
Charcoal Life Drawing (Plus White Charcoal Pencil on Toned Paper)
Matthew James Taylor3 January 2022
Charcoal is my favorite medium for life drawing. Particularly charcoal pencil.
This page showcases my best charcoal life drawings.
I've divided my collection into the following sets:
I hope they inspire you to try charcoal life drawing for yourself.
My favorite charcoal mediums are also revealed below.
Charcoal Life Drawings on White Paper



















Charcoal Life Drawings on Toned Paper
I love to add color to my life drawings by using toned paper. There are many colors to choose from.



White Charcoal Life Drawings on Toned Paper
Once you start using toned paper then I highly recommend adding white highlights. They can make your drawing come alive!




















Best Charcoal For Life Drawing
The General's Charcoal pencils are my favorite medium for life drawing.
Here's why I think they're the best:
- They have a beautiful sooty texture.
- They have strong charcoal leads that rarely break.
- They make minimal mess because they're in pencil form.
- They come in white which is perfect for highlights on toned paper.
- And there are many grades to choose from.
It works out cheaper to buy these in the following set:
- 3 × charcoal pencils (6B, 4B, 2B)
- 1 × white charcoal pencil
- 1 × kneadable eraser (Bonus!)
I highly recommend you try these out! (Amazon link)
Next up:
Life Drawing: The Complete Guide ›
Ink life drawing ›
Chalk life drawing ›
Graphite pencil life drawing ›









