I usually use vine charcoal on a larger piece. When I draw it out, and I don’t like the design, I can still move things around easily. If I am drawing out a horse or a figure or building and I see something that is off, I can still very easily erase it with my hand and move it. If I painted onto a sketch, let’s say late in the day, I would go back the next morning and the paint would already be dry. Without using charcoal, I am kinda stuck with what is there (at least a little). With charcoal, I have more flexibility.  I like using vine charcoal for drawing out and building the road map of where I am heading with the painting.

Read more on my two favorite drawing tools (Pencil and Charcoal) below —>

I have used vine charcoal many times for life drawing. If you don’t want to paint and just don’t want to draw the model, you can get great dark-to-light values using vine charcoal. Generally, I like medium vine charcoal. It is not too hard or too soft. The hard one is good for drawing if you want a very exact drawing. I also use sandpaper to sharpen it. I find sandpaper is the best way to get a nice edge on it. These days I mostly use it for drawing out my design on my canvas. Again, it is a very flexible medium and can be erased very easily. Give it a try!

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