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Art & Art History vocabulary · Materials & Techniques

Charcoal

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˈtʃɑːrkoʊl/nounCore term

In art & art history, charcoal means: A black drawing material made from burnt wood and used in sticks or pencils; it makes soft, dark lines that are easy to smudge and rub out.

In Turkish: füzen, kömür kalem, karakalem

How it is used

A favourite medium for life drawing and quick studies. Artists draw in charcoal, smudge it with their fingers and spray it with fixative so it stays in place. Willow and vine charcoal are soft; compressed charcoal gives darker lines.

Example sentences

  1. We'll start with five-minute poses in charcoal to warm up.

  2. Spray the charcoal drawing with fixative so it doesn't smudge.

Common collocations

  • charcoal drawing
  • stick of charcoal
  • compressed charcoal
  • draw in charcoal
  • drawingA picture made mainly with lines, using a pencil, pen, charcoal or chalk; also the skill or activity of making such pictures.
  • sketchA quick, rough drawing or painting that records an idea or a scene, often made to plan a larger, finished work.
  • life drawingDrawing the human figure from a live model, often nude, who poses in a studio; also a class where this is practised.
  • mediumThe material or technique an artist uses to make a work, such as oil paint, bronze, video or photography; also a liquid added to paint to change how it behaves.

More terms: Materials & Techniques

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