Intro to Charcoal Drawing with Ken Goshen

In this guided how-to series, artist Ken Goshen demonstrates how to begin drawing with charcoal.

This four part video series starts with understanding charcoal as an art medium, the supplies needed, practicing quick sketches, and eventually tackling more ambitious charcoal projects.

Materials used in this series:

• Lyra Willow Charcoal
• Lyra Rembrandt Charcoal Pencils
• Lyra Kneadable Eraser
• Strathmore 300 Series Charcoal Paper
• Strathmore 500 Series Charcoal Paper

Check out the full series below:

Video 1: What is Charcoal and How To Use It
In the first video Ken talks about what charcoal is and how it differs from other drawing mediums like pencils. Many students falter when trying to use charcoal early on because they try to use it like pencil. The key to mastering charcoal is not to use it like a pencil, but rather in ways that play to its strengths.

Video 2: Charcoal Supplies
In video 2, you'll learn about charcoal supplies and when to use them. We'll do a deep dive into paper, erasers, and of course, charcoal sticks.

Video 3: Drawing with Charcoal for Quick Studies
In video 3, you'll learn how to begin drawing by using charcoal to create sketches. Ken will show a real-time demo while he explains why charcoal makes the perfect medium for sketching.

Video 4: Drawing with Charcoal for Quick Studies
Finally in the video 4, Ken will use charcoal and previously learned techniques to show you how to tackle ambitious drawings.

We hope you enjoyed this introductory series on drawing with Charcoal. Now it’s your turn to take what you’ve learned and continue creating your very own ambitious charcoal projects!

You can find more art inspiration and teachings on Ken Goshen’s YouTube channel

See more tutorials on Strathmore’s YouTube channel