as a preferred medium by many artists and offers a unique rendering of imagery which cannot be matched.
The tools used by charcoal artists range widely as techniques today allow for more versatility. Commonly we are accustomed to seeing powdered charcoal and chamois cloth.
Charcoal crayons are a modern option for artists today and are an example of how far this medium has come.
Additionally there are other items we take for granted that aid the artist today. Erasers which historically were not available are an invaluable asset.
Naturally if one wishes the more traditional willow sticks, they can still be had or created in traditional ways.
Practical Uses Of Charcoal Within Art Today
Setting aside the use of this medium as a visual art in its own right, there are many practical uses of Charcoal Art. These uses reach back across time to the techniques of the past which artists have used for centuries.
Painters would often take a canvas and use charcoal to render a preliminary work before it was painted. In this way they could see on canvas the vision they had within their mind before paint was committed to the artwork.
Once this was done the artist would then paint the canvas as intended. It allowed for corrections to be made with greater ease.
This helped in eliminating the chance of a canvas being thrown away due to error.
Other arts have also used charcoal in this same manner. Sculptures have done the same as well as wood art. Charcoal can be applied to many surfaces as long as it has the necessary texture to retain the flakes of char which is removed.
In wood it allows for a visual to be had of what the artist intends before any wood carving is done. Just like in painting, the wood artist can make corrections as needed before material is removed with chisels or other tools.
Why Is Charcoal Art Unique From Graphite?
Charcoal Art has a unique texture and appearance to it which graphite cannot compare. The reason for this can be found within the charcoal itself.
While graphite is solid and hard, charcoal is softer and will splinter.
In its natural form it lacks any binding agents which makes it is easy for these smaller particles to continue breaking down. One can merely use their finger to smudge the charcoal if desired.
This allows for the artist to achieve a richer gradient of shading and depth in rendering an image.
Creating highlights is far easier with charcoal than with graphite. The fine bits of charcoal can be lifted from the canvas with a cloth allowing for it to be lightened and in some cases removed.
A Charcoal stick can be used to create fine lines or broader deeper lines depending upon both tip and pressure applied. Additionally these sticks can be turned broadside and rubbed against the canvas to create wide strokes measuring the length of the stick itself.
By comparison graphite is more difficult if not impossible to use in such ways. The tip of the graphite is what the artist must use in order to achieve their art.
While it can have similar characteristics in some ways the nature of how graphite is made does not allow for the same ease of use.
Can You Draw With Charcoal?
Yes you can create drawings in Charcoal Art. There are many works one can find from the 19th century for example which display the great level of detail one can achieve.
To create this level of Charcoal Art one must use many different techniques, some of which are reductive in nature. Additionally the charcoal would be mixed with other liquids including water to create an effect the artist desired.
By the end of the 18th century compressed charcoal was introduced allowing for artist to have a wider range of what could be done within the art. This allowed for the charcoal to have varied degrees of hardness better controlling how it was applied to the canvas.
An additional benefit to this compressed charcoal was that it gave a broader range in color. An artist could select between varied grays and darker blacks for shading or stronger lines.
With this there were many artist that could produce life like works whether as a portrait or a naturalist setting. There was no limitation to the degree of realism which could be achieved other than the limitation in color to what charcoal is.
Today we have the same benefit of what the artist that came before us had and more. You can find many adaptations on the market to offer you virtually anything you can imagine.
Protective Finishing For Charcoal Art
One of the drawbacks to Charcoal Art is that once a work was completed it could continue to smudge or rub off the art. Unlike paints which dry and remain, charcoal would continue to be altered by contact with any other object.
It would be possible for an entire work to be removed or smudged beyond recognition by a wet cloth. This is an obvious problem that needed a remedy.
The artists of those times would use fixatives and apply them to the surface of the work in order to prevent damage from occurring. Today modern fixatives can be easily had at any arts store in a spray can.
It is also common for painters to use similar products to protect their works.
These fixatives are called stabilizers which aid in keeping the medium fixed to the surface of the canvas. While care is always needed with art these solutions should be used in a common sense way.
For example using a fixative or stabilizer of some kind does not make the work weather proof.
Charcoal Art Uses In Mixed Media
It is very common to find charcoal used within mixed media art. Michelangelo himself did this in the creation of “Study Of A Man Shouting”.
The outcome in mixed media use would allow for stunning works of art to be created.
Of the common mixed mediums used would be ink and chalk. While the use of charcoal has reached back to the dawn of time its rise in popularity within the Renaissance cannot be understated.
It became one of the favored mediums in that time especially with Italian artists.
Its use continued forward through the period of Romanticism and has remained with us through the 21st Century. Today additional mixed media formats can be found in far wider ranges than before.
Graphite and charcoal are common to find and are naturally complimentary in our modern arts. It has been used within virtually any medium combination imaginable including paintings and even wood carving.
Within wood carving it can be an easy way to create accents without the use of stains. It is easier to control when compared to a liquid which requires greater care in application.
The beauty behind what it can offer reaches beyond Charcoal Art itself. There is something which it has for many artists no matter the work of preference that they create.
While some may merely use it as a supplementing technique others may depend upon its beauty within art.
Learning Charcoal Art Is Easy For Beginners
Learning Charcoal Art is easy for beginners and is among the best suggested places to start. The reason for this is due to how forgiving the medium can be.
Among the greatest lessons one will learn is how to understand and use Value.
The term Value speaks to how light or dark a color is. If Value is ranged from 1 to 10, 1 being the white canvas and 10 being black from the charcoal, the shades between are degrees of Value. A value of 5 would be half tone between both 1 and 10.
It is through simple experimentation that one can begin to learn what Value really is and how it is used. It is a principle which applies to any color used within art.
With Charcoal Art the medium itself allows you to manipulate the value with great ease.
Here one can see the effect of shading, light, and balance within art by merely smudging the canvas to see the impact. If something was in great error it is easy to remove with a damp cloth.
Another great benefit to using charcoal in learning art is understanding how to use a Line. As the Line is a fundamental element within art the charcoal allows one to easily experiment with its thickness and intensity.
This pays dividends down the road with other art mediums in helping one to pull upon this experience. No matter if one is using graphite or paints there is insight to what a work will become.
This too is in part why many artists begin their work with a preliminary sketch using charcoal.
Favorite Tools Of Charcoal Artists
Among the most favorite tools with charcoal artists would be an eraser and chamois cloth. The chamois cloth is actually a fine piece of leather which allows for ease of blending.
It is how Charcoal Art receives such a smooth and lifelike appearance in detailed works.
The eraser we all know too well from childhood. After a few times of using an eraser with charcoal you will see how the two were made to be together. An eraser can at times act as its own brush enhancing the work.
It would be advisable to have multiple sizes and shapes of erasers on hand. They will be needed and come in handy with various effects which one is seeking to achieve.
Then there are other tools which are considered by some to be a sin to employ. Light boxes for tracing art have become a common fixture of modern practice.
Our modern world has many tools to aid artists that before did not exist.
The Trick To Charcoal Art Is To Keep Practicing
If you are a beginner the real trick is to just keep practicing. Obtaining skills within art never come quickly and indeed it can be frustrating. It will take time for you to get satisfaction from your work.
Too often people simply believe that they cannot create art. That belief is backed by no real attempt at experiencing the potential of talent which they can possess.
It will require some study with trial and error across time.
As a beginner Charcoal Art is the easiest place to start. This is true even when comparing drawing with graphite pencil or other mediums.
Once one becomes somewhat adept with charcoal they can begin to expand and explore with other possibilities.