This document provides information on various drawing media including graphite pencils, charcoal, coloured pencils, pastels, pen and ink, markers, chalk, and Conté crayons. It discusses the materials and properties of each medium, how they are made, their uses and applications, and hardness or softness levels. Drawing is described as the foundation of art and one of the oldest artistic forms. A variety of mediums can be used for drawing including charcoal, pastels, coloured pencils, graphite pencils, pen and ink, markers, chalk, and Conté crayons.

1. DRAWING MEDIA
By
Bernard E. Richardson
Master Teacher & Art Educator
© Bernard E. Richardson | 2023

2. DRAWING
• Drawing is the foundation of Art
• It is one of the oldest artistic forms and it is still popular today in
almost every society.
Charcoal
Pastels
Coloured Pencils
Graphite pencils
Pen-and-ink
Mediums /Media used for drawing include:
Conté crayons Chalk
Markers

3. GRAPHITE PENCIL
• Pencils are made of graphite.
• Graphite is a metallic grey material. It is a crystalline form of carbon.
• Graphite is soft and brittle and requires a protective casing hence the wooden casing.
• Pencils come in different degrees of hardness. From very hard to very soft.
• H pencils are hard while B pencils are soft pencils. F and HB (#2) are medium hard pencils

4. PENCILS
• The “H” stands for hardness – the higher the number next to the “H” is, the
harder the lead is.
• The “B” stands for blackness – the higher the number next to the “B”, the darker
the mark will be.
• HB pencils are suitable for
simple sketching and
drawing.
• B pencils are soft and darker.
• They are used for shading.
• H pencils are harder. They are
lighter and are used for making
preliminary sketches as a guide
for painting and illustrations.
• Most suitable for Technical
Drawing

5. CHARCOAL
• Charcoal is a dry medium which makes bold, dark marks and subtle hues
• It is used for:
1. Vine charcoal (made from burning grape vine)
2. Willow charcoal (made from burning willow twigs
3. Compressed charcoal
4. Charcoal pencil
5. Powdered charcoal
• There are four types of Charcoal:
• sketching • blending
• drawing • shading
• making preliminary sketches before painting

6. Vine charcoal is natural charcoal stick
• made from burning grape vines in a kiln without air.
• It comes in shades of grey.
1. Vine charcoal

7. 2. Willow charcoal
Willow charcoal is a long and thin natural charcoal stick
• made from burning willow sticks in a kiln without air.
• It is darker in colour than vine charcoal.
• These sticks are about 4 inches long and ¼ inch to ½ inch wide.
• Sticks are 4 degrees of hardness: from ‘very soft’, ‘soft’, ‘medium’,
to ‘hard’.

8. 3. Compressed charcoal
Made by making the vine charcoal into a powder and compressing it
with a gum binder into round or square sticks.
• Range from #.00 which is very soft and produces a rich, black
mark to #5 which is hard and makes a much lighter line.

9. - Is compressed charcoal in pencil form.
- Neater, easier to handle.
- Bound in wood (sharpened with a knife) OR wrapped in paper which is
unwrapped as the charcoal wears away OR woodless.
4. Charcoal pencil
• Used for sketching, shading, drawing details, layering and creating tonal values.
• It makes a smooth blending with a rich dark pigmentation.
Charcoal
Bound in wood
Charcoal
Wrapped in paper
Woodless charcoal

10. 5. Powdered charcoal
Is used for:
• Tracing or shaded backgrounds (toning the paper).
• Creating tonal value
Comes in a can or bottle and can be sprinkled on to the work surface
and then spread with a chamois, tissue or the fingers.
It is easily erased and can be darkened by adding layers.

11. COLOURED PENCILS
• Have a core of coloured pigment within a protective wood casing.
• The core is made up of coloured pigment, wax, additives (kaolin or talc to give it
opacity) and a binding agent which gives the pencils the smooth handling
quality.
Coloured pencils:
• The lead is softer or harder depending on the quality of
the pigment.
• They can be sharpened to a fine point for detailed line
work or used blunt to create broader smooth strokes
and shading to cover the surface of the paper.

