Coates Willow Charcoal- Box of 4 Extra Thick Sticks 12-14mm

Works well for what I needed it for as far as drawing goes.

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.

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.

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.

I use this for sketches. I would have like fewer or none tiny ones.

Bought these for my first art class and used them the whole semester and still have plenty charcoal sticks left. The first piece I created using this medium was chosen to be in our schools art show. Today I was just experimenting and decided to do a portrait of the late great Tupac. The sticks are so easy to work with and the variety of sizes in the box allows u to work w different parts of the picture nicely. Be gentle bcuz they're very soft and can snap if you aren't aware of your pressure. Otherwise, I love these and will order again from this company. Most of my classmates had generals brand but I had this one n my professor looked at the box it came in and she said wow that's a lot of charcoal.

I bought these for a drawing class I was taking. I found I really don't like drawing with charcoal vine--it breaks really easily and leave crumbs on the paper that will smear if you try to brush them off. I trashed the box because it would not fit in the plastic box I was keeping my drawing supplies in and I really regretted not having something to protect the vine sticks. They are wrapped in black tissue paper but it does not keep the black dust that forms from seeping into the storage box. For those who like drawing with charcoal vine this is probably a great product. It isn't my cup of tea.

Damaged package, some of the charcoal were broken.

What can you say? It's charcoal 😊

Product was as expected. Works well. My daughter has enjoyed exploring charcoal drawing with this charcoal.

Amazing product. Very cheap and will last me a long time. Works well, nice and soft

Good for random sketches and shading a nice addition to my work with a unique look.

Just what I wanted