PH Coate Artist Willow Charcoal Assorted Length, 30 Sticks, Black

Alright, I've seen a number of frustrated customers review this product. To be fair this is an assortment of varying thickness charcoal. Some of them are pretty thin and may not meet your needs. Also they are half stick length. I purchased these to sample so this turned out ok for me.How do they perform? Quite pleasant actually. Humorously thin sticks aside(which still serve a purpose) they are delightfully soft and responsive, and dare I say buttery for charcoal. No hard or scratchy spots. These are honestly the best willow charcoal I've worked with. Even the thin ones do nicelywhen used for detail work. I'll be certain to buy more although I'll be looking for certain size assortments.

The vine charcoal I received was very workable and I am very satisfied with the product that I got. So, to start with the bad before the good; this charcoal can be very hard to lay down at some points. I think it has something to do with the coating on the outside of the charcoal, but a little more elbow grease gets rid of that. Apart from the coating, it has a slightly chalky feel, but bends well! It doesn't stick to the paper too much (I've been using newsprint for still life), which makes it perfect for smudging out with a finger or tortillon.

EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED

First of all I'll say that I am happy with this piece of charcoal. For reference I bought the single, jumbo side. My primary interest in charcoal drawing is in portraiture and figure drawing. I often use it alongside my vine charcoal in the preliminary stages of my drawings and for blocking in larger, darker regions of the image.Physically it handles like most willow charcoal you'll have handled. I would describe the texture as "medium" by charcoal terms meaning it makes marks relatively easily and leaves quite a lot of pigment on the page. I attempted to sharpen it a little on some sand paper but it didn't take anything approaching a point but could give some reasonable edges to use. Also note that my piece contained quite a few knots but they are obvious and easy to work around should you desire.In use the line was not as a little more gray than some (softer) willow charcoal I've used but was dark enough for my purposes. I typically work in lighter tones then use compressed charcoal (black and white) toward the end to increase the contrast so all I need is enough dynamic range for early stages, which it provides. The ease of application combined with the comparatively large size also encourages a loose style which is well suited to the early stages of a drawing. As with most willow charcoal it is darker and leaves slightly less powder down than vine; conversely it doesn't erase quite as well as vine charcoal but both can (almost) be brought back to pure paper tone with an eraser.Overall I am happy with this charcoal. It gives the working characteristics typical of willow in a large form factor. The only thing holding it back from five stars is the slightly lighter tone than some willow charcoal I've used and the ease with which the edges can crack and crumble.

Way better than buying all those little packages. This comes in two bundles, one thin and one medium with some thick sticks. And the quality is superior, it's smooth and workable while getting as black or grey as you want. Stumps and chamois work easily with it.

I love this brand. Sure some are tiny…but they have their uses. And yes willow charcoal especially thin ones are extremely fragile. But the dark rich pigment payoff is something I love this brand for and it STICKS when you want and can be erased where you want! Till I ever if possible find a better brand this is what I will always choose! Good luck fellow artists! Lotsa love!

Came wrapped nicely and was a pretty good value and worked fantastically. Affordable art supplies for my drawing class this semester and I still have some left over!

Half of the sticks were smashed into bits. Actually arrived with some vines from another company (same Amazon package) and these were fine. The other manufacturer obviously had better internal packing. Not returning--small package just not worth the hassle, but won't purchase again.