Must-Have Charcoal & Pastel Supplies You’ll Need, And How to Use Them

Charcoal is an incredibly versatile and remarkable medium to work with because of its range of tones and ease of use, which is why it’s my favorite medium. Just like colors, charcoal can be used to create a wide range of effects, from soft and subtle shading to bold and striking lines. Drawing with charcoal has taught me so much about painting in colors. So, I’m going to share some essential supplies that you need to start working with charcoal. 

Charcoal Pencil, powder & stick

Before filling in each drawing with the black charcoal stick, I use a charcoal pencil to create the outlines. For the darker areas, I use the charcoal stick and then add some charcoal powder to create a mid-tone between the pencil and the stick. The next step is to use white charcoal for highlighting, along with a pencil to create light in my drawings. I use a pencil to highlight the eyes and wherever the main source of light is present.

Blending stumps/Tortillon, makeup pad, cotton, tissue & Q-tips

When shading, you can use brushes and blending stumps (which typically come in a pack of multiple sizes). The size of the tool you use depends on the area you’re shading. To see how these tools are used, you can check out the blending video link provided below. Additionally, you’ll need some makeup pads, Q-tips, tissue paper, and cotton balls, all of which you probably already have at home.

 Kneaded Eraser, pencil & electric eraser

When it comes to erasers, it’s best to have a round pencil eraser handy. This type of eraser is useful when creating fine details like strands of hair and highlights. For bigger areas, you’ll need a kneadable eraser. This type of eraser is very flexible and can be molded to fit into any space that you need to remove charcoal from your paper, particularly in small spaces like the eyes. To clean up any leftover charcoal, you’ll also need an electrical eraser and a plastic or gum eraser.

Sharpener & utility knife

You can use a regular sharpener to sharpen your pencil, but you’ll notice that it won’t sharpen your pencil as well as a utility knife, also known as a box cutter. For a clean drawing or outline, it’s important to have a sharp pencil point.

Pencil extender

Another useful tool is a pencil extender, which makes it much easier to hold the pencil, especially if it’s very small. The extender is also helpful because instead of throwing away all your pencils, you can use it to extend the length of the pencil.

Sandpaper

If you find yourself without sandpaper, a nail buffer can be used as a substitute. They serve a similar purpose, allowing you to sharpen your pencil or create a charcoal powder. Additionally, if you need to remove charcoal or pastel from a specific area of your drawing, you can use sandpaper or buffer to sharpen your eraser. To do this, simply shape it into a point like a pencil. Another helpful use for sandpaper is cleaning your blending stump. I’ll create a video explaining this process in more detail.

Ruler

You will need a ruler. The ruler comes in handy for measurement, and just to create outlines on your paper.

Tapes

In addition to a ruler, you’ll need to tape if you want to leave clear white edges like I do on your paper around your drawn, it will take steps to secure the paper down and just a mask off certain areas.

 Papers

When it comes to papers, it’s important to experiment to find what works best for you. Alternatively, you can stick to regular papers that are designed for the medium. However, I prefer to use paper that’s different from the norm. I use a sketchbook I picked up from Walmart, which is great for charcoal and pastel practice. It’s a mixed media paper that allows me to easily blend pastel and charcoal. I can even use acrylic on it if I want to. The paper is smooth, so it’s a little hard to hold charcoal and pastel onto the pages.

Next, I enjoy using Strathmore Bristol vellum and smooth papers. They’re designed for graphite and charcoal. The Bristol vellum paper has textures that hold the charcoal and pastel. It’s one of my favorite papers, and many of my drawings are done on it. Here are a few of them.

The Bristol smooth paper is a little more difficult to work on with charcoal or pastel, unless I’m working with powder and brushes. This makes it easier to blend and gives a pretty nice effect. Here is a few work that I’ve done on this paper, and I love the outcome.

Watercolor papers are my favorite to use with charcoal and pastel because of the texture of the paper. I find that it holds the charcoal very well, and it’s easy for me to get certain effects. If I want to add water, it’s easy to do so because it’s already on the watercolor paper.

The Strathmore Paper 500 Series Charcoal Pad is specifically made for charcoal, and it’s a beautiful paper to do charcoal drawings on. It’s in my top three because I like the textures and easy-to-create depths that make it easy to blend. These are just some of the drawings I’ve done on it.

Strathmore’s Drawing paper is my least favorite. It works best for graphite, and I am not a graphite person because I don’t get the same darkness and stunning effect as I do with charcoal.

The Strathmore 400 Series Recycled Sketch Pad is a very smooth paper, so it’s a little difficult to blend charcoal on or draw without it creating a mess. However, I was able to create some beautiful pieces.

Surprisingly, charcoal and pastel work best on canvas. One day, I decided to do a charcoal drawing on a canvas, and it turned out awesome. I was able to varnish it, which gave it a shiny look. The best part about using Canvas is that I don’t have to frame it, so it’s a win-win.

The rest of the items are extras. These are things you can do without, but they are important for me and my drawings because of all the benefits they offer such as:

Circle template

The circle template is a useful tool for drawing the pupils of the eyes. It ensures that you get them perfectly done every time without any mistakes. Investing in a circle template is worth it, and you can find them easily at any arts and crafts store. 

 Sponge

A makeup pad is not necessary; any regular or miscellaneous sponge will work. 

 Chamois

When drawing, I often use a chamois to blend or tone the background. Additionally, I may use it to give the page a tint instead of working on a white surface. 

Gloves

You will need gloves to avoid getting charcoal on your hands as it can be messy. 

Wet wipes

Instead of getting up every 30 minutes to wash your hands, you can use wipes to clean up. 

Fixatives

Lastly, you will need fixatives to seal and preserve your artwork. There are different types of fixatives to choose from. I personally use a workable fixative, which allows me to continue working on my drawing. Once the drawing is complete, I apply the final fixative. However, it’s important to note that final fixatives can darken your work, so you must be careful when using them.

If you’re working on canvas, you can also seal your artwork and apply a varnish to give it a shiny and glossy finish. 

Thank you for reading. I hope you found this post informative. Please subscribe for more content and I’ll talk to you soon. Happy creating!