Speedball PH Coate Artist Willow Charcoal Thin 25 Sticks, Black

First of all I'll say that I am happy with this piece of charcoal. For reference I bought the single, jumbo side. My primary interest in charcoal drawing is in portraiture and figure drawing. I often use it alongside my vine charcoal in the preliminary stages of my drawings and for blocking in larger, darker regions of the image.Physically it handles like most willow charcoal you'll have handled. I would describe the texture as "medium" by charcoal terms meaning it makes marks relatively easily and leaves quite a lot of pigment on the page. I attempted to sharpen it a little on some sand paper but it didn't take anything approaching a point but could give some reasonable edges to use. Also note that my piece contained quite a few knots but they are obvious and easy to work around should you desire.In use the line was not as a little more gray than some (softer) willow charcoal I've used but was dark enough for my purposes. I typically work in lighter tones then use compressed charcoal (black and white) toward the end to increase the contrast so all I need is enough dynamic range for early stages, which it provides. The ease of application combined with the comparatively large size also encourages a loose style which is well suited to the early stages of a drawing. As with most willow charcoal it is darker and leaves slightly less powder down than vine; conversely it doesn't erase quite as well as vine charcoal but both can (almost) be brought back to pure paper tone with an eraser.Overall I am happy with this charcoal. It gives the working characteristics typical of willow in a large form factor. The only thing holding it back from five stars is the slightly lighter tone than some willow charcoal I've used and the ease with which the edges can crack and crumble.

I use this for sketches. I would have like fewer or none tiny ones.

The vine charcoal I received was very workable and I am very satisfied with the product that I got. So, to start with the bad before the good; this charcoal can be very hard to lay down at some points. I think it has something to do with the coating on the outside of the charcoal, but a little more elbow grease gets rid of that. Apart from the coating, it has a slightly chalky feel, but bends well! It doesn't stick to the paper too much (I've been using newsprint for still life), which makes it perfect for smudging out with a finger or tortillon.

Alright, I've seen a number of frustrated customers review this product. To be fair this is an assortment of varying thickness charcoal. Some of them are pretty thin and may not meet your needs. Also they are half stick length. I purchased these to sample so this turned out ok for me.How do they perform? Quite pleasant actually. Humorously thin sticks aside(which still serve a purpose) they are delightfully soft and responsive, and dare I say buttery for charcoal. No hard or scratchy spots. These are honestly the best willow charcoal I've worked with. Even the thin ones do nicelywhen used for detail work. I'll be certain to buy more although I'll be looking for certain size assortments.

Bought these for my first art class and used them the whole semester and still have plenty charcoal sticks left. The first piece I created using this medium was chosen to be in our schools art show. Today I was just experimenting and decided to do a portrait of the late great Tupac. The sticks are so easy to work with and the variety of sizes in the box allows u to work w different parts of the picture nicely. Be gentle bcuz they're very soft and can snap if you aren't aware of your pressure. Otherwise, I love these and will order again from this company. Most of my classmates had generals brand but I had this one n my professor looked at the box it came in and she said wow that's a lot of charcoal.

I love this product SO MUCH ! This was my first time using vine charcoal so I didn't know what to expect but as soon as I started using it I WAS SHOOK!!! The charcoal glides like butter!! I'm so in love with this but if there's one thing I need to point out is the small sticks of charcoal can break easily if you apply to much pressure. Overall my expectations have been blown away and I will definitely be ordering this again soon.

I bought these for a drawing class I was taking. I found I really don't like drawing with charcoal vine--it breaks really easily and leave crumbs on the paper that will smear if you try to brush them off. I trashed the box because it would not fit in the plastic box I was keeping my drawing supplies in and I really regretted not having something to protect the vine sticks. They are wrapped in black tissue paper but it does not keep the black dust that forms from seeping into the storage box. For those who like drawing with charcoal vine this is probably a great product. It isn't my cup of tea.

I have been using this charcoal for over 7 years. There is nothing else comparable, this is top of the line.

Perfect.I have recently rediscovered the joys (and mess) of charcoal and these sticks are perfect.I am quite an experienced artist, this charcoal is useful for pretty much any ability and cheap enough for any budding artist to experiment with.Definitely recommend.Thanks for reading, I hope you find this review helpful.

The media could not be loaded.  I have used this charcoal for quite a few years years now for my art and animation. It got me through my BA and MA, and I will continue to use it to make work for the forseeable future.Good value for students, and producers good results.These thinner ones are great for sharper lines and finer detail, but can also be used to create really dark blacks in larger areas, though they might run out fast if used too much like this. It takes to cartridge paper nicely. Really highly recommend!A packet of mixed sizes is ideal for overall use, but if you use it a lot, like me, then bulk buying each size is easier. I tip them all out into tupperware to make them easy to grab.

I'm new to drawing and sketching even newer to charcoal but didn't get great results from a different pack from a well known budget shop, they just wouldn't get dark enough for shading and just flew off the paper when I blew it!These gave me the result I wanted, well, for a beginner anyway. I have decent shading results that mean I want to keep practising instead of giving up. Bought a pack of the extra thick too.

On first look I thought these were great... Only downfall is they don't create a jet black colour... But very good for outlines of a piece

The charcoal sticks are mixed as described and are certainly suitable for my daughters artwork. The only downside is the packaging which needs to be improved. A couple of sticks were broken when posted through my letterbox which has to be considered. The product itself is value for money even with the odd break. Plenty of assortment to choose from.