Coal and conte (sanguine, sepia, white chalk, etc.). Choosing the right pencil for drawing What is the name of the charcoal pencil

As a material, coal has been used for many centuries. Its analogue was drawn back in Ancient Greece. Craftsmen created "charcoal" by mixing charred willow branches, nuts and grapes. Story graphite pencil originates in 16th century England.

Pencil and charcoal are materials with different characteristics. The first is a hard instrument, the second is a soft one. The technique of drawing with these materials differs, first of all, because of these properties. Charcoal, unlike a pencil, is not used for detailed objects. Soft material is intended for sketches, sketches, modeling of chiaroscuro.

Charcoal should be used on paper with a rough surface. Otherwise, the material will not adhere well to the base and quickly crumble. You can draw with a pencil on the most ordinary paper.

Beginning artists are recommended to use graphite pencils to master the drawing. You can easily control the line, erase failed details, drawing them again. With coal, these manipulations will not work. It lends itself well to correction, but can leave unpleasant dark spots. To master both tools, you should familiarize yourself with the basic techniques for using them.

Pencil: Basic Drawing Techniques

The main pencil drawing technique is the line. Depending on the texture of the paper and the type of instrument, it can be clear, pronounced or barely noticeable. A pencil allows you to qualitatively feel and master. The clarity of the line also depends on the pressure on the tool. With a single pencil, you can change the intensity of the contour, highlighting the most important points.

Another technique is hatching with a transition of tone. When creating it with a pencil, you need to smoothly change the pressure on the entire area selected for toning. Creating beautiful hatching the first time is very difficult, but constant practice and ease of adjustment will help you quickly master the commonly used graphic technique.

Drawing with charcoal

The main technique of drawing with charcoal is working with the tone of the image. It will take much less time to master it than when working with a pencil. However, there are some tricks here.

When creating a shadow or working with depth, one should not draw in the same way as with a graphite tool - vary the degree of pressure. Start from the darkest place and, gradually weakening, draw only 1/3 of the intended space. Next, using a napkin or finger, blend the material in the desired direction.

If you decide to work with charcoal on the principle of a pencil, you will get a sad result: the tinting will quickly lose its properties and turn into a dark monochromatic spot.

Please note: coal is practically not used to draw even, smooth lines. With its help, basically, toning is created, and depth is also given to the picture. In this case, the initial sketch is often done in pencil (thin dashed lines).

Coal works require careful attitude and storage. To keep the image without deformation, it should be placed under glass. You can also use a special fixative or simple hairspray.

We've all seen the marks on the end of every pencil, but what do HB and 2B mean, and how do they differ? When should we use graphite pencil, charcoal, or charcoal pencil? And why do pencils come in different shapes?

Let's start with something simple: forms.

Pencils usually come in four shapes: hexagonal, semi-hexagonal, round, and triangular. Some specialty pencils are also elliptical, octagonal, or rectangular; there are also novelty pencils that come in different shapes. They are formed by forming a wooden case around the lead, which prevents lubrication during operation.

The four most common pencil shapes

Hexagonal pencils are commonly used for writing. They have very sharp edges for easy grip and prevent scrolling. The hard body, however, is not ideal for shading, and sharp edges often cause blisters.

Hexagonal pencils with smooth edges are often used for drawing. They have more rounded edges than just hexagonal pencils, so they're less rigid, but it also means less grip for writers.

Pencils with round edges are often made for marketing reasons, as smooth edges look more attractive. But such pencils are less practical, because. roll off the table and do not grip the hand well.

Triangular pencils are best for kids who are just starting to draw. Their shape helps children learn how to hold a pencil correctly. It is easier for children to hold large objects.

gradation

In school, on test exams, we were always intimidated by the need to fill in the circles with HB or 2B pencils, but what does this really mean?

H stands for "hardness" and B stands for "blackness" according to European system classification of pencils. Or, respectively, T and M, according to Russian. They are used to define the different shades of gray and black that can be achieved with a given pencil.

The center of the pencil, graphite, is made from a mixture of clay and graphite. The relative proportions of each determine the grading of the pencil - more clay means a stiffer pencil, while the amount of graphite affects blackness.

Gradation from 9B to 9H

The American pencil grading system uses numbers and is primarily used for writing pencils. There are only five grades: #1 (softest), #2, #3 and #4 (hardest), corresponding to European 2H, H, F (halfway on the scale), HB and B.

Writing materials

Most pencils are made from graphite, the materials of which are made from a mixture of clay and graphite. These pencils make the smoothest strokes. Solid graphite pencils simply do not have a wooden body and are primarily used by artists to cover large spaces.

Charcoal pencils are deeper in blackness but smudge easily and are more abrasive than graphite.

Charcoal pencils are made up of clay and carbon black, or mixed with charcoal or graphite. On a scale of smoothness and blackness, they are located between graphite and charcoal, respectively.

