Graphite vs Colored Pencil vs Charcoal: Complete Comparison

Staring at the art supply aisle trying to decide between graphite pencils, colored pencils, or charcoal? You’re not alone. These three mediums look deceptively similar but create completely different drawing experiences.

Here’s the truth: there’s no “best” medium. Graphite gives you surgical precision, colored pencils let you paint without paint, and charcoal creates drama like nothing else. Each one has a personality, and finding the right match for you makes drawing feel natural instead of frustrating.

This guide cuts through the confusion by showing you exactly what each medium does, how it feels to work with, and what kind of art it creates best. You’ll see real cost comparisons, understand the learning curve for each, and figure out which one matches your style.

Whether you’re sketching your first portrait or adding a new medium to your collection, you’ll walk away knowing exactly what to buy and why.

Quick Comparison: The Essential Differences

Let’s start with the basics. Here’s what actually matters when choosing between these mediums:

Now let’s dive into what each medium actually feels like to use.

Graphite Pencils: The Classic Choice

What You’re Actually Drawing With

Graphite is that gray stuff in every “lead” pencil (fun fact: there’s no actual lead in pencils). It’s smooth, controllable, and probably what you used to doodle in math class. The difference between school pencils and artist pencils? Artist pencils come in a range from super hard and light (9H) to incredibly soft and dark (9B).

Think of it like this: H pencils are for delicate work, B pencils are for bold shading, and HB sits right in the middle as your all-purpose workhorse.

The Graphite Look

Graphite has a distinctive silvery-gray quality that’s slightly shiny when you layer it heavily. You can get everything from whisper-light lines to rich, velvety darks, but you’ll never quite hit pure black. That’s not a limitation though – it’s graphite’s signature look.

The beauty of graphite is in its subtlety. You can build up incredibly smooth gradients, create soft atmospheric effects, and achieve photographic realism if that’s your thing. According to Jackson’s Art Supplies, professional artists often use 5-7 different graphite grades in a single drawing to maximize value range.

Why Artists Love Graphite

It forgives mistakes. Made a wrong line? Erase it. Want to lighten an area? Lift it with a kneaded eraser. This forgiving nature makes graphite perfect when you’re learning proportions or practicing new techniques.

Control is effortless. Sharp graphite creates hairline details. Want to draw every individual eyelash or each brick in a building? Graphite handles it without protest.

It’s everywhere and cheap. You can build a solid graphite pencil collection for $20-30. A single Staedtler Mars Lumograph set gives you everything from 6H to 6B and will last months.

Works on almost anything. Smooth paper, textured paper, even slightly damp paper – graphite adapts. You don’t need special surfaces to get started.

The Graphite Challenges

Smudging happens. Rest your hand on your drawing? You’ll smudge it. Graphite stays “active” on paper, which means it can transfer to hands, other paper, or anything it touches. Most artists use a piece of scrap paper under their drawing hand.

Shiny buildup. Layer graphite too heavily and you get an unpleasant shine that photographs badly and looks flat in person. The fix is working with softer grades (6B-9B) that deposit more graphite with less pressure.

Limited value range. Even the darkest graphite (9B) doesn’t match charcoal’s deep blacks. If you want dramatic contrast with true blacks, graphite will feel limiting.

Best Graphite Projects

Graphite shines in:

• Realistic portraits where subtle skin tones matter
• Technical drawings requiring precision
• Wildlife sketches with fine fur detail
• Architectural renderings with clean lines
• Practice sketches where you need to erase often

Colored Pencils: Drawing Meets Painting

What Makes Colored Pencils Different

Colored pencils are wax or oil-based cores wrapped in wood, totally different from graphite’s pure carbon. The wax or oil carries pigment onto paper, similar to how paint works. This means they behave differently than you’d expect if you’re used to graphite.

Quality varies wildly. Student-grade colored pencils from the dollar store have little pigment and lots of binder, creating pale, waxy marks. Professional pencils like Prismacolor Premier or Faber-Castell Polychromos pack intense pigment that looks almost painted.

The Colored Pencil Look

Colored pencils create vibrant, saturated color with a slightly textured finish. You can achieve everything from delicate botanical illustrations to hyperrealistic paintings that make people ask “wait, that’s colored pencil?”

