Name of the medium: Charcoal
Characteristics of this type of drawing medium: Charcoal is quite powdery and the dust can spread quite easily. It blends in the sense it will darken other colors. Charcoal must be fixed to the page after completion of the project using hairspray or other professional fixative.
What age levels is it most appropriate for and why? Charcoal is most appropriate for 1st graders as it is a new material to explore working with that is similar to other mechanical instruments such as a pencil. It’s expanding the students’ horizions but still feels familiar to give them creative confidence going into a project using this medium.
Project Ideas:
One fun project idea is charcoal drawings of lego. This project would be for an older age group to teach dimension and shading, as well as reinforce ideas of shape.
Another fun project would be to use Rulers and Circular Objects to trace the edges of various shapes. This allows the student to execute great lines as well as be creative with what they can create using only two types of lines then shading with the charcoal.
Professional Artworks:
Artwork Example:
