Charcoal

Historically painters also worked in charcoal either as a base for painting, or as works in their own right. Why charcoal? I have no idea. I am not inclined to look it up; even though, the AI’s make that easy to do.

For me, charcoal is fun to work with. It’s messy, which is usually fun. It’s intuitive, that feel of pressure when controling the amount of charcoal applied. That action feels good. It usually makes paint look dirty, but I might not be aware of the technique. (That also might be exploited for different effects.) Working with charcoal allows me to work on shading and shadow, with out long periods of drying. It is much cheaper than oil paints; and, the finished products look good.

Well,in Art, there is a lot to learn. There is always a lot to learn, perhaps that is one of those universal principles that philosophers are seeking to find. Or, is that artists who are looking? It get’s confusing the number of groups looking for common denominators.

Charcoal landscape study from memories.

Sketchbook - Still life charcoal study.