Experiment with dry media: charcoal
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use charcoal to create expressive drawings that show contrast, texture, and emotion using a range of techniques.
Key learning points
- Charcoal can create expressive, bold lines and rich blacks which is effective for dramatic contrasts and blending.
- Dry media, like charcoal, allows for loose and expressive marks, making it ideal for capturing movement and emotion.
- Techniques such as smudging (with fingers or tools) can create smooth gradients and depth, particularly with charcoal.
Keywords
Dry media - art materials that do not use water to activate (e.g. pencil, charcoal, chalk, pastel)
Contrast - the difference between light and dark areas in a drawing
Smudging - a technique used to blend charcoal to create soft edges or smooth transitions
Rework - to go back into an artwork to change, improve, or fix parts of it
Common misconception
Charcoal is messy and hard to control, so it's not suitable for detailed or serious artwork.
While charcoal can be loose and expressive, with practice it can also be controlled for fine detail. Artists often use different types of charcoal (e.g. vine for light sketching, compressed for deep blacks) to achieve a full range of effects.
Teacher tip
The Additional materials contains further context and support about artists. You could adapt the subject drawn from to meet the themes and interests of students. When applying fixative or hair spray to the drawings, use a well ventilated space such as an outdoor area.
Equipment
Paper [white and mid tone], charcoal [willow, compressed, in pencil form], rubbers, tissue, cotton bud, fixative, objects/imagery to work from.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which element of art refers to the lightness or darkness in an artwork?
Q2.Fill the gap: A 2D area defined by edges or lines is called a ...
Q3.What helps create the illusion of space and distance in a drawing?
Q4.Match the keyword to the definition.
Q5.A rough or smooth surface in a drawing refers to its ...
Q6.Which element shows the difference between light and dark areas?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What makes charcoal ideal for expressive drawing?
Q2.Smudging helps to create smooth of tone and add depth in charcoal drawings.
Q3.Which of the following statements is not true about charcoal?
Q4.Match the keyword to the definition.
Q5.Which is the most likely method artists can use to rework charcoal drawings?
Q6.Charcoal can also be controlled for fine , not just bold marks.
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Experiment with dry media: charcoal, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Experiment with dry media: charcoal, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 art and design lessons from the Fine Art unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.