Watch this video on how to choose a pencil for your artistic endeavors:

Which pencil to choose for drawing - video for beginners

As you move forward, you will also come across things like specialty pencils that are designed for drawing. Try experimenting with them at least once to understand how they work and decide for yourself if they are right for you.

Coal. With a high probability, we can assume that the very first graphic material in the history of man was a simple ember from a fire. They were painted at all times and it is surprising that even now he has not lost his relevance and love of artists.

Coal is very beautiful material with great graphics capabilities. It gives a wide range of tones, beautiful velvety and varied texture. They are painted on paper, cardboard and canvas, combined with any other soft materials (sepia, sanguine and chalk), but more often they are used as a self-sufficient medium.

It is great for sketching and allows you to create dynamic live drawings. The material is beautifully rubbed, quickly corrected, easily erased with an elastic band and self-sharpened in the process of drawing. They can apply thin strokes and create wide “strokes” by drawing with a plane. The technique of charcoal drawing even gave rise to such a strange term as "pictorial drawing".

And coal is good for everyone, except for one thing - it is very fragile on the surface. This is the most loose graphic material. That is why coal works are very easy to smudge and cannot be stored loose.

Its softness has its advantages. You can not be afraid to make a mistake - the material is easily knocked off the surface with a cloth or bristles of a brush, and thus the drawing can be corrected many times, achieving the best result. That is why it is often used to apply a drawing to a canvas before painting.

Zhaoming Wu. Charcoal portrait. I.E. Repin. Portrait of Eleonora Duse. Coal on canvas. Zhaoming Wu. Charcoal portrait. Educational setting. Coal. Chinese school. Coal. I.S. Kulikov. Portrait of a peasant woman. Coal, pastel.

In the 15th century, it became widespread in Italy interesting way fixing the charcoal, when the drawing was already applied to the surface of the paper smeared with glue, and after completion, the work was kept on steam, and thus the charcoal was fixed.

It must be said that people invented many different ways fixings - dipped in a solution of glue, treated with rosin dissolved in gasoline, sprayed with skimmed and filtered milk from a spray bottle, sprinkled with beer, but none of them turned out to be perfect.

Nowadays, coal is fixed in the same way as other soft graphic materials- with a special fixative or hairspray.

There are two types of coal - natural and pressed. Natural is different irregular shape and different thicknesses, always has a core, as it is made from real wood sticks. Such sticks crumble more strongly, and sometimes unevenly burnt specimens come across among them. Such twigs draw pale and scratch the paper.

If you live in a private home and have a stove, charcoal can be easily made on your own. When I was little, my father prepared himself such charcoal for drawing under painting. To do this, he took willow or birch sticks peeled from the bark with a diameter of 3-6 mm, vertically packed them in a vertical tin can. Then he filled the holes between the bars with sand and closed the jar very tightly so that oxygen would not penetrate into it. For greater confidence in the tightness of the cover, the seams can be covered with clay. After that, it was necessary to put it in the coals of the oven for 5-6 hours and wait a few more hours until the jar cools down. The result was a cool artistic charcoal.

I.E. Repin. Portrait of Romanov. Zhaoming Wu coal. Charcoal portrait. N.I. Feshin. Sketch. Coal. Zhaoming Wu. Charcoal portrait. N.I. Feshin. Sketch. Coal. I.E. Repin. Portrait of MO Levenfeld. Coal, sanguine. N.I. Feshin. Man from Bali. Coal. Casey Childs. Coal. I.E. Repin. Portrait of I.S. Ostroukhov. Coal.

The pressed rod was invented in the 19th century. It is made from coal chips, fastened with vegetable glue. Unlike wood, it has correct form, uniform structure and gives a deeper tone and is produced from one to four hardness numbers. In addition, it holds better on the surface, although it still requires fixation.

Such coal can also be purchased in the form wooden pencils. In practice, a charcoal pencil turns out to be very convenient - it is convenient to draw small details. In Russia, such a pencil is produced under the name "Retouch" softness 3M (Production Krasin). IN Lately The quality of "Retouch" leaves much to be desired. I bought it quite recently and was very disappointed - it draws pale and, moreover, constantly finds scratching clay lumps in the composition. It's a pity, because even 15 years ago it was great.

The predecessor of pressed coal in the 19th century was fat coal - this is ordinary wood, but additionally impregnated with vegetable oil. I have not tried to draw with such material, they say that it gives a darker line and crumbles a little less than a simple wood.

Now on sale you can find any charcoal, classic wood, in the form of pressed bars, rods and pencils in a wooden frame. To work with coal, given its flowability, it makes sense to use paper or cardboard with a rough surface.

Charcoal pencils.

Paper sticks for blending charcoal.

charcoal pencils

Set of all types of coal.

