Tip One – Use the right tools

Get yourself a super sharp sharpener otherwise you’ll end up losing half the pencil because it will keep breaking when you try to sharpen it. You’ll need to sharpen it to a fine point to do precision artwork.

If you’re using chubby chalk sticks remember you can sharpen the ends of these too!

Tip Two – Work from top left to bottom right

This is for right handed artists of course. Its so you don’t smudge your artwork with your hand as you go. Its a bit annoying because you HAVE to work this way and can’t work on the art as a whole.

Tip Three – Blend as you go

Blending thins out the product and means you will get less build up that you have to blow away, which can create marks over your art.

Tip Four – Don’t be afraid to mix mediums

I often add some Prismacolour Pencil into the mix or use Copic Markers if I have extreme detail to do and I know the charcoal won’t be fine enough. You can blend your charcoal and chalk over the top though so it mixes the mediums together.

Tip Five – Keep a tissue on hand at all times

Your fingers WILL get messy and so making sure you’re wiping them regularly with a tissue means you can avoid getting mess all over your artwork. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than wiping a bit of stray chalk away only to create a great almighty smudge with your messy finger. Its soooo annoying when this happens because chalks don’t erase well.