Charcoal is used for its bold deep blacks and softly feathered grays achieved through smudging the soft medium across the paper. Apparently it worked well on prehistoric cave walls too.

Fingers, tortillons, stumps, chamois, and soft brushes are used for controlled blending and shaping of grays. Erasers can reclaim lighter tones and define sharp highlights.

Natural vine charcoal makes a rich gray line, and lighter grades can be easily rubbed off with a soft rag.

Natural willow charcoal is harder than vine charcoal and produces a denser black line.

Very soft vine charcoals are often used as a temporary medium for drawing on paper or canvas when starting a painting. The sketched image must be sprayed with fixative before painting begins.

Both vine and willow charcoals are suitable for complete drawings. Loose painterly effects are easily achieved with these very soft natural charcoals.

Compressed charcoal in the form of solid sticks, wood-encased pencils, and peel-as-you-go paper wrapped pencils are readily available at craft or art supply outlets.

Charcoal formulations, including vine charcoal range from extra soft to hard. The grade of natural charcoals depends on the density of the wood used to make it. Vine charcoal has traditionally been made with grape vine wood. And willow, well, there you go.

Carbon pencils are made with lampblack (oil soot) which is a very black form of carbon. They are graded for softness the same as graphite pencils and wood encased charcoal pencils.