Charcoal - The Spirit of Matter, Orbach and Galkin, 1997

Medium Characteristics

Vine charcoal is a black, dark natural material produced from partially burned trees. It is fragile and brittle. Vine charcoal is the more refined, elegant, natural, and light cousin of compressed charcoal, which is dramatic, powerful, and offers fewer color variations.

Compressed charcoal is very dark, sold in stick form, and can be purchased in various degrees of density. It produces a thick, dramatic line on the paper. It is dry, and can be easily applied on paper. You can work with charcoal linearly or in patches. It is a long-term working process "into" the paper. You can shake the dust off by blowing on it or wiping it with a rag and starting again, creating many shades and tones with great potential for continuity and development. Some people are very sensitive to the squeak of charcoal on paper.

Therapeutic and Spiritual Significance

Each touch of charcoal on white paper, starting with the first mark, conveys a dramatic sensation. Its color ranges from light grays to an intense, velvety, deep black. Charcoal has a tremendous range. It has an expressive presence and can be harsh and sharp, especially on white paper. It produces a lot of black dust and stains everything it comes in contact with. Thus, we can see that it is suitable for working on extreme emotions, anger, shame, guilt, longing and pain.

On the other hand, it can also be sensual, "elegant," and “cultural,” especially vine charcoal. It produces rich monochromatic shades of black. An artwork built gradually into the paper using layered nets fixed with fixative becomes deeper both emotionally and technically. It is a clear metaphor for the process the client is going through, as charcoal easily relates to underlying emotional states.

A charcoal drawing can develop and deepen even more by using fixative and black nets to highlight specific areas. Other ways to cultivate the drawing is by working with a kneading eraser, which “lightens” dense areas with light white marks and nets. A rag can also be used to clean the whole drawing and begin the process again. The more you darken a certain area, the rest will seem lighter compared to it and the range will stretch and become richer. Charcoal is a "threshold material", it contains within it “cognitive traits," but at the same time a great deal of emotions.

Charcoal grids on paper. The process of accumulation and fixation between layers creates a sense of depth.

Its flexibility, the possibility of starting over after wiping off lines or creating different accumulations and densities, all these are actually working "into" the paper, bringing up emotional equivalents such as flexibility and depth, relaxation and release. Since charcoal leaves "crumbs", feelings of anxiety may surface, as well as freedom and sensual pleasure. In some cases, guilt and fear of getting dirty will arise, alongside expressions of liberation and a sense of power and control over the chaos.

Both vine and compressed charcoal are examples of one color that is actually an infinite range of hues. Gaining technical control over the shades and tones, methods of spreading the charcoal, nets, the use of fixative and rags, all expand and modify emotions as well as cognitive and technical processes. The method of going "into" the paper in layers of nets, and the fingertips that work very close to the surface, both are reminiscent of modelling. It gives a sculptural sense to the subject painted in this two-dimensional work.

Noa Shay

We observed two main working methods with charcoal: the first is tactile, with less control, used by adults or children experimenting with the smearing itself and the sensuality of the substance. They tend to smudge and mix all the different shades with their fingers. This forms a flattening of the drawing and fewer shades; however, it is an enjoyable experience. The sake-of-doing is the main issue, rather than the outcome.

The other method is working alternately with nets and fixative. It is a process of slow and cumulative building of layers and colors. It reflects control, delayed gratification and an understanding of the material, the deepening process, color and perspective.

We were surprised to notice that this significant medium is often selected as a client departs from therapy, or when issues of separation were discussed. Perhaps, metaphorically, it is the memory of the burned wood that is echoed?

Surfaces and Tools

• Paper – 120 gr. or more. White, brown, thick craft paper, newspapers.

• Kneading eraser – tear a piece and knead it into a thin tip, then collect the charcoal dust with gentle pats of the eraser. The subtraction adds light to the dark drawing.

• Fixative - for fixing the different layers, so that the work can be developed.

• Rags are used for wiping in order to merge different areas, lighten an area and/or for erasing it in order to draw over it again.

• Gray and white chalks - adding them in nets widens the expressive range of the grays.

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Working with Charcoal

It is important to carefully attach and secure the paper to the wall, easel or table, because the process becomes intense with time. If the paper moves around, it is a metaphor of a therapist who cannot provide an emotionally well-contained experience.

It is important to wear an apron or a working shirt, because charcoal creates dust over a large area, and might make the client feel "dirty" and guilty. It might be a good idea to prepare all of the papers that will be needed in the session ahead of time. At the end, it is important to spray them, preferably outside or with open windows.

Initial Encounters

• A trial sheet - try using charcoal in unusual ways on the paper, and in different directions, to see what it can do. Different amounts of pressure, various motions, nets, etc. Work with both the tip and the width of the charcoal.

• Draw nets that go in at least eight directions. Vertical, horizontal and diagonals. Find an image and emphasize it by using different densities. Use fixative between the layers to affix them.

• Cover a paper with dense layers of nets. Work with a kneading eraser kneaded to a shape of a nib. Sketch and work linearly with it. The tip of the eraser will draw the image or the desired organization.

The text is based on The Spirit of Matter / A Database Handbook for Therapists, Artists, and Educators Nona Orbach and Lilach Galkin, 1997

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