Video on Sharpening Charcoal for Life Drawing

[drdarrow]

I've seen several discussions regarding use of pencils, how to hold them how to sharpen them, etc. And I just thought I should let you know that I have a 3-minute Quicktime video on my site that I have been using with my students at AI San Diego to clear up virtually all of their questions, encourage longer, smoother lead-shafts, useful tapers, and reduce broken leads, Maybe it will be helpful, here, too.

I just discovered this site today, and am totally impressed with the quality of the work displayed, and the community of artists helping artists.

Click the picture to see the 5.7MB video, which may or may not begin playing right away, depending on your personal setup.

http://www.darrowart.com/paintings/charcoal/image/movie.jpg (http://www.darrowart.com/paintings/charcoal/sharpen.html)

[Noah Bradley]

Helpful little video you have here. My charcoal pencils have been collecting dust because I didn't know how to sharpen them, but now that I do, I'll definiately be trying them out. :) Welcome to the boards! :D

[Ryu]

Hi !
Welcome and thx a lot for this invaluable video...
I was just curious about the charcoal you use ?
What brand is it ? What is the little "holder" ? is it with some kind of charcoals, or did you make it yourself ?
Do you recommand thin or thick charcoal?

Thx a lot, i hope we will be able to see some of your sketches or studies...
cya

[drdarrow]

The "handle" is a General's Pencil Extender (example) (http://www.in2art.com/product/359) and can be found at many decent art stores. For the thrifty student or cheap professional (like me) you can whittle your pencils down to 1/2" of full-diameter wood and still draw with whatever you have left protruding forward from that.

The extender is a wooen handle attached to a metal tubde. The metal tub has a slit up the side and a sliding metal collar around that. You stick your short pencil's back end into the tube, and slide the collar up, which, because of the slit in the side, compresses around the pencil handle.

One size does not fit, all, however, so some pencils need to be reduced in diameter a little to fit, while others (like Prismacolor) need to be fattened with a wrap of tape.

The pencil in the example is a Berol Soft Charcoal Pencil but I recommend instead Ritmo 3B charcoal (example (https://store.meininger.com/icon/showprod.cfm?&DID=15&User_ID=376349&st=9399&st2=35758367&st3=66645489&CATID=41&ObjectGroup_ID=444), though they don't sell 3B at this retailer -- if you want to try some, try the B before the H). The feel of it is incredible. I used to get goosebumps from the blackboard-like grating phenomenon of General Charcoal pencils (the most common kind with the transparent orange-brown finish on the wood). Ritmo charcoal is much more finely ground and almost goes on like paint. General pencils sometimes feel like they have shards of glass in them!

In my Life Drawing course, though, I have such a difficult time getting the students to buy anything new. Their attitude--however erronous--is that they will continue using whatever they have been using that has gotten them complments such as "you're really a good artist" rather than listen to their instructor that is a professional and is there to improve their knowledge and skills. Hey, it's their money.

To me, this is like taking ski lessons and bringing with you the wooden skis your grandfather used, and asking them to just teach you how to ski on those, and rejecting their recommendations. Yeah, you could use them, but why start with inferior materials? When I was in art school -- and ever since -- I always bought and still buy the best materials I can afford. If I can't afford the best, I adjust my priorities, and buy the best anyway.

If anyone knows of a place to buy a variety of Ritmo pencils, especially 3B, post a URL here!

[Ryu]

Thx a lot for this complete answer...
I found this :
Ritmo pencils (http://www.artxpress.com/commerce/catalog/spcategory.jsp?manufacturer_id=1043&category_id=1171&czuid=1070912358156)

Is it what do you searched ?
Do you use woodless charcoal ? Because these pencils do have wood...

[drdarrow]

Great! I am bookmarking them into my Artist Supplies folder.

If you can, but [at least] one of each and try them all out... you may have a different response.

I DO use wooded pencils, but since Ritmos are hard to obtain without a credit card and a padded budget, I draw/demo in class with Berol peelies which the students can find somewhat locally.

See my thread on where to buy mass quantities of smooth newsprint (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14916). Far superior in drawability over rough newsprint.

Far!

[Tedsuo]

Art has done strange things to me. I just watched a three minute video of a man sharpening a pencil, and I enjoyed it.

[jwo]

looks like a China Marker to me.

thanks

[drdarrow]

Originally posted by Tedsuo
Art has done strange things to me. I just watched a three minute video of a man sharpening a pencil, and I enjoyed it.
Ha!

Thanks!

Who else but artists can enjoy a pencil sharpening video, and yet, on the other hand, sit in a classroom for 4 hours staring at a nude person of the opposite gender and find it comletely un-erotic, frustrating, and humbling?

We're an odd lot.

[drdarrow]

Originally posted by jwo
looks like a China Marker to me.

Yes, it does... the "peelie" shaft and dark "lead" is where the similarity stops. Trust me, it's charcoal -- hard and gritty, not soft and greasy like a china marker.

(Disclaimer: No china was marked in the making of this video.) :-)