Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Charcoal
Charcoal
One of the most basic drawing materials, known since antiquity. It is usually made of thin peeled willow twigs which are heated without the presence of oxygen. This produces black crumbly sticks, which leave microscopic sharp-edged particles in the paper or textile fibres, producing a line denser at the pressure point, but more diffuse at the edges. The overall result is less precise than hard graphite pencils, suited to freer studies. Charcoal smudges easily and is often protected with a sprayed fixative. It is used to make both sketches and finished works, and as under-drawing for paintings. In the twentieth century a processed version was developed, called compressed charcoal.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Art history
- Category: General art history
- Company: Tate
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
Robert G Edwards
Awarded 2010 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, Dr. Robert Edwards, along with the late Dr. Patrick Steptoe, developed in-vitro fertilisation ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
stanley soerianto
0
Terms
107
Blossaries
6
Followers
The Best Smartphones of 2014
stanley soerianto
0
Terms
107
Blossaries
6
Followers
Nerve Cell Related Diseases
Browers Terms By Category
- Gardening(1753)
- Outdoor decorations(23)
- Patio & lawn(6)
- Gardening devices(6)
- BBQ(1)
- Gardening supplies(1)
Garden(1790) Terms
- Human evolution(1831)
- Evolution(562)
- General archaeology(328)
- Archaeology tools(11)
- Artifacts(8)
- Dig sites(4)
Archaeology(2749) Terms
- Alcohol & Hydroxybenzene & Ether(29)
- Pigments(13)
- Organic acids(4)
- Intermediates(1)
Organic chemicals(47) Terms
- General jewelry(850)
- Style, cut & fit(291)
- Brands & labels(85)
- General fashion(45)
Fashion(1271) Terms
- Ballroom(285)
- Belly dance(108)
- Cheerleading(101)
- Choreography(79)
- Historical dance(53)
- African-American(50)