Willow charcoal is soft, erasable, and forgiving — ideal for the loose, exploratory stages of a drawing. Compressed charcoal is darker, harder to erase, and capable of the deep blacks that willow cannot reach — better suited to the later, more committed stages. Understanding how the two types work together, rather than treating them as alternatives, is the key insight that takes charcoal drawing from frustrating to fluent. This guide covers the differences clearly and tells you exactly where to start.

You can paint with oils straight from the tube — but mediums open up a much wider range of control over drying time, consistency, transparency, and surface quality. In this guide we explain the difference between solvents and mediums, then cover each of the main medium types in plain English: linseed oil and stand oil, alkyd mediums for faster drying, retarders for extended working time, impasto gels for texture, and varnish for finished paintings. We also cover the Wallace Seymour Fast Drying Oil Glaze Medium, which is the medium we most commonly recommend alongside Wallace Seymour oils at Craft and Canvas.

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.