When you initially start sketching, you are most likely to use a pencil because that’s what’s considered fundamental. However, when it comes to art supplies, the possibilities are endless.

While you’re learning and trying new things, you’re bound to come across charcoal, as it’s one of the most popular means used by artists.

However, many aspiring artists may abandon charcoal because of how messy and complicated it appears to be. But, it is not always necessary to be this way.

So, the next time you think of using charcoal as the medium, make sure to use these tips to have an incredible experience:

Do Not Make All Lines Equal

Charcoal drawings may quickly become monotonous if the necessary skills are not applied. This is something that most novices struggle with. The truth is that while working with charcoal, you only need one tool to draw, shade, and color with. Using thick and thin lines in your work is a simple approach to providing technical and aesthetic variety.

Confused?

Well, here’s how you can do it.

Thin lines can be used on top of items where the light touches them. Additionally, lines in the shadows, or underneath objects, can be thicker. Consider using this trick to quickly breathe life into your paintings!

Maintain Cleanness in Your Work

Charcoal has a habit of practically getting everywhere! This implies that as a novice, you may struggle to keep the paper clean. To avoid undesirable stains and smudges on your paper, you must use considerable caution while positioning your hands and arms.

Also, when drawing, place your pinky finger on the paper and lift the rest of your arm away from the work to avoid smudging it. You may also put an extra piece of paper between your drawing and your arm.

Furthermore, try to wear gloves or wash your hands frequently. Keep everything you’ll need nearby while working and avoid touching anything needlessly.

Erasers and Charcoal Are Partners; Treat Them That Way

Although charcoal is inconvenient because it moves around so easily and gets everywhere, the good news is that you can erase it most of the time.

You can do interesting things with a charcoal sketch with an eraser. You may generate a variety of effects. For example, by removing a section, you may portray light striking at that location. Or you could use it to generate shaded effects.

Try Using Charcoal Pencils

To keep your drawing light in case you need to make corrections later, use charcoal pencils instead of straight charcoal because charcoal has a tendency to turn quite dark.

In addition to pencils, charcoal chunks, and sticks are also available. It’s best to select a tool based on your degree of comfort and experience. As a novice, you can start with a charcoal pencil and gradually go to compressed charcoal.

Learn More About Charcoal Basics

Conclusion

Drawing with charcoal is a simple skill to learn since the material is very forgiving. It’s a fantastic medium to start with before going on to others like paint. Once you’ve mastered charcoal drawing, you might want to take a fine art course at the best fine art institute in Dehradun to learn how to apply it more effectively, as well as classes in painting and other media to give you the freedom to apply what you’ve learned in new and different ways. So, begin drawing with charcoal now and explore what new worlds you can create.