Charcoal powder. Liquid fixative is especially effective to use with Nitram Charcoal Powder. Apply liquid fixative to a support and then sprinkle the charcoal powder into the media for some great textural effects. There are many more techniques to discover with this exceptional medium. Compressed charcoal is made by mixing charcoal powder with grease and wax binders. It produces dark, bold marks that cannot easily be erased. It varies in texture according to the blend of charcoal, clay and fillers used.

Autumn Woodland, Rydal Hall, Lake District, mixed-media drawing on white Canson Mi-Teintes Touch pastel paper, (50x65cm) Graphite is an allotrope ( different structural form) of the element carbon. Although both Graphite and Charcoal are carbon based, the atomic structure of each varies quite dramatically. In graphite, carbon has a uniform arrangement, in distinct layers. Between these layers are very weak chemical bonds. As you draw, these weak bonds break allowing each layer to effortlessly leave the main graphite crystal. This property is how pencils glide so easily over your paper. They leave marks from tiny shards of graphite sheared from the main crystal. How do you make Graphite? If you’re working on a small scale then the precision tip of a pencil is more suitable for rendering small details.A variety of graphite tools are available – each bringing their own unique working properties to your art. Graphite Pencils

Liquid graphite is an exciting media to use for creating wash-like effects with your drawings. Diluted with water, very effective and beautiful tints can be layered to darken tones. This was created en plein air. Different types of drawing media explained Graphite pencils are made in different degrees of hardness by regulating the amount of clay added. The greater the quantity of clay, the harder the lead and the lighter the overall drawn line will appear. The grades available range from H (hard) to 9H (very hard). And B (soft) to 9B (extremely soft). HB and F are intermediate grades. Much easier to create broad, expressive marks, so may be more suitable for beginners working on a large scale. Get straight to the point! Keep your pencils sharp with the Derwent Manual Super Point Helical blade sharpener.Draw from life. Join a life-drawing class. There is nothing better to sharpen your creative drawing skills.

Pennine Showers and Melting Snow, mixed-media drawing with ink and pastel on white Canson Mi-Teintes Touch 350gsm, (50x65cm) The word pencil comes from the latin ‘pencillus’ that means little tail and originally referred to a small brush used for working in ink during the medieval times. Our modern pencils earnt this name by having a wooden pencil and a small pointed tip like a tiny brush, or ‘pencillus’, would have. You can find out more about Graphite Pencils in our Choosing the Right Graphite Sketching & Drawing Pencil article. Tinted Graphite Caran d’Ache Technalo RGB Water-Soluble Tinted Graphite Pencils (left) and Derwent Graphitint Tinted Graphite Pencils (right)When working from photographs make A4 print-outs so that you see all the detail – but don’t copy it all! Add to and subtract from the scene to make more drama. Remember why you took it in the first place. Evoke those feelings in your drawing.

Graphite Pencils are the most popular drawing and sketching tool. They have a wooden barrel which holds the graphite strip. This makes the graphite easy to control, sharpen and means you’re less likely to get messy hands. There are many ranges of graphite pencil available, with most offering a considerable range of grades. You can buy them both individually and in sets – sets are great for beginners, while individual pencils allow you to replace your favourites and tailor your collection to your specific needs. It is much messier than Graphite to work with. Even if you use Charcoal pencils you will still find that they generate more dust than graphite.Mechanical and Clutch Pencils are plastic and/or metal barrels into which you insert a graphite lead. You feed through the leads to the tip of the pencil by repeatedly pressing the button at the top of the barrel.