Charcoal is one of the oldest drawing materials in existence and one of the best starting points for anyone learning to draw — it is expressive, immediate, forgiving, and capable of extraordinary tonal range. In this complete beginner's guide we cover the three main types (willow charcoal for soft, erasable marks; compressed charcoal for deep, rich darks; charcoal pencil for precise detail and highlights), the tools that make the biggest difference (putty rubber as a drawing tool rather than just a correction tool, blending stumps, toned paper, fixative), and six fundamental techniques including massing in tones, side-stroke shading, blending, lifting out highlights, hatching with charcoal pencil, and using white charcoal on toned paper. We also lay out a clear working method — from general to specific, loose to precise — that gives beginners a reliable framework for approaching any subject. Willow charcoals from £4.80, charcoal pencils and white charcoal pencils all stocked at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk.

Oil painting has intimidated beginners for decades — the slow drying, the solvents, the additional mediums, the technical rules. Most of that intimidation is unnecessary. In this complete guide to starting oil painting we cut through everything that actually matters: what paint, brushes, surfaces, solvents, and mediums to buy and why; the one technical rule (fat over lean) that prevents cracking and keeps paintings stable for centuries; how to begin a painting with a simple earth colour underpainting that eliminates the blank canvas problem; and the four fundamental techniques — blocking in, wet into wet, scumbling, and glazing — that form the foundation of everything else. We also cover ventilation, workspace, drying times, brush care, and varnishing. We stock Wallace Seymour oils from £9.95 per 40ml tube alongside Seawhite canvas boards, Pro Arte Bristlene brushes, and Wallace Seymour oil mediums at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk.

Graphite pencils are the most immediate and accessible drawing tool available — and also one of the most misunderstood. The grade system, the difference between cheap and quality pencils, which grades suit which drawing styles, how paper affects the result — these are things most beginners are never taught, and yet they make an enormous difference to what drawing with graphite actually feels like. In this guide we explain the full grading scale from hard to soft, which grades form the most useful working selection for different approaches, and what to look for in terms of core quality, break resistance, and eraseability. We also give a full overview of the Faber-Castell 9000 — one of the most celebrated graphite pencils in history, admired by Van Gogh and Goethe, made in Germany since 1905, and available at Craft and Canvas as individual pencils so you can select exactly the grades you need. Read on, then find the full range in store or at craftandcanvas.co.uk.