The charcoal pigments in Schmincke’s new Liquid Charcoal range are made by charring peach stones, cherry pits, and grape seeds. These pigments are combined with gum arabic, and the result is a dust-free paint for artists who work with charcoal. Liquid Charcoal can also make an interesting addition to a watercolour palette.
A Review of Schmincke’s New Liquid Charcoal Paints
How is charcoal used in drawing? There are two main ways to use it:
- As an independent drawing material, ideal for line drawing, grisaille and tonal sketches.
- As an underdrawing for oil or acrylic painting.
The main difficulty in painting with traditional dry charcoal is that it dirties your hands, the table, and everything around you. Of course, it can be washed off with water, but it is very easy to accidentally smudge the drawing on the paper with your hand while using it.
In coming up with a solution to this problem, Schmincke have produced a very convenient format for this material. Liquid Charcoal is available in 35ml tubes, and its consistency is very similar to gouache. To start working, you can squeeze a little bit of Liquid Charcoal on the palette, take a brush, and start painting. In doing so, all surfaces around are easier to keep clean.
Textures made with Liquid Charcoal
Schmincke’s Liquid Charcoal is available in three colour variations. The difference in colour temperature is made possible by the way the pigment is made- the seeds of the different fruits (collected in Europe) are charred in barrels. Grape Seed Black gives a cold black-grey tint with blue undertone, Cherry Pit Black has a very warm brown tint, and Peach Stone Black gives a tint that ranges from neutral black to neutral grey depending on the thickness of the layer. These shades may slightly vary from batch to batch because natural pigments are used in the production.
From left to right: Grape Seed Black, Cherry Pit Black, Peach Stone Black.
Like in gouache and watercolour, gum arabic is the main binder, so Liquid Charcoal can be diluted with water. The water solubility of the material has undeniable advantages – you can easily control its tone and saturation, which is indispensable in tonal drawing, and it can also be used very quickly and effectively to cover large surfaces.
Because the charcoal is bound with gum arabic, Liquid Charcoal smudges much less than charcoal in its traditional dry form, but some of the characteristics of the traditional material also remain true. Depending on the thickness of the layer and the texture of the paper, it can be wiped off to a greater or lesser extent: in the case of smooth paper and a thick layer of paint, it can easily be smudged, but if the paper is textured and the paint is heavily diluted with water, there is almost no smudging.
It is possible to achieve different tonal gradation not only by diluting charcoal with water, but also by lifting it from the paper surface, which can be done in two ways – with an eraser, or a brush with pure water. According to the results of my tests, the brush with water easily wipes the charcoal down to white paper, the eraser gives a softer edge and a gentler outline, without washing the material off completely.
In each swatch the top line was lifted with water, and underneath with an eraser.
Using Liquid Charcoal as a base and underpainting with oil or acrylic, subsequent paints do not become muddied due to higher adhesion of the bound carbon pigments. Liquid Charcoal is more firmly fixed to the canvas than traditional charcoal, and stays in place after fairly intense brush movements on top.
In conclusion, Schmincke Liquid Charcoal offers excellent possibilities for painting both as a stand-alone material and as a base for acrylic and oil paint. It is much less messy, while retaining the specific characteristics of the material – matte texture on the surface, the possibility of variety of smooth tonal transitions, and ease of covering large areas.
Further Reading
Why Schmincke Horadam has 20 Different Green Watercolours
Which Colours Are on Your Palette? Five Watercolour Landscape Painters Respond.
Schmincke Aqua Drop: Liquid Watercolour That Can Be Used Undiluted
Painting with Schmincke Super Granulating Watercolours
Shop Schmincke Liquid Charcoal on jacksonsart.com
This is a long overdue development.
Whenever I see someone using charcoal and
all the mess it makes me want to run in the
opposite direction. I may, with this product,
finally attempt using charcoal. Now if only
they could do this for that other messy
medium, pastels….
Hi Marta,
Thanks for your comment. That’s great you’ll be able to try it in liquid form.
Best, Clare
buenas tardes, cuanto cuesta un tubo
de carbón líquido peach stone black
,como se puede pagar y se puede enviar
a América Latina (México) ?
¡Buenas tardes! Visite jacksonsart.com y agregue un tubo de carbón líquido a su canasta. El costo, incluido el envío a América Latina, se mostrará como su pago, antes de que deba proporcionar los detalles del pago. ¡Espero que esta traducción tenga sentido! Muchas gracias.
Aside from Roman Szmal and Old Holland, PBk8 (charcoal) is a neglected pigment in watercolor so I’m excited to play with it more as a watercolor paint. I love the fact that you can choose a warmer or cooler hue based on the type of seed/vegetation used to make the charcoal. I look forward to seeing how it mixes with my watercolor and gouache paints!
Hi Kimberly,
Yes, it is great to be able to see how the different vegetation produce different colours, I hope you enjoy working with the liquid charcoal.
Best wishes
Lisa
Can this liquid charcoal be used in an Iwata airbrush – safely for the airbrush?
Hi!
I’m afraid I don’t know, but I have contacted the Schmincke lab to ask the question. I will reply asap!
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Sketchcat
I have received a response from the Schmincke lab and unfortunately, liquid charcoal is not suitable for application with an airbrush.
Many thanks
Lisa
I’m a professional painter and often use
charcoal to sketch and apply as an
underpainting to my oils. I’ve enjoyed
reading Anna Zadorozhnaya’s review of
Jackson’s liquid charcoal. I am interested in
trying any or all of the varieties available and
would like to know how my students and I
could try them before investing in the line.
Do you have smaller tube samples available
for purchase for this purpose? Please
advise.
Thank you,
Dyan Law
Skyview Fine Art Studio
Pipersville, PA 18947
USA
Hi Dyan,
I’m afraid we only offer the 35ml tubes of liquid charcoal, but as they are rewettable, I wonder if you would consider buying a tube to share, as the liquid charcoal could be squeezed into a pan and shared out among a number of you.
https://www.jacksonsart.com/schmincke-liquid-charcoal-35ml/
I hope this suggestion is helpful to you.
Many thanks
Lisa
I find these little reports very useful,
informative and concise especially when
something is new and l have no other
means of finding out exactly what they
are and their purpose. Thank you very
much. Keep well every one at Jackson’s.
Best wishes
Thank you Hazel!
I Don’t understand the point of liquid charcoal.Surely charcoal is used because it is a *drawing* material. Isn’t this what is important when using it to start a painting off? When you use liquid charcoal that’s lost. So you may as well use any paint you like as your underpainting? Or am I missing something?
Hi Kevin,
What you say is true, but the liquid charcoal can be seen as a hybrid medium – a mix of drawing and painting. It can be erased as well as lifted if still wet. This can be a great way to transition from the drawing to the painting stages in a more fluid way, rather than see the drawing foundation as being quite separate from the painting. It was has its own aesthetic qualities (the unique graphite sheen) which can be an interesting contrast to the paint you layer over the top, providing you don’t cover it entirely!
Hope that helps.
Many thanks
Lisa