I wasn’t happy with my sketches using compressed charcoal. It was too dark and rigid.
Maybe vine charcoal would’ve worked better….

So I thought vine charcoal would work better for drawing this globe. Wrong again!
After I put down the darkest shade and started blending them, all the powders of vine charcaol fell off the paper….and left me with a light grey shade….

QUICKLY switched back to compressed charcoal.

My approach with shadows, base on experiences with pencil, was to put charcoal down first, blend, and then erase later…
Big mistake.
Charcoal does not come off once it is on the paper… it gets lighter, but never completely gone…

Note to self: when working with a new medium, try it on a small area first!