The magic happens through layering. Professional colored pencil artists might use 20-30 colors in a single apple, layering and burnishing until the paper tooth disappears and colors look luminous. It’s slow work, but the results rival painting.

Why Artists Love Colored Pencils

No mixing required. Unlike paint, you don’t lose time mixing colors. Grab the color you need and start working. The tradeoff is you need lots of pencils – professional sets have 72, 120, or even 150 colors.

Ultimate control. Colored pencils offer the precision of graphite with the color range of painting. Perfect for botanical art, wildlife illustration, or any detailed color work.

Zero mess, zero setup. No water, no palettes, no cleaning brushes. Open your pencil case and draw. Pack them up instantly. This convenience makes colored pencils perfect for traveling or drawing in coffee shops.

Archival permanence. Quality colored pencils (with lightfast pigments) won’t fade for decades. They’re more permanent than watercolor and easier to preserve than charcoal.

The Colored Pencil Challenges

It’s slow. Really slow. A detailed colored pencil drawing takes 20-40 hours easily. You’re building color through dozens of layers, and there’s no shortcut.

Erasing barely works. Once wax or oil hits paper, it’s there. You can lighten slightly with a vinyl eraser, but you can’t remove colored pencil like graphite. Every mark matters.

Paper shows through. Unlike paint, colored pencils are semi-transparent. White or light-colored paper is essential, and the paper texture (tooth) stays visible unless you burnish heavily.

Expensive to start properly. A decent starter set costs $40-60, and you’ll want 48-72 colors minimum for serious work. Professional sets like Caran d’Ache Luminance run $300-500.

Blending takes technique. Colored pencils don’t blend like graphite or charcoal. You’ll learn specialized techniques: burnishing (heavy pressure blending), layering translucent colors, or using colorless blenders.

Best Colored Pencil Projects

Colored pencils excel at:

• Botanical illustrations with accurate colors
• Pet portraits capturing fur colors and details
• Hyperrealistic still lifes
• Children’s book illustrations
• Fashion design sketches
• Adult coloring (with premium pencils)

Charcoal: Drama and Expression

Understanding Charcoal

Charcoal is literally burned wood – usually willow or vine – that leaves rich black marks. It comes in three main forms: vine charcoal (thin sticks, very soft), compressed charcoal (intense black, harder), and charcoal pencils (charcoal in a pencil format).

The beauty of charcoal is its immediacy. One stroke covers a large area. It blends with your fingers or a cloth. It creates atmosphere and mood faster than any other medium. According to Winsor & Newton, charcoal has been used since cave paintings because it’s so intuitive and expressive.

The Charcoal Look

Charcoal creates rich, velvety blacks that graphite can’t match. It has a matte finish without shine, and its marks have a soft, organic quality. Even beginners can achieve professional-looking tonal drawings quickly.

The range goes from barely-there grays (using vine charcoal lightly) to intense blacks (compressed charcoal pressed hard). This extreme value range makes charcoal perfect for dramatic lighting and strong contrasts.

Why Artists Love Charcoal

Instant atmosphere. Block in large areas in seconds. Charcoal lets you think big – whole backgrounds, dramatic shadows, sweeping compositions. It’s freeing after the precision of pencils.

Blends like a dream. Smudge with your finger, blend with a cloth, smooth with a paper stump – charcoal responds to everything. Creating soft transitions is effortless.

Erase to create light. Lift charcoal with a kneaded eraser to create highlights. This subtractive drawing technique lets you “draw” with your eraser, pulling out light from darkness.

Affordable and simple. A basic charcoal set costs $15-20 and includes everything you need: vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, a kneaded eraser, and paper stumps.

Perfect for learning values. Without color to distract you, charcoal forces you to focus on light, shadow, and form. It’s why art schools use charcoal for figure drawing classes.

The Charcoal Challenges

Messy beyond belief. Charcoal dust gets everywhere – your hands, your clothes, your work surface, somehow your face. Keep baby wipes nearby and embrace the chaos.

Smudges if you breathe on it. Charcoal never fully sets without fixative spray. Even with fixative, it’s fragile. Storing charcoal drawings requires care – slip sheets between pages or they’ll transfer.

Less detail capability. While charcoal pencils can create some detail, charcoal’s nature is loose and expressive. If you need to draw individual eyelashes, graphite works better.

