CHARCOAL & PASTEL DRAWING METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

Pen drawing by Albrecht Direr

CHARCOAL AND PASTEL DRAWING

The techniques used in drawing with charcoal, pastels, and dry
crayon are very much alike. Often all three of these materials are used
in the same drawing. Charcoal is charred wood. Sticks of charcoal are
sold in every art supply shop. You can even make your own if there
is no art shop in your neighborhood.

Pastels are dry, brittle sticks of different-colored chalks.
When you plan to do a drawing with charcoal or pastel, the first
thing to consider is the paper you use. There is a special paper sold for
drawing with charcoal. The same paper can be used for pastel drawing.
It is a slightly rough paper with a ribbed, grained surface. But charcoal
can be used with almost any paper that has a slightly rough surface.
There is also a special paper made for use with pastels. This paper has
a sandy surface. It is like a very fine sandpaper. Both charcoal and
pastel papers come in various colors.

Both charcoal and pastel can be used with a lot of freedom. You
can use your fingers to smudge in the shadows and tones as you model
your shapes. You can also use charcoal and pastel in the same way you
use a pencil. And you can use your kneading rubber to erase or pick
out the lights on the tops and sides of the forms. These lights are called
highlights. They help to make your forms look fuller.

After you have finished a charcoal or pastel drawing you will have
to use a fixative to fix it to your paper. If you do not, it will rub or
flake off.