Set of all types of coal.

Set of all types of coal.

Summing up, I note that I don’t see much point in painting with charcoal when there is pressed one. At one time, I suffered a lot with the fragility of my charcoal drawings, and most of them had to be thrown away due to poor preservation. Therefore, when pressed coal appeared on sale, for me it was happiness and salvation.

But you should try to work with both to form your own opinion.

There is another wonderful pencil, similar to charcoal, but different in composition - this is an Italian pencil. But about him in the next article.

Charcoal was used in artistic purposes with the emergence of drawing as a species visual arts. Usually they took a charred vine or willow. Willow charcoal is lighter and more brittle. Carbon rods are available for sale different sizes. They are brittle - such is the nature of the material. Although charcoal stains hands more than a pencil, it is excellent for quick tonal sketches and solid color stains.
Charcoal is also available in the form of charcoal sticks. They resemble ordinary graphite pencils, but the core is made of compressed charcoal, which is placed in a wooden case, which gives the pencil strength. This pencil is much more convenient to use than a charcoal stick. One benefit is that your hands remain relatively clean.

Charcoal pencils can be up to 15cm long and usually vary in diameter; In terms of composition, they are divided into soft, medium soft and hard. On sale there is also the so-called coal for decorators - in the form of large rectangular blocks and thick rods.
When used, charcoal pencils are smeared, but if soiled hands are not embarrassing, this is a very convenient tool. The charcoal is ideal to handle and can be easily removed before fixing - most of the traces of such a pencil can simply be brushed off with a rag.

Pressed charcoal and charcoal pencils.
Pressed coal is made from coal powder with the addition of binders. It comes in short rods and is harder than regular charcoal. Some manufacturers classify pressed charcoal from 3H (3T) to HB (TM) in terms of hardness and from the darkest 4B (4M) to the lightest 2B (2M) in terms of black saturation. Pressed carbon rods can also be gray - in this case, the coal powder is mixed with a binder and chalk. In cross section, the rods are round and square. Wood-coated charcoal pencils have thin compressed charcoal leads and are available in soft, medium-soft, and hard grades.

willow charcoal made from skinned and burned willow branches. It is sold in boxes and comes in different thicknesses and different composition: thin and thick, hard and soft.

There are three types of charcoal pencils: light, medium and dark. Using all types, you will master the hatching technique well.

Charcoal is smeared - wrap its core with foil so as not to get your hands dirty.

To remove charcoal from softer products, a cloth or brush is suitable. But you won't be able to use them after pinning the picture.

Oil charcoal.
To make this charcoal, simply soak the rods in linseed oil for a few hours, or preferably overnight. Remove the rods and remove any unabsorbed oil. Work as with a regular charcoal rod and you will notice that the charcoal marks are no longer smeared and do not need to be fixed.

Sharpening the rod
Thick carbon rods can be sharpened with a back knife, a sanding block or fine grit sandpaper. For pressed charcoal, use a knife or sandpaper, and for wood charcoal, use a sharp knife.

HINT FOR THE ARTIST
To erase a line drawn with charcoal, use a hard eraser, a nag: a soft one will only smear the strokes. With the help of an eraser, you can lighten some areas and even make feathering. Please note that the lines drawn with charcoal branches can be completely erased. Other types of coal leave traces.
Try drawing with charcoal on colored paper - this will give special expressiveness to light and dark areas.

Texture and tone
Charcoal can draw precise lines and impose a tone; both will come in handy when creating texture effects. Thick black lines are ideal for depicting trunks and bare branches, the tip of the charcoal rod can be used to draw numerous strokes in foliage, and the side of the rod can be used to avoid shadows.

For charcoal drawing the best way rough paper is suitable, while smooth paper is better for pencil sketches.

To create a light background, you can use chalk or a white pastel pencil.

Use of a fixer
A fixative is a mixture of glue and an alcohol solution that is applied to a design made with soft media such as charcoal and soft pencils. It leaves a layer of glue on the paper that holds all the loose pigment particles in place.
The fixative can be purchased as a spray. Make sure that during work it does not get on your face or clothes, do not inhale it and ventilate the room well. Fixatives are widely available, but quite expensive, so some artists use hairspray to fix their drawings.

Light and shadow
Charcoal pencil and chalk are a wonderful combination that works well for creating shades of gray. First draw with white chalk and then work with black pressed charcoal. Apply charcoal strokes gradually so as not to "darken" the image. Charcoal is ideal for learning and drawing perspective because its strokes are easy to remove or recycle.

