Charcoal is one of the oldest drawing materials, with examples dating back 28,000 years. Thanks to its immediacy and versatility, the appeal of charcoal has endured. Charcoal is made by burning wood or other organic materials in a low-oxygen environment. This process produces a soft material which yields a deep black mark. Nitram Liquid Charcoal combines extra-fine powdered Nitram charcoal with gum arabic to make a water-based paint.
Nitram Liquid Charcoal: Where Painting and Drawing Meet
Before putting brush to paper, we put together a list of qualities of dry charcoal:
- Sensitive and interactive; it is great for bold, expressive drawing as well as delicate studies.
- It is easily manipulated and blended on the page, but it requires a fixative to stabilise it.
- It’s possible to achieve a wide range of tonal values with it.
We wondered: to what extent does Nitram’s Liquid Charcoal share these attributes, and what other possibilities does it offer?
Using Liquid Charcoal
For the first application I squeezed the paint onto a large sheet of cold-pressed watercolour paper, loaded a squirrel mop with water and brushed out the paint. The first thing I noticed was the range of tones that were created within one continuous brush stroke. At its darkest points it was warm velvety black and at its lightest points a smokey, light grey. The deepest tone, where the paint was only minimally diluted, was as dark as a hard willow charcoal mark.
Nitram Liquid Charcoal and dry willow charcoal (bottom left) on Bockingford cold pressed watercolour paper
It compares well with dry charcoal for the range of tones it can achieve, clearly lending itself to dramatic contrasts of light and dark which are so characteristic of charcoal drawings. However, I did notice that the paint is slightly warmer in tone than the willow charcoal and powdered charcoal I compared it to.
From top: willow charcoal, charcoal powder, and Nitram Liquid Charcoal
Working With Its Textural Properties
Liquid Charcoal dried quickly to a matt finish with areas of varying texture and granulation. In watercolour and other mediums where a lot of water is used, granulation is an effect that occurs in when the pigment particles settle unevenly. As a general rule, pigments with smaller particles tend to cover the surface more evenly, whereas large or irregular pigment particles will gather in certain areas more than others. Powdered Nitram Charcoal has a particle size of 100 microns, which is large compared to other pigment particles which generally range from 50 – 0.05 microns. This gives Liquid Charcoal a textural graininess; an effect that can be enhanced by using rough paper and more water.
Nitram Liquid Charcoal granulating on Bockingford cold pressed watercolour paper
Workable Wet or Dry?
Gum arabic is a re-soluble medium, so even when Liquid Charcoal is dry it can be reactivated with water. Nitram claim that the paint is also workable ‘wet or dry’, suggesting that the dry paint can be moved without the use of water. One of dry charcoal’s most characteristic properties is how fragile it is on the surface. This instability leaves the marks workable, allowing for corrections with an eraser or for it to be blended out with a finger. In contrast, the binder in Liquid Charcoal stabilises it in areas where the paint is darker and less dilute. These areas were relatively difficult to erase with a putty rubber and did not blend out when rubbed with a finger. However, in lighter areas where the paint was diluted and the binder was less strong, the paint could be smudged with a finger and easily erased with a putty rubber. For this reason, I would recommend using a fixative on finished work. I contacted Nitram to ask what fixative they would suggest, and they advised a general purpose fixative such as Lascaux Fixative Spray.
Comparing the ease of erasing Nitram Charcoal (top) and dry willow charcoal (bottom) with a putty eraser. It became easier to erase the more dilute the paint became, but dry charcoal is consistently easy to remove.
How is It Different to Black Watercolour Paint?
Although Nitram describe Liquid Charcoal as having the consistency of an oil paint when it is, in every practical sense, a watercolour paint. The difference between Liquid Charcoal and black watercolour paint lies in the pigment. Powdered charcoal isn’t commonly used as a pigment in watercolours because of it’s large pigment particle size. Lamp black or ivory black are considered better choices- they have finer pigment particles and produce smoother washes. Liquid Charcoal’s granular texture sets it apart from other black watercolours. It can be used as a special effects paint, either on it’s own, or mixed with colour to create muted shades with highly granulating properties.
Mixing Nitram Liquid Charcoal with Jackson’s Artist Watercolour paint.
From top: Raw Sienna, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber.