Paper matters hugely. Charcoal needs textured paper (tooth) to grab onto. Smooth paper lets charcoal slide around without adhering. Strathmore 400 Series charcoal paper or similar is essential.

Fixative required. You must spray finished charcoal drawings with fixative or they’ll smudge forever. This adds cost and requires ventilation.

Best Charcoal Projects

Charcoal excels at:

• Figure drawing and gesture sketches
• Dramatic portraits with strong lighting
• Landscape atmospherics with misty effects
• Quick study sketches capturing form
• Expressive, emotional artwork
• Large-scale drawings (18×24″ or bigger)

Side-by-Side: The Same Subject in Three Mediums

Let’s draw a simple sphere to show how dramatically these mediums differ:

Graphite Sphere

The Process: Start with H pencil for light outline. Build midtones with HB, then 2B. Add darkest shadows with 4B-6B. Blend slightly with paper stump. Lift highlights with kneaded eraser.

The Result: Smooth, controlled gradation from light to dark. Slightly silvery appearance. Clean, precise edge. Shadow side never quite hits pure black. Overall impression: refined, technical, photographic.

Time Required: 20-30 minutes

Colored Pencil Sphere

The Process: Light outline with light gray. Layer base color (let’s say red) lightly. Build midtones with darker red and brown. Add shadows with dark brown and blue. Burnish highlights with white or light pink. Blend edges by layering multiple colors.

The Result: Vibrant color with visible paper texture unless heavily burnished. Gradual color transitions. Crisp or soft edges depending on technique. Multiple colors visible in what looks like “one” color.

Time Required: 45-60 minutes (due to layering)

Charcoal Sphere

The Process: Block in basic shape with vine charcoal. Blend entire sphere with fingers. Lift highlight area with kneaded eraser. Darken shadow side with compressed charcoal. Soften edges by blending. Add final deep darks.

The Result: Rich, velvety blacks in shadow. Soft, atmospheric blending. Slightly smudged, artistic quality. True black achievable. Overall impression: dramatic, expressive, moody.

Time Required: 10-15 minutes

The verdict: Same subject, completely different personalities. Graphite feels precise, colored pencil feels rich, charcoal feels dramatic.

Cost Comparison: Real Numbers

Let’s talk money. Here’s what you’d actually spend starting with each medium:

Graphite Starter Kit ($25-35)

Essential supplies:

• Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencil set (12 pencils, 6H-6B): $15
• Kneaded eraser: $3
• Drawing paper pad (9×12″, 80 sheets): $8
• Pencil sharpener: $4
• Total: $30

Optional but helpful:

• Blending stumps (set of 6): $6
• Workable fixative spray: $12

Colored Pencil Starter Kit ($45-75)

Essential supplies:

• Prismacolor Premier: $35
• Heavy drawing paper (Bristol or mixed media): $12
• White vinyl eraser: $3
• Pencil sharpener: $4
• Total: $54

Optional but helpful:

• Colorless blender pencil: $3
• 72+ color set upgrade: add $30-40
• Textured paper for better results: $8-12

Charcoal Starter Kit ($20-30)

Essential supplies:

• General’s Charcoal Complete set: $15
• Charcoal paper pad (18×24″): $10
• Kneaded eraser: $3
• White vinyl eraser: $3
• Total: $28

Optional but helpful:

• Workable fixative spray: $12 (actually essential)
• Blending stumps: $6
• Chamois cloth: $5

Long-term costs:

• Graphite: Lowest ongoing cost. Pencils last months. Most expense is paper.
• Colored Pencil: Highest ongoing cost. You’ll constantly replace favorite colors and gradually expand your collection.
• Charcoal: Low ongoing cost. Charcoal is cheap, but you’ll use fixative regularly ($12 per can, lasts 10-15 drawings).

Technique Differences: How Each Medium Works

Graphite Techniques

Hatching and Crosshatching Creating tone through parallel lines (hatching) or crossed lines (crosshatching). Graphite excels here because lines stay crisp and controlled.

Smooth Shading Building gradual tone through light, overlapping strokes, then blending slightly with a stump or tissue. The key is patience – multiple light layers beat one heavy layer.

Eraser Drawing After creating a dark graphite base, lift out highlights with a kneaded eraser “drawing” in reverse. Great for hair highlights or light reflections.

Burnishing Pressing hard with soft graphite (6B-9B) to create smooth, dark coverage. Be careful – too much pressure flattens paper tooth.

