Graphite & Charcoal

Material study with graphite and charcoal

Materials Explored:

Graphite Pencils (6B, 4B, 2B, B, HB, 2H)

Generals 4B Sketching Pencil

Conte Crayon Block

Compressed Charcoal stick

Vine Charcoal

Thin Vine Charcoal

Compressed Charcoal Pencil

Plastic Eraser

Gum Eraser

Chamois

Paper Stump

Prismacolor Blending Pencil

Process:

• Creating a value scale with each drawing implement using pressure and testing blenders, erasers, and different ways to smudge (hands, chamois, etc) over top of the value scales

Findings:

• Beginning with the harder graphite pencils, I found it was harder to create middle values when creating a value scale. The graphite was so hard it either took much pressure to make a darker value or the value was very light. It was much easier to create middle values with the softer graphite pencils

• Both the hard and soft graphite pencils were pretty easy to erase (plastic eraser) though more contrast could be seen when erasing the naturally darker, softer graphite marks. The softer graphite was easier to erase with the gum eraser

• The paper stump smoothed over any white peaking through the texture of the graphite marks, making the marks seem smoother and less textured. The Prismacolor blending stick darkened the areas it was applied to

• The conte crayon allowed for darker marks like the softer charcoal and allowed for easier control when creating different values with pressure. But it left less of a mess on my hands, left almost no messy dust, and was less easy to smudge. Under light pressure it left a wonderful texture that let much of the white paper underneath show through. It also reacted strongly to the slightest paper texture and especially to any textured surfaces underneath the paper, which I played around with

• The compressed charcoal stick created a lot of dust and was easy to smudge

• Vine charcoal was brittle but less easy to blend and smudge

• The charcoal pencil was less messy, allowed for more controlled marks but allowed less ability to be loose with markmaking and vary the mark thickness

Ideas for Application in the Classroom:

• Younger kids: rubbing the conte crayon block on paper overtop different textures from differently textures surfaces of materials I could provide as part of creating their artwork

  
  

• Learning to draw from observation with charcoal, learning to draw lines of movement or build more complex shapes from overlapping loosly drawn smaller shapes. Focusing on loosly moving the whole arm from the shoulder to create broad strokes to focus of proportion and mapping out proportion (before any detail)

• Smudging or using textures in charcoal to practice light and shadow

• Experimenting with graphite hardnesses

  
  

• Older kids: using sharpend and precise marks from charcoal pencils, the gum eraser, and blenders more technically to add detail overtop marks from the softer, messier charcoals

• Older kids: using different graphite hardnesses technically

Differentiation Strategies:

• Giving limited supplies and no color when introducing different graphite hardness OR different types of charcoal and erasers will help not overwhelm the students with options and help them just focus on finding different ways to use the materials

• Allowing the kids to experiment with the materials and try to create as many different ways to use them and as many types of marks and textures with the materials as possible will naturally provide many ways for kids to experiment and find what methods work best for them to express themselves

• Letting kids be inspired by each others discoveries through experimenting, rewarding thinking differently

Technical and Safety Information:

• Spray fixatives can protect artwork from smudging including some hairsprays. These will have to be used away from the children because they are nit approved for kid use

• Vine charcoal is brittle so it would be best given to high schoolers (younger kids would snap them into little pieces

• I would try to save gum erasers for high schoolers and possibly middle schoolers, especially for those applying to governors school, art colleges, or other programs. Otherwise elementary school kids could use them like play dough or slime or break them into little bits that could get lost or dirty

• The extra soft and smudgy graphite and charcoal might become frustrating to younger kids with less developed hand motor skills who could smudge their hard work, making the large and round grip of conte crayon rocks and their smaller smudge rate ideal

• Anticipating a mess from charcoal or graphite dust, leaving enough time to cleanup and have kids wash hands, and having a space prepared to lay artworks where they won't get smudged before I can spray them with fixatives away from the kids will be important. Wet wipes for hands might be a good idea

• Preparing materials by sharpening pencils beforehand or having an electric sharpener will save time