Five reasons why this is such a wonderful medium for children.

1) It invites ‘whole hand’ engagement, making it great for young artists.

Due to nature of charcoal, the marks that are made with it are not fixed on the page. The dust can be smudged, transferred to your hand (or wall) or another part of the page. This kind of mark making invovles the whole hand and not just the tip of the charcoal, thus allowing for more stimulation for both the hand and the brain, and creating new ideas and pathways to be formed in the mind. It really is a mind-strengthening material!

2. It’s relative dustiness also means that it is easily erased

Because of this, it gives children a few chances to ‘get it right’ without making heavy dents on their paper. Incidentally you can also use erasers as a tool to create lighter shades, rather than just trying to get rid of something you didn't like.

3. It’s softness also allows for really easy coverage of large surfaces.

Little children love to create marks that are bigger than themselves - in fact they should be encouraged to. Gross motor skills need to be developed before fine motor skills, and so a general rule of thumb is that the smaller the artist is, the bigger the canvas should be.

4. Charcoal was and is used by professional artists throughout the world

I worked with it weekly in drawing classes when I was studying Fine Art. So your children need never ‘grow out’ of it. It is a medium welcoming to the young, and accessible for the student to grow in competence and confidence, and yet it also holds the potential to deeply challenge even the master. It is one of the oldest (and simplest) art materials, yet it will never go out of fashion.

5. And finally, it never dries out, is always ready.

Unlike other markers that lose their lids, and quickly become useless, if you happen to find a piece of charcoal that rolled under the bookshelf, or in a box of your old high-school keepsakes, it will still be just as good as they day you bought it.

I hope you're convinced. It's amazing stuff. So, get started today if you havent already!

PS, you can also try our free video course to get you going.