Last year I decided to take a drawing course, I felt like it would improve my painting if I had a steadier hand at sketching. We started in charcoal and unfortunately that's as far as I got before life got in the way and I was not able to pursue further classes. However, I was able to obtain some wonderful knowledge about shadowing, form, and reflection.
Things started out pretty rough...I learned very quickly that charcoal hates me. The feeling was mutual for a while until I learned a few tricks and rules.
Rule #1:
You must have the proper tools to work with charcoal. Your best friends will be a good kneadable eraser and a set of smudging sticks.
Rule #2:
Take your time...Charcoal art is a several layer process. There is no rushing it!
Charcoal is one of those mediums that provides such a realistic outcome...It is totally worth the intense patience it requires to master. I am personally, a long way off from mastering it. However, I enjoy it and the skills it requires translate beautifully to other mediums.
All artwork contained in this post was created by me using charcoal on canvas and paper.