Find more freedom in your art with charcoal - a look at the new Expressive Charcoal course from taraleaver.com

How do you feel about charcoal? Love it? Never tried it? Curious but hesitant? Can’t seem to get to grips with it?

Charcoal has been a staple in my art practice since I first discovered it aged eleven in the art room at school. I love its velvety texture on the paper, the way it lends itself so perfectly to bold, expressive mark making, the possibilities for exploring contrast and working big, not to mention its potential with mixed media.

I’ve discovered that many people have a hesitation when it comes to charcoal, and it can seem a bit of a mystery if you haven’t tried it before. I’d love to introduce you to this often misunderstood medium, and help you bring it into your own art practice in a way that suits you.

If you’re curious about charcoal, what you could do with it and how it could impact the way you make art, I am delighted to announce the arrival of Expressive Charcoal, a short course designed to get you immersed in this lovely tactile medium and enjoying its many delights.

There are seven lessons {plus a troubleshooting section and two bonuses}, all waiting for you in a gorgeous classroom, and all available as soon as you register, so you can dive in whenever you’re ready and go at your own pace. And as always you’ll be invited to a private Facebook group so you don’t have to do it alone!

Here’s a little glimpse of what’s inside:

We’ll play with different subject matter and ways in to using charcoal, and don’t worry, you don’t have to be ‘good at drawing’ to take this course! Our focus is expressiveness and freedom, not accuracy or realism.

Want to know more and join us? Click here for the full details, and if you have any more questions please share them in the comments.

PS. I’ll be back with part two of our series on being inspired by other artists without copying them next week!