Colored Pencil Techniques

Layering Building color through multiple transparent layers. Each layer shows through the ones above, creating depth and richness. Might use 5-10 layers for a single area.

Burnishing Pressing hard with light colors or a colorless blender to smooth and blend colors, eliminating paper texture. Creates a painted look.

Underpainting Starting with complementary or analogous colors underneath your main colors. Creates vibrancy and depth that single colors can’t achieve.

Polychromos Method Using oil-based pencils (like Faber-Castell Polychromos) over wax-based (like Prismacolor) for fine details, since oil doesn’t mix with wax.

See detailed colored pencil techniques in our complete drawing techniques encyclopedia.

Charcoal Techniques

Blocking In Covering large areas quickly with broad strokes of vine charcoal. Establishes values and composition fast.

Subtractive Drawing Covering paper with charcoal, then removing it with erasers to create light areas. Trains your eye to see light instead of dark.

Blending Using fingers, cloths, or paper stumps to soften and blend charcoal. This is where charcoal truly shines – instant atmosphere.

Compressed Charcoal Accents Adding final rich darks with compressed charcoal sticks or pencils. Creates dramatic contrast.

Which Medium Should You Choose?

Choose Graphite If You:

• Want the easiest learning curve
• Need precise, detailed control
• Plan to erase and adjust frequently
• Like clean, minimal mess
• Want affordable supplies
• Enjoy realistic, technical drawing
• Need portable supplies
• Want versatility across paper types

Perfect for: Beginners, portrait artists, technical illustrators, anyone learning fundamentals.

Choose Colored Pencils If You:

• Love working with color
• Have patience for slow, detailed work
• Want painting results without paint mess
• Need ultimate portability
• Enjoy highly detailed, precise art
• Want permanent, archival results
• Can invest in quality supplies
• Like layering and building complexity

Perfect for: Detail lovers, botanical artists, illustrators, patient artists who enjoy meditative work.

Choose Charcoal If You:

• Want dramatic, expressive results fast
• Love working loose and gestural
• Don’t mind mess
• Want to learn values and form
• Enjoy blending and atmospheric effects
• Like working large (18×24″ or bigger)
• Want affordable, simple supplies
• Appreciate rich, velvety blacks

Perfect for: Expressive artists, figure drawing students, anyone wanting to loosen up, dramatic portrait work.

Can’t Decide? Start with Graphite

Here’s honest advice: if you’re completely new to drawing, start with graphite. It’s forgiving, affordable, and teaches you fundamental skills that transfer to every other medium. Once you’re comfortable with values, shading, and basic technique, adding colored pencils or charcoal becomes much easier.

Think of graphite as learning to drive with an automatic transmission. You can always learn manual later, but you’ll be glad you started with the simpler option.

Combining Mediums: The Best of All Worlds

Once you’re comfortable with each medium individually, combining them creates exciting possibilities:

Graphite + Colored Pencil

Use graphite for initial sketching and value planning, then add color with colored pencils. The graphite understructure helps you place colors accurately. This works particularly well for portraits where you want precise features with added color.

Technique: Sketch lightly with H or HB graphite, then layer colored pencils on top. The graphite may dull colors slightly, so keep it light or erase most of it before adding color.

Graphite + Charcoal

Combine graphite’s precision with charcoal’s dramatic darks. Use graphite for detailed areas (eyes, fine textures) and charcoal for atmospheric backgrounds or deep shadows.

Technique: Complete detailed graphite work first, then carefully add charcoal to specific areas. Blend charcoal away from graphite details to avoid cross-contamination.

Colored Pencil + Charcoal

Use white charcoal or white colored pencil on toned paper for a unique three-value approach: paper tone as midtone, charcoal as darks, white pencil as lights.

Technique: Work on gray, tan, or colored paper. Block in darks with charcoal, add color and details with colored pencils, finish highlights with white charcoal or white colored pencil.

The Mixed Media Approach

Professional illustrators often combine all three, plus ink, paint, or digital work. Don’t feel locked into one medium. According to Artists Network, mixed media artwork commands higher prices because of the technical complexity and unique results.

Key rule: Test combinations on scrap paper first. Some mediums don’t play well together, and you don’t want to discover this midway through a finished piece.

