Collection: Charcoal & Conte

What is charcoal?
Artists' charcoal is a drawing tool made from burnt wood or compressed carbon powder. It is loved by artists because it creates a rich, matte black finish that blends and smudges very easily. There are two main types: natural twigs such as vine or willow, which are soft and easy to erase for smooth shading, and compressed sticks or pencils, which are harder and produce deep, dark lines. Because the black dust rubs off easily, charcoal is perfect for quick, expressive sketches, but the finished drawing needs to be sprayed with a fixative so it doesn't smear.

Vine charcoal is a soft, brittle drawing medium made from burnt grapevines that creates light, powdery grey-black marks that are easily smudged, blended, and erased.

Willow charcoal is a soft, deep-black drawing medium made from burnt willow twigs that produces rich, velvety strokes that blend smoothly and erase easily from paper.

Compressed charcoal is made by mixing powdered carbon with a binding agent like clay or gum, resulting in hard, dense sticks that produce intense, velvety black lines. Because of this binder, the marks adhere strongly to paper and are much more permanent and difficult to erase than natural charcoal.