Drawing Mediums

The choices of dry media an artist can use are extensive. From charcoal, graphite and colored pencils, chalks, pastels and crayons, each media has its own unique characteristics, and lend themselves to a wide diversity of techniques. Add the artist’s never-ending curiosity, and the possibilities are limitless.

Graphite Pencils
First of all, pencils do not contain lead. The term is centuries old, from a time when dark marks were made with a thin lead rod, but the term “lead” is still is used today to refer to the material inside a pencil that makes a mark. The first graphite “pencil,” which was already in use around 1560, was comprised of a natural stick of graphite (mined in England), wrapped with string or inserted in a wooden tube. By 1662, the Germans were manufacturing wood-cased graphite sticks.

“H” series of pencils are often referred to as “drafting” pencils. The hard lead leaves a faint line that can be easily erased or inked over for the final drawing. Pressing too hard with a hard-lead pencil will groove, or emboss, the drawing support, making the line almost impossible to erase.

Instead of applying more pressure, the artist should use a softer degree to get a darker line. The “B” series, soft lead pencils, are commonly referred to as drawing pencils and have the softest degrees producing almost ink-black lines.

Charcoal
What could be more basic to draw with than a charred stick? Charcoal is made of charred wood. As simple as it sounds, there is a wide variety of charcoals, each having particular properties your customer may be looking for.

Charcoal is a wonderful media for the beginner. It begs to be set free to create confident, expansive expression. The slightest change in hand pressure will change a stroke from the faintest ghost to the density of paint. Charcoal will not adhere to a smooth surface. It is best used on a surface with “tooth.” The peaks and valleys of rough paper, as subtle as they may seem, give the charcoal particles a way to grip the surface.

While rough newsprint seems to be the favorite support for charcoal, there are many papers with toothy surfaces an artist may use. The paper’s texture will add its own personality to the artwork. Don’t let your customers shortchange their experience by only using charcoal on newsprint.

Pastel
Artwork done in pastel dates back to the early 18th century.  Unlike other drawing sticks or crayons, the binder of a soft pastel is present to hold the pigment together rather than adhere the pigment to a drawing surface.

Characteristics of pastels:
Needs a rough, textured drawing surface
Opaque in its dry state
May be lifted off with a kneaded eraser
Working on a vertical surface allows excess pastel to fall away from the painting
May be applied directly or indirectly to the drawing surface
Watercolor, gouache or acrylics may be used with pastels
Not good for color mixing

Colored Pencils
The colored pencil is comprised of a thin core of colored material usually encased in wood.  Thin leads are usually harder and used for fine detail. Thick leads are usually softer and used for broad stokes and laying in color.

The colored pencil has become a sophisticated medium for the contemporary artist. Colored pencils represent a seemingly endless breadth of product with an equally limitless world of characteristics and working properties. Like other artists’ materials, there is a range of quality, each appropriate for a particular application.

Since colored pencils do not lend themselves to color mixing like fluid paint, the artist relies on pre-mixed hues. Layers are built up starting with light shades and moving to dark. There are occasions when too much color is built up, and it will flake off.

Another issue with colored pencil may be “bloom,” a whitish haze that may form on the surface of a colored pencil drawing. It may not develop immediately, and it is not exactly understood what causes it. Using colored pencils with light pressure seems to lessen the possibility of bloom. It is most noticeable when dark colors are applied heavily. To get rid of bloom, gently polish the area with a soft cotton cloth. A light coating of fixative may help, too.