Gum arabic based paints require a porous support, and if the ground is not absorbent enough the paint will become brittle and unstable. Watercolour paper is prepared specifically for the ideal absorption for watercolour, so it makes a great surface for Liquid Charcoal as well. If you wish to use a panel or a canvas, the surface will need to be prepared appropriately with a watercolour ground, which are acrylic-based yet formulated to be porous enough for watercolour.
Nitram Liquid Charcoal is an innovative approach to a long-established medium, allowing artists to explore the place where painting and drawing meet. The gum arabic vehicle gives the charcoal different properties, allowing it to be used as a paint as well as a drawing material. You can also use it to create textural effects within watercolour paintings, either for monochrome studies or for describing a dramatic sky. For artists who draw, it can be used to vary the quality of your mark-making within dry charcoal drawings, or for covering large areas; the size of the mark is as big as your largest brush.
Further Reading
The Difference Between Graphite and Charcoal
From Field to Studio: Coates Willow Charcoal
Acrylic Painting, Microplastics, and the Environment
Preparing a Watercolour Gouache Palette for Painting on Location
Shop Nitram Liquid Charcoal on jacksonsart.com
That is so interesting… I guess it
actually does have a place in a tonal
tool- kit?
Yes I believe it does, I found it very tonally sensitive.
Very helpful and useful .. really well
explained and encouraging one to try
with this it sounds versatile and
beautiful , thanks,
Yes, I think it’s wonderfully versatile. If you give it a go please let us know how you find it!
Hi,
I bought a tube of liquid charcoal. I’ve
used it once, and I really couldn’t see the
point. Black watercolour behaves almost
the same. It soaks into the paper, it can’t
be erased or smoothed. Maybe I’m
missing a subtle difference. I was
looking forward to using it, but it was
just a waste of money for me. I might
use it in watercolour pics. I’ll stick to
traditional charcoal otherwise.
Hi Steve, it’s so good to hear how you found it. Carbon black or lamp black are used as black pigments in watercolour paints because they produce smooth washes. However, like charcoal, they are both forms of carbon so I’m not surprised that you find the liquid charcoal similar. It’s uniqueness lies in charcoal’s large particle size which allows for beautiful granulation.
Do you know if the liquid Charcoal would be
able to be poured into a pan and rewet like
watercolors?
Good question! I tried it and the liquid charcoal rewet quite well in the pan, although the paint was less intense and it was difficult to get the deepest tones when using it this way.
Surely, it should be “the team and I”…
It should be- we’ve made some changes now, thank you for pointing this out.
Fascinating. Must try it, possibilities look to be
endless.
I highly recommend it, there are definitely more possibilities than I could cover and it would be great to know what other artists discover
I love reading these educational posts about
various mediums, they’re so informative.
They wet your appetite to play and create
and form your own preferred way of working.
Well done Jacksons art and thanks for the
tips all of you who do the leg work for us.. 😉
So good to hear! Thank you so much Val
So how is it different from watercolour paint?
It isn’t very different apart from the pigment particle size. Lamp black or carbon black are considered better choices for black watercolour pigments because they have finer pigment particles and produce smoother washes. Carbon black has an average particle size of 0.05 microns. Powdered charcoal is around 100 microns. However they are both essentially the same thing- which is carbon.
You always give very informative and
detailed information for which l personally
am very grateful. Thank you. Most
interesting.
Happy to help, thank you for your kind feedback!
I use powder charcoal Cretacolor with
Sennelier binding medium to make my
luquid charcoal aquarelle. Much cheaper
but messy. Sometimes use dilute honey.
Works well but must be fixed on
completion. Will try Nitram.
That a really interesting way of using powdered charcoal, thank you for sharing. You could also use an acrylic medium if you want to make a water resistant paint.
I was thinking of this. Does it still create
dramatic texture?
Great article. I’ve just purchased my first tube of Nitram liquid from Jacksons andhad a few questions that you have answered here. Thank you!
No problem, glad to be of help. I hope you enjoy working with it!
Not very good English to be advertising a
product – very sad!
‘ Before putting brush to paper, ….ME…. and
the team in our London office put together a
list of qualities of dry charcoal..’ Terrible!
We’ve made some changes to the post now, thank you for pointing it out.
I looking to make my practise as eco friendly
as possible can you tell me which products
would be best. I happy to experiment with
different mediums as long as they are
environmentally friendly.
