>order some charcoal pencils online >they're all fractured

File: csander.jpg (92KB, 934x388px) Image search: [Google]

92KB, 934x388px

I'm going to help you, OP.

Use a razor to widdle the wood away, then use pic related to gently "sand" your charcoal to a point.

>>3063707
that's exactly what I do. I'm saying that these pencils must have been dropped or something because the lead just falls right out when I sharpen them

>work at arts and crafts store that shall remain unnamed
>when they give me a hard time I break the charcoal sticks

I know I'm going to a special art hell for this but idgaf

>>3063715
prismacolor colored pencils are the same fucking way. I'm sorry my dude.

>>3063700

Try a different brand or a different store. I ordered a bunch of Conte pencils and half of them were fucked on the inside, bought some Nero ones and they were perfect.

>>3063719
a.c. moore

>>3063700
That's why you use compressed charcoal sticks. You don't need to sharpen charcoal. When you wear an edge out, change sides to the sharper one. The sand paper bullshit is just a big waste of charcoal. Charcoal is brittle, if you sand-paper them too thin, they break as well.

Even if compressed charcoal sticks break in half, you can still use them.

If you actually need super-fine detail, you're using the wrong medium.