See Prof Lieu’s first reaction to Nitram & Schmincke Liquid Charcoals.
Watch demos of how this liquid charcoal works on it’s own, and also in conjunction with compressed charcoal, erasers, and charcoal powder.
- 1 min. short (unboxing)
- 1 min. short (basic techniques)
- 1 min. short (comparing brands)
- 1 min. short (Sweeney Todd portrait)
- 92 min. video (Nitram)
- 74 min. video (Schmincke)
See how to layer and build up a convincing likeness with a range of specific tools that fit this technique. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu.
Video Walkthrough
- Liquid charcoal appears to be like thick paint when you squirt it out, but once you add even just a bit of water it breaks down very quickly.
- The liquid charcoal is a lot more similar to painting with ink wash, it is runny and very thin.
- Liquid charcoal drawings will be fragile to the touch after drying, so they do require fixative to protect them.
- Some liquid charcoals can be erased after drying, but many are too inconsistent to make this a viable technique.
- The Schmincke grapeseed black was the one that erased the best, the Nitram didn’t eraser at all.
- The differences between the various colors of the Schmincke liquid charcoals were whether they were warm or cool blacks.
- The grapeseed was very cool (almost blue) while the peach stone, cherry pit, and Nitram liquid charcoal were warm blacks.
- Layering compressed charcoal and charcoal pencil over the liquid charcoal after it dried works very well.
- Using a paper towel to wipe away and lift areas of the liquid charcoal works very well.
- You can dip a paper towel into water, and easily lift the liquid charcoal.
- Using a big brush to push the liquid charcoal around can show very bold gestural brushwork.
- Using a stiff surface to draw on, or on watercolor paper or a watercolor block is ideal.
- I recommend starting with a vine charcoal sketch, followed by a quick pass of charcoal to ensure that you don’t lose your lines when you apply the charcoal pencil.
- Some of the Schmincke tubes can have inconsistency, if it comes out too runny, you may need to mix it up.
Art Supplies
- Nitram Fusains Liquid Charcoal
- Schmincke liquid charcoal
- Canson Mi-Tientes Board
- Charcoal pencils
- Vine Charcoal
- Kneaded eraser
- Generals Factis BM-2 Eraser Stick
- Art Alternatives Charcoal Sticks
- Charcoal pencils
- Strathmore Charcoal Paper
- Staedtler Mars White Plastic Eraser
- Faber-Castell Dust-Free Erasers
- Paper towels
- Bristle Brushes
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