Hi Sarah, it’s a complicated question to answer, but an interesting and pressing one. It depends on what you mean by environmentally friendly, and what aspect is particularly important to you. There is inevitably an environmental impact no matter what medium you use. Whether it is the carbon footprint of sourcing raw materials from around the world, the manufacture of pigments or the packaging used. In many ways, it depends on how you use the materials- for example, washing acrylic paint down the sink is harmful, but there are measures that can be taken to reduce waste and dispose of paint properly which can significantly reduce the impact your practice has on the environment (right now we are working on a blog post on this topic). Watercolour is generally considered to be the least toxic medium, because it is bound with gum arabic- a naturally occuring product tapped from the acacia tree. Lutea watercolours might be of interest to you, because they try to be as sustainable as possible. Choosing grounds and supports that use recycled materials (i.e. eco paper made from recylced cotton) or re-purposing materials you have at home that you might otherwise throw away are other ways of reducing the environmental impact of your art practice. We have a blog post here which will point you towards materials that are free from animal products.
Charcoal works well with soft pastel.
nitram charcoal paint, do we need to
frame finishe art work with glass
protection or it has same characteristic
as oil paint and acrylic?
Hi Louie, it has more in common with watercolour and the charcoal is quite fragile on the surface after it has dried, so I would recommend framing it with glass protection.
Hello Evie,
Is it possible to apply Nitram Liquid Charcoal over a graphite
drawing to darken certain areas, such as pupils in the eyes? Or
does it slip from the metallic surface?
Hi Petra. If the graphite is entirely coating the surface in a shiny layer, then the liquid charcoal may have difficulty ‘gripping’. But other than that I don’t see why it shouldn’t work well to darken areas of a drawing.
This is a very interesting thread! How does
the Liquid Nitram Charcoal work for a soft
pastel underpainting on a sanded surface
such as UArt paper or board? Thank you
from the US. Stay safe!
Hi Tammi, Nitram Liquid Charcoal would make a great medium for a soft pastel underpainting as long as the surface is able to accept water. Some pastel papers can’t, but UArt sanded pastel paper is a great choice!
I bought some liquid charcoal a little while
ago cause i was intrigued with the
possibilities and I love using dry charcoal. I
haven’t been game to try it yet, so this
article is brilliant for me. Thanks so much
Thanks, Kerrie!
This is very interesting. The product
description says however that “This product
contains a chemical known to the State of
California to cause cancer.”
How should the paint be used in order to not
be a health hazard?
Hi Judith, those warnings are quite common on products that are made and sold in the US. It refers to the fact that charcoal particles may be harmful if inhaled – so I would advise against using it in a spray application, like an airbrush, without protection. However when used as a paint the particles of charcoal are enclosed in the binder and are not airborne, so there isn’t a risk of inhalation.
Re: If you wish to use a panel or a canvas, the surface will need
to be prepared appropriately with a watercolour ground, which are
acrylic-based yet formulated to be porous enough for watercolour.
I use willow charcoal on primed duck canvas and set it with a
matte varnish spray. I then alternate with acrylic and charcoal.
I will finish the work with a spray varnish and brushed on varnish.
Is this unstable? Do I need to treat the primed canvas
with an additional ground first? If so, what ground(s) do you
recommend for both willow and this liquid charcoal? I also paint on
loose canvas and have it stretched at a later date.
Hi Jane,
The layers of spray varnish will help to secure your charcoal and the description of your process sounds stable. If you find that the charcoal is not adhering how you want it to (i.e. you see marks brushing off when you apply paint or brushed on varnish to it) then I would suggest applying a different ground. Anything with a tooth would help to take the charcoal, while porosity/absorbency are the qualities you need for the liquid charcoal. This Daniel Smith ground offers the right properties to take both media – https://www.jacksonsart.com/daniel-smith-watercolour-paint-ground-118ml-4oz-transparent
Many thanks
Lisa
So, can i make my own liquid charcole by
mixing arabic gum and powered
charcole? I use watercolor and i am
seeking dramatic texture.
Hi Hyun,
Yes you can! The size of the charcoal particles will determine how grainy the resulting ‘paint’ is….you might need to grind it further if you find the appearance too grainy, and it may be advisable to use a traditional glass slab and muller, as if you were working with pigment, to mull the gum arabic with the charcoal. You may find this article helpful for a guide to a recommended technique: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/09/25/making-handmade-watercolours-with-jacksons-artist-pigments/
Many thanks
Lisa