12. PASTELS
Pastels are thin sticks made from powdered pigment and a binder.
Pastels are best used on a rough or textured surface because a smooth surface
might be too slick to work on depending on the type used.
• They are used for making marks - line drawings, shading in broad areas and
are also used in life drawing.
Hard pastels
• contain more binder and less pigment and are normally
rectangular in shape.
• Are best for drawing details.
• Pastels are either hard or soft depending on the amount of
binder in the stick.
Soft Pastels
• contain less binder and more pigment and have a round shape.
• Are ideal for smudging and blending.

13. PASTELS
There are two types of Pastels:
1. Chalk Pastels:
2. Oil Pastels:
• Have a hard, powdery consistency similar to classroom blackboard
chalk and smudges easily.
• Used for techniques such as scumbling, layering and adding details
and highlights.
• They are erased easily.
• Have a soft oily consistency that creates a painterly effect.
• The soft consistency allows it to be easily used and blended to fill
the grain of the paper.

14. PEN-AND-INK
• In Art the term pen and ink describes a drawing technique which uses
black and other coloured ink pens to create artwork.
• Pens include dip or nib pens, fountain pens, ballpoint pens, fineliner and rolling ball pens,
gel ink pens, calligraphy pens and stylo-tipped pens.
• Pens also come in different sizes.

15. MARKERS
Markers are of two types
Markers (both the chunky broad wedge-shaped tips and other felt-tip
markers) are simply reservoir pens containing ink which is either alcohol or
water based.
• They are excited to draw with as they produce a brilliance and are used
for sketches and quick impressions and for filling in large areas.
• Water-based markers are better for sketching. They blend well together.
• Alcohol-based markers dry almost instantly and tend to “bleed” and
come through the other side of the paper.
1. Permanent
2. Non-permanent

16. CHALK
Chalk is a highly versatile drawing medium that can be used on many
surfaces. It can used:
• For simple patterns as line drawings or for broad areas covered by shading and
overlapping the colours to create painterly marks.
• To create detailed images and can be smudged
and blended for different effects.
• Used a lot on walls and for sidewalk art as it can
be easily blended into the rough surface.

17. CONTÉ CRAYONS
Conte Crayons are a very hard type of crayon made from compressed graphite
mixed with kaolin clay and coloured with pigment.
It is similar to chalk but with a slightly greasy texture.
• It is similar to chalk and soft pastels but is waxier and much
firmer.
• Produces little dust and are easy to control
• It is especially suited for drawing and sketching.
• Suitable for use on different paper surfaces (newsprint, Bristol,
toned paper or on grained surfaces such as canvas)

18. RESOURCES
• Harrison, Hazel. (2002). Practical handbook: drawing with pencils & pastels. London: Anness
Publishing Limited.
• Martin, Judy. (1993). A first guide to painting and drawing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Tappenden, Curtis et al. (2004). Foundation course graphic design. London: Cassell Illustrated.

19. IMAGE COURTESIES
• https://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/110/110402.jpg
• https://www.creativehands.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BRAOPS48.7-1.jpg
• https://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/uploads/tinymce/images/how-to-draw-with-charcoal-1.jpg
• https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/3b1d3928-b792-4ae5-ba9a-
f4e1446e7c7f_1.5f8859de71a2950495fd94f43e58f0ca.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF
• https://images.pexels.com/photos/50996/colour-pencils-color-paint-draw-50996.jpeg
• http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0412/2945/1431/products/61m9niv3iL._SL1000_1200x1200.jpg?v=1624971803
• http://www.intheartroom.com/uploads/1/2/6/7/12676612/2d51e6e9-84cb-47a1-8c7e-5d2990b94d74-jpg-cb316033186_orig.jpg
• https://thevirtualinstructor.com/images/gradesofgraphite.jpg
• https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T1/images/I/91MQVO9PFrL.jpg
• https://junabiagioni.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/willow-and-vine.jpg
• https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/GGP557-4B_ADD_1.jpg
• https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/IMAGERENDERING_521856-T1/images/I/41GZjODbcXL.jpg

20. The End