Common Problems and Solutions

Graphite Problems

Problem: Graphite looks shiny and uneven Solution: You’re pressing too hard. Use softer pencils (4B-6B) with lighter pressure instead of hard pencils with heavy pressure. Softer grades deposit more graphite with less compression.

Problem: Can’t get dark enough Solution: Layer multiple soft pencils (6B, 8B, 9B) instead of pressing harder. Build darkness gradually.

Problem: Smudging everywhere Solution: Work from left to right (if right-handed) or right to left (if left-handed). Place paper under your drawing hand. Spray with workable fixative between layers.

Problem: Lost details after blending Solution: Blend first, then go back and sharpen details with a sharp pencil. Always work from general to specific.

Colored Pencil Problems

Problem: Colors look pale and waxy Solution: You need better pencils. Student-grade colored pencils have limited pigment. Upgrade to Prismacolor Premier or Faber-Castell Polychromos minimum.

Problem: Can’t blend colors smoothly Solution: Layer multiple light layers instead of heavy single layers. Use complementary colors in your layering. Consider a colorless blender pencil for final smoothing.

Problem: Paper texture shows through Solution: Either burnish heavily with white or light-colored pencil, or embrace the texture as part of your style. Alternatively, use smoother paper like Bristol plate finish.

Problem: Made a mistake and can’t erase Solution: Colored pencil mistakes are tough. Scrape gently with a craft knife, then burnish over with correct color. Or incorporate the “mistake” into your composition.

Charcoal Problems

Problem: Charcoal won’t stick to paper Solution: You’re using paper that’s too smooth. Charcoal needs texture (tooth). Switch to actual charcoal paper or rough drawing paper.

Problem: Everything smudges into mud Solution: Spray with workable fixative between layers. Let it dry completely before continuing. This “sets” each layer while still allowing more work.

Problem: Lost all my highlights Solution: Use a vinyl eraser or kneaded eraser to lift charcoal for highlights. If you’ve worked too dark, even erasers won’t help – you’ll need white charcoal or chalk for highlights.

Problem: Charcoal dust everywhere Solution: This is normal. Blow excess dust off your paper (outside or over a trash can). Keep wet wipes nearby for your hands. Consider working on an easel so dust falls away from paper.

Supplies You’ll Need

Graphite Essentials

Pencils:

• Staedtler Mars Lumograph 12-piece set (6H-6B): $15
• Or individual pencils: HB, 2B, 4B, 6B minimum

Paper:

• Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper: $8-12
• Or Canson XL Drawing pad for practice: $8

Erasers:

• Kneaded eraser: $3
• White vinyl eraser: $3

Tools:

• Quality pencil sharpener: $4
• Blending stumps (set): $6
• Workable fixative spray (optional): $12

Total minimum investment: $25-30

Colored Pencil Essentials

Pencils:

• Prismacolor Premier 36-color set: $35
• Or Faber-Castell Polychromos 36-color set: $55

Paper:

• Strathmore Bristol Smooth or Vellum: $12
• Or Stonehenge paper for premium results: $18

Tools:

• Electric pencil sharpener (colored pencils dull fast): $15
• Colorless blender pencil: $3
• White vinyl eraser: $3

Total minimum investment: $50-70

Charcoal Essentials

Charcoal:

• General’s Charcoal Complete Drawing Set: $12
• Includes vine, compressed, white charcoal, pencils

Paper:

• Strathmore 400 Series Charcoal Paper (18×24″): $10
• Or Canson Mi-Teintes for toned paper: $12

Tools:

• Kneaded eraser: $3
• White vinyl eraser: $3
• Blending stumps: $6
• Chamois cloth (optional): $5
• Workable fixative spray (essential): $12

Total minimum investment: $35-45

Practice Exercises for Each Medium

Graphite Value Scale Exercise

Goal: Master controlling values from light to dark

Steps:

1. Draw 10 squares in a row
2. Leave first square blank (white)
3. Gradually darken each square using different pencil grades
4. Last square should be darkest possible (6B or 9B)
5. Squares should transition smoothly

Time: 20 minutes
Skills learned: Pressure control, pencil grade selection, smooth gradation

Colored Pencil Color Mixing Chart

Goal: Understand how colors layer and interact

Steps:

1. Create a grid with 5 colors across the top, same 5 down the side
2. Where each color intersects, layer both colors
3. Try different layer orders (red over blue vs blue over red)
4. Note which combinations create mud, which create beauty

