Charcoal, Graphite Stick & Pencils 

There are various types and uses of charcoal as an art medium, but the commonly used types are: Compressed, Vine, and Pencil. Compressed charcoal(also referred as charcoal sticks) is shaped into a block or a stick.

Regular readers will know the name “Colleen”. Formerly a major Japanese manufacturer, the firm folded a decade or so ago.

For all applications in the field of graphics, design, art and architecture. Break-proof and easily sharpenable.

Compressed Charcoal produces a smooth, even and intense black stroke. Due to its oily content, it is also water resistant. Its shape lend itself to large-area drawing.

• Cretacolor charcoal is made of raw round burned rods in a natural diameter.

• Create smooth black lines
• Rich and uniform in depth

• Perfect for extensive sketching with extra soft, deep black strokes.
• Fixation required.

COYC Watersoluble Sketching Material
sos (Russian as coyc) specific to the original Russian sketch material mainly made of natural mineral pigments, black species respectively, gray, dark brown, brown, green ash, red ocher, More than a dozen colors, such as green and brown, are soft in texture, soft and fluent, and can be used directly in dry painting methods. Because of its excellent water solubility, Russia is also used as a wet painting method in the plain face technique of Russia. The most obvious advantage of Thors is that it can greatly shorten the time of drawing work and its unique picture performance. The method that should pay attention to when using:
1. Suo Si's diameter is generally more than 10mm, so when drawing the detail, can use the knife to use the Suo Sijian. 

2. The scraped powder should be collected and stored in an empty bottle for use when wet drawing is used. So, the powder that Suos hangs is an extremely useful material. There is no waste of material. 

3. When used for wet drawing, the powder stored in the bottle can be taken out, dissolved in water and used as a transparent water for sketching. 

4. Regardless of the dry and wet methods, after the screen is dry, erase the screen or remove it with an eraser. 

Applicable to China's production of a variety of mechanism paper and handmade paper, such as sketch paper, drawing paper, newsprint, kraft paper, rice paper, leather paper and so on. Some Chinese artists have used Soss for drafting on rice paper to obtain unexpected results: It is completely superior to traditional charcoal bars.

Have you ever been sketching and wanted to cover a larger area quickly? Or wanted to just variegate the tone very subtly similar to using a watercolour? Well, Derivan Liquid Pencil is capable of all these things and more. It's a truly revolutionary way to create sketches.

Derivan Liquid Pencil is available in Permanent and Rewettable formulas in six subtle graphite shades - Yellow, Red, Blue. Sepia, Grey 3 and Grey 9 in 40ml jars.

Use (unique formulation)

Derivan Liquid Pencil is an innovative new product that allows you to create authentic graphite pencil effects and pencil sketches using a liquid.  It has been formulated to be easily thinned with water or MM9 Acrylic Painting Medium (to maintain permanency) and allow for the softest of colours to be applied with a brush, nib, or other art tools. With a creamy consistency, and a different rheology (flow of liquid matter), artists now have a wider scope for creating sketches.

Lighter or darker results can be obtained by mixing in a combination of water and medium and the effective layering (glazing) of different shades. Water will allow you to spread it more easily and the addition of MM9 Medium will maintain the intrinsic structure of the product.

As with all creative undertaking, experimentation is recommended as there are no precise 'fool proof'method to achieve exact variety of tones.

Due to a precisely balanced formulation another great benefit of the Permanent liquid pencil is that it  will “burnish up’ in a similar manner to traditional graphite but it will not smudge. 

The Rewettable formula will also allow you to remove areas using water – in a similar manner to watercolour techniques. A standard eraser can also be used and while it will remove some of the colour it will not erase back to clean paper.  Another advantage to using Derivan Liquid Pencil is that large areas can be built up and covered quickly and easily. This product can is also completely compatible with traditional solid form of graphite.

Each of the shade variations gives each colour in the Derivan Liquid Pencil range unique properties. There are distinct undertones such as blue, yellow, red, and sepia, in addition to neutral grey in two different finishes - to allow a great range of options for artists – Grey 3 and Grey 9. The number is indicative of the final rendered layer’s undertone (cooler or warmer grey ) rather than lightness or darkness.

More Graphite...

All shades in the Derivan Liquid Pencil range were created using natural graphite powder, just like those used in the more familiar solid form and most commonly known as the active ingredient in lead pencils.

Graphite is a common, naturally occurring form of carbon, non-toxic. When carbon compounds are subjected to extreme pressure and heat, it converts to crystalline graphite. However, not all graphites are equal...

There are different types of natural graphite, each sourced from different types of ore deposits and each intended for a variety of uses like, lubricants, batteries, household and automobile paints and, of course, as artist medium. Graphite in various grades of softness or hardness results in different qualities and tones when used in artist media.

Different regions on the planet produce graphite with unique properties. For example, the graphite powder used in Liquid Pencil Grey 3 is sourced from China and has a partially formed structure that contains additional compounds, which give it a deep black colour with a blue undertone. In contrast, the graphite used in Liquid Pencil Grey 9 comes from Sri Lanka and has a more uniform chemical structure that imparts a silver metallic sheen to the finish.

Derwent Drawing Pencils are 8 mm in diameter with soft, thick, round leads that have a creamy consistency, making it easy to apply and produce a rich, velvety finish on the paper. The soft, extra wide 5mm strip is ideal for blending and encourages loose, expressive drawings with subtle tonal transitions. Colors can be quickly laid down in wide to thin applications. Pencils are pre-sharpened.

Available in three grades these pencils provide a wide tonal range from the deepest of blacks to the lighest of greys.

Pitt Charcoal Pencils are offered in 3 grades of hardness; soft, medium and hard. The compressed charcoal leads offers the deepest possible black stroke, yet the wood casing keeps hands clean while working.

Natural charcoal is the oldest sketching and drawing material known to mankind. The greyish-blue shade glides softly across the paper, rubs and smudges easily, and can be erased without difficulty and repeatedly overlaid. Their blueish hue has always held a fascination, even with the old masters. Can be sharpened with a sharpening knife. Available as individual pencils or in assorted sets.

Compressed charcoal is the blackest drawing material that can be produced; very deep, intense black. The oil-free pencils are produced from a mixture of soot and clay. Available as individual stick or in assorted sets.

Faber Castell Graphite Pencil

A special bonding process helps protect the lead from breakage. Pencils are pre-sharpened. They are available separately, in eight degrees of hardness, from 4H (hardest) to 6B (softest).Goldfaber is Faber-Castell's student brand, offering high quality yet affordable pencils and pastels for students and beginning artists.