Don't worry...it's only Charcoal!

Charcoal is made by burning wood in a way that preserves its structure. This is done using a special kiln. Charcoal is one of the oldest drawing mediums and simple forms of charcoal have been found in cave art at around 30,000 years ago. 

Charcoal is an odourless, dry, lightweight, black substance, in the form of porous solid or powder. Charcoal produces a matt dark grey or black line on the surface with softer edges and depending on what type of charcoal you use, the mark you make can range from a very dark intense black to a light grey with many shades in between. Charcoal is an incredibly easy medium to use and is an excellent medium for all abilities, providing a wide tonal range within the same stick or pencil.  

Compressed charcoal was developed in the 20th century to strengthen the natural structural weakness of Willow and Vine charcoal. To create compressed charcoal or charcoal pencils natural gum or wax binder is added to powdered charcoal. This makes the charcoal stronger to draw with and produce less dust. Many grades of this compressed charcoal can be found in stick forms or in the form of charcoal pencils.  

Examples of charcoal art.