Compressed charcoal is an expressive drawing tool that can be blended and shaded to create bold black marks and subtle gray hues in artwork. Comprised of powdered charcoal combined with a binder, compressed charcoal is available in a range of softnesses, depending on the ratio of charcoal to binder. Compressed charcoal is considered harder than willow or vine charcoal.
Nevada Fine Arts' stocks a wide variety of compressed charcoal available in sticks, blocks, pencils, chunks, and other forms. Compressed charcoal can be used on paper for finished works — and on canvas to make preliminary drawings prior to painting. Because charcoal is a softer media that tends to smudge more easily, a fixative is recommended for sealing and protecting final charcoal works. Choose individual compressed charcoal sticks, or sets that include other types of charcoal and a variety of useful tools.
