How to Make Homemade Charcoal for Sketching
- 1). Cut wisteria or grapevines to 6-inch lengths with pruning shears. Divide the vine lengths into piles of four to six.
- 2). Cut four 10-by-10-inch squares of aluminum foil per stack of vine lengths. Lay a stack of vine lengths on one piece of foil. Fold the ends in, then wrap the sides around the sticks firmly. Wrap the sticks in the second then third and fourth pieces of foil. Be sure the sticks don't break through the foil. Keeping oxygen away from the sticks prevents them from turning to ash.
- 3). Start a fire in a fireplace or grill. Let the fire burn until there are no flames but the coals are very hot. Lay the foil-wrapped vine packages over the hot coals. Leave them there overnight, until the coals are cool.
- 4). Unwrap the foil packages. Each piece of vine will have turned into a stick of drawing charcoal.
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