Schmincke Liquid Charcoal

Is it painting or drawing? It's both! Schmincke Liquid Charcoal is a clean, dust-free way of painting, drawing, and underpainting with charcoal. In three nuanced shades of black, these unique water-based pigments make the leap from drawing to painting. Liquid Charcoal can be used to quickly cover large areas, 'draw' with brushes, and create layered washes to build rich tones. It can be used in combination with traditional charcoal and can be manipulated with an eraser, blending stump, or wet brush once dry. 

The charcoal pigments are created by charring fruit seeds from the EU area, then mixing the carbon with high-quality gum arabic just like traditional artists' watercolor and gouache. The paint has a gouache-like consistency and can be diluted with water to achieve different shades. Depending on the substrate and the thickness of the layer, it can be wiped off by hand and removed with water but smudges much less than charcoal in its dry form. Blending and removability is dependent on the surface of the substrate - the more even and firm the surface, the easier it is to remove. Used as a thin underpainting for oil and acrylic paintings, subsequent paint layers become less dirty than with conventional charcoal underpainting due to the higher adhesion of the bound carbon pigments to the substrate.

Cherry Pit Black - Made from charred cherry pits, this charcoal paint has a warm, brownish tone. It ranges from a deep, rich black to a soft brownish-gray.

Grape Seed Black - Made from charred grape seeds, this charcoal paint has a cool, bluish tone. It ranges from a dark Payne's Gray to light blue-gray.

Peach Stone Black - Made from charred peach pits, this charcoal paint is the most neutral of the liquid charcoals. It ranges in tone from velvety black to foggy gray.