Vine Charcoal

Charcoal sketching can be essential in a variety of artwork. Vine charcoal is a specific kind created from grape vines and burned to hardness. Because vine charcoal doesn't have a binding agent like others might, it is ideal for quick sketching on canvas before painting, as it can easily be erased more completely. It's the perfect charcoal for trial and error when it comes to sketching.

Vine charcoal comes in various hardness; hard, medium, soft and extra soft. Hard will give you a very fine line, extra soft a very dark and thick one. Thinner pieces of vine charcoal may break easy, but that makes it ideal for breaking down to suitable sizes to comfortably work with. It's easy to blend evenly and easy to make corrections with.

Vine charcoal tends to be a dark gray in color, so keep this is mind when choosing your charcoals!