paintings prints and stuff

Sketch, charcoal pencil in Stillman and Birn Epsilon sketchbook I do like drawing in charcoal - I know it's messy, particularly if you use your fingers a lot to smudge out those soft greys as I do, but it's lovely to use : >)  and hands (and faces if you brush your hair back with charcoal covered hands) are washable. This is the Stillman and Birn Epsilon sketchbook that I grabbed quickly.  It has a smooth plate finish so I wasn't sure how it would work with the charcoal pencil - but the light and subject just cried out for charcoal.  They worked beautifully together.   The paper is heavy and though smooth, gripped the charcoal with no problems. I hadn't gone through the book folding the pages flat (starting from the centre) - I should have, because then the book lies totally flat and I would't have had that central gutter. The Derwent Charcoal pencil is lovely to use, giving dense velvety blacks but smudging to soft smoky greys or giving crisp dark li