Time: 45 minutes
Skills learned: Color relationships, layering order, mixing without muddiness

Charcoal Sphere Study

Goal: Learn charcoal blending and value control

Steps:

1. Draw circle with vine charcoal
2. Cover entire circle lightly with charcoal
3. Blend with finger to create smooth base
4. Lift highlight area with kneaded eraser
5. Darken shadow side with compressed charcoal
6. Soften all edges by blending
7. Add cast shadow

Time: 15 minutes
Skills learned: Blending, subtractive drawing, creating form

Challenge: Same Subject, Three Mediums

Draw the same simple object (apple, cup, sphere) in all three mediums. This reveals each medium’s personality and helps you understand their differences viscerally.

Time: 1-2 hours total
Skills learned: Medium comparison, adapting technique, personal preference discovery

FAQ

Q: Which medium is best for absolute beginners? A: Graphite, hands down. It’s forgiving, affordable, and teaches fundamental skills that transfer to every other medium. You can erase mistakes, it’s not messy, and basic supplies cost $25-30. Once you understand values, shading, and basic drawing technique with graphite, learning colored pencils or charcoal becomes much easier.

Q: Can I use regular paper for these mediums? A: For graphite, yes – printer paper works for practice, though proper drawing paper gives better results. For colored pencils, you want some tooth (texture), so smooth printer paper isn’t ideal but works for learning. For charcoal, you absolutely need textured paper – charcoal won’t grip smooth surfaces. Invest in proper paper for best results, especially with charcoal and colored pencils.

Q: Why do my colored pencils look so pale? A: Either you’re using student-grade pencils with low pigment content, or you’re not layering enough. Quality matters enormously with colored pencils – cheap pencils simply don’t have enough pigment. Upgrade to at least Prismacolor Premier or equivalent. Even with good pencils, colored pencil work requires 5-10+ layers to achieve vibrant results.

Q: How do I stop charcoal from smudging? A: Spray finished charcoal work with workable fixative in light coats from 12 inches away. Let dry between coats. Use 2-3 light coats rather than one heavy coat to avoid drips. Even with fixative, charcoal remains somewhat delicate – store drawings with slip sheets between them. Accept that charcoal will always be messier than other mediums.

Q: What’s the difference between student and artist grade supplies? A: Student grade has less pigment, more filler, and fewer color options. Artist grade has high pigment concentration, better lightfastness, and superior performance. For graphite and charcoal, the difference is moderate – student grade works fine. For colored pencils, the difference is dramatic – student grade looks pale and waxy while artist grade creates rich, vibrant color. See our art supplies glossary for detailed quality grade explanations.

Q: Can I mix graphite with colored pencils in one drawing? A: Yes, but be careful. Graphite can dull colored pencil colors when mixed. Best approach: sketch lightly with graphite for placement, erase most of it, then add colored pencil. Or use graphite only in specific areas that won’t have colored pencil. Some artists use gray colored pencil instead of graphite to avoid dulling issues.

Q: Which medium is fastest? A: Charcoal is fastest for covering large areas and creating atmospheric effects. A charcoal drawing might take 30 minutes to an hour. Graphite is moderate speed – a detailed graphite drawing might take 2-4 hours. Colored pencil is slowest – detailed colored pencil work typically requires 10-40+ hours due to extensive layering needed for vibrant results.

Q: Do I need fixative for graphite drawings? A: It’s optional but recommended for finished work. Graphite smudges easily without fixative, especially soft grades (4B-9B). For sketches you’ll erase or rework, skip fixative. For finished pieces you want to preserve, use workable fixative spray. Apply in light coats outdoors or in well-ventilated area.

Q: Why can’t I erase colored pencil? A: Colored pencils use wax or oil binders that physically bond to paper fibers. Unlike graphite (pure carbon that sits on paper surface), colored pencil penetrates paper. You can lighten slightly with a vinyl eraser, but you can’t remove it completely. This is why colored pencil requires more planning and precision than graphite.

Q: What’s the best way to learn all three mediums? A: Start with graphite to learn fundamentals: values, shading, form, and composition. Once comfortable (3-6 months of regular practice), add either colored pencils or charcoal based on your interests (color vs. drama). Master two mediums before adding the third. Trying to learn all three simultaneously is overwhelming and slows progress in each.