CONTE- tetrahedral crayons, lightly waxed, made of clay pigment. They can be applied on paper with rich and clear lines, similar to the lines of charcoal pencils. Conte are also available as pencils, which are easier to apply finer lines. These pencils come in black, white, dark brown, terracotta, and Payne Grey. The limited choice of colors makes conte the perfect vehicle for transitioning from monochrome to color work.
Conte is quite soft, so the finished drawing should be covered with a fixer (see above " Using a fixer"). When storing a picture in a stack, cover it with tracing paper. When drawing in an album, start work from its end, moving towards the beginning - in this case, the pages rub against each other less and the picture is not smeared.

ARTIST'S ADVICE
Work straight away with conte, without sketching with a pencil. Graphite and conte are somewhat greasy and therefore mix.

Conte are produced in the form of rods and pencils. You can sharpen the rods with a penknife and a pencil sharpener.

Pencils and conte rods
The traditional colors of conte are white (from chalk), sanguine (from iron oxides), bistre (dark brown; brewed from birch soot), sepia (from cuttlefish ink) and black (from graphite).

Pencil black chalk, CRETACOLOR Austria
The Black Chalk Pencil is recommended for sketches and sketches. Perfectly combined with sanguine, sepia and other crayons, in addition, it can be washed out with water. Pencil available in medium softness Art. no. 460 12.
The rod is available in medium softness Art. no. 260 12.

water soluble graphite pencil CRETACOLOR Austria
Water-soluble artistic graphite pencil. Excellent used for watercolor technique graphite, it is also recommended for watercolor sketches. Available in 3 softness options.
Art. no. 180 00=HB, 180 04=4V, 180 08= 8V, cylindrical, Ø 3.8 mm shaft, 7.5 mm body, 12 pcs. in a cardboard box

oil sanguine, CRETACOLOR Austria
Sanguine oil has a shiny touch. Since it contains fat, it is waterproof and does not smudge.
The pencil is offered in medium softness. Art. no. 462 02
The rod is offered in medium softness. Art. no. 262 02

Sepia in assortment, "CRETACOLOR" Austria
Sepia light and dark are recommended for combination with crayons, charcoal and sanguine. Pencils are offered in medium softness. Art. no. 463 22=dry, light, 463 32=dry, dark, 463 42=oily, light, 463 52=oily, dark
The rods are offered in medium softness. Art. no. 263 22=dry light, 263 32=dry dark.

charcoal pencil, CRETACOLOR Austria
The charcoal pencil has a uniform, thin and rich black stroke.
The pencil is available in three softness options: Art. no. 460 01= soft, art. no. 460 02= medium, art. no. 460 03= hard.
The rod is available in two softness options: Art. no. 260 01= soft, art. no. 260 02= medium.

White chalk pencil, CRETACOLOR Austria
White chalk pencil goes well with charcoal, sanguine, sepia. With the help of shading, the shades of color are highlighted.
The pencil is available in two softness options: art. no. 461 51= non-greasy soft, art. no. 461 52= non-greasy medium, art. no. 461 61= butter soft.
The rod is available in medium softness Art. no. 261 52 (dry).

Pencil "Nero", CRETACOLOR Austria
The Nero pencil stands out with a shiny, black stroke. Since it contains fat, it is waterproof and does not smudge. The pencil is available in five softness options: Art. no. 461 01= very soft, Art. no. 461 02= soft, art. no. 461 03= medium, art. no. 461 04= hard, art. no. 461 05= very hard.
The rod is available in two softness options: Art. no. 261 01= soft, Art. no. 261 02= medium.

Sanguina non-greasy (dry), CRETACOLOR Austria
Sanguina, non-greasy or dry, goes well with crayons and charcoal.
The pencil is offered in medium softness. Art. no. 46212
The rod is offered in medium softness. Art. no. 26212

To create graphic works in which the main emphasis is on the contrast of light and dark tones, the official distributor of the MPM group of companies offers to buy charcoal pencils for drawing at a bargain price. A convenient format in the form of traditional pencils allows you to create thin shading and draw details, as well as toning with the same convenience.

Among distinctive properties This tool is also worth noting:

• The possibility of fine sharpening and maintaining the sharpness of the rod for a relatively long time.
• Balanced softness of the lead that leaves a velvety mark without scratching the paper.
• High adhesion to paper (does not crumble).
• Easily washed out with water.
• Good compatibility with other materials.
• Eliminate the problem of dirt formation during operation.

Using charcoal pencils for drawing

This tool has all the properties of a traditional charcoal and makes it possible to achieve various graphic effects when creating sketches, sketches, landscapes or portraits. The most advantageous look is the work done on matte textured paper. To create tints, the charcoal spreads easily over the paper by shading with a finger or torshon. The nag will allow you to correct errors or change the saturation of the tone.

The range includes a large selection of charcoal pencils for drawing of various hardness and saturation. The palette also contains tint materials with the addition of pigments, for example, sandy, burnt orange, with a green or blue tint. Black, white or colored pencil can be purchased individually or in sets of 4 pieces (in a blister or box).