Nitram Charcoal is, truly, unlike any other charcoal on the market.

Everyone knows how irritating it can be when your charcoal snaps, or crumbles, leaving little black marks skittering across your artwork. This brittleness is caused by the damage to wood cells caused during the baking process. Nitram, however, uses a unique heat process to preserve the cell structure of wood, even as it carbonises- this results in dramatically improved durability: a charcoal stick which can withstand everyday wear and tear, and without the endless dust while working or sharpening, while still providing deep, rich blacks with soft application. 

Sharpening Nitram Charcoal

Due to Nitram Charcoal's durability, it can be sharpened to a much finer point than other charcoals, allowing for finer detail and sharper edges. 

For this purpose, they have designed the Nitram Sharpening Bloc: with generously sized 180 grain replaceable sandpaper pads on a sturdy beechwood handle, these are ideal for sharpening any charcoals, and collecting the excess powder for later use.

Nitram Liquid and Powdered Charcoal

Nitram's ultra-fine powdered charcoal and liquid charcoal open up new avenues for drawing and watercolours alike!

The Powdered Charcoal is milled to a uniform 100 micron diameter, ensuring you are never surprised by an unexpected lump. Additionally, the recessed reservoir insert gives you full control over how much charcoal you want to use at a time. 

The Liquid Charcoal is highly concentrated, with a texture in the tube not unlike oil paint, and can be applied directly with a brush or palette knife, or diluted to your preferred consistency first.

 Nitram Fusain Aquarelle 

Made with traditional watercolour methods and pure Nitram charcoal powder, the Fusain Aquarelle is easily absorbed and quick-drying, perfect for washes and shading.

Nitram Stylus

This beautifully designed drawing tool is designed to hold the Nitram H, HB, B & 6mm Soft Round Charcoal Sticks. It could be used however for similar diameter round drawing media.

Nitram Bâton

The first of two Nitram Bâtons, this product is the most economical of Nitram's charcoal holders- its 8" length is ideal for standing back while you work, allowing the artist to keep perspective while working from life.

Nitram Bâton 2.0 

In response to artists' feedback, the Nitram Baton 2.0 combines the high quality stainless steel and polycarbide of the Stylus with the length and sleek design of the original Baton, creating an elegant tool ideal for all forms of drawing and sketching in the studio or en plein aire. At 8", it provides reach, allowing the artist to stand back from their work while drawing, making it perfect for gestural, expressive strokes when drawing from life. 

It is designed to hold both the Mignonette range and Nitram's new Graphite Sticks. 

Expressive Mixed Media with the Nitram Stylus

The Nitram Stylus- along with the Bâton and Bâton 2.0- gives the artist freedom of reach, enabling the effortless switching between broad, expressive strokes and fine detail. As English artist Robert Dutton demonstrates in this video, the use of charcoal opens up possibilities to a wide range of mixed media combinations, to create unique masterpieces. 

Practicing Tradition: What Makes Nitram Unique

Nitram Charcoal was founded in 1962 by Spanish-born Martin Gros, living in the small town of Arces, France. 

By the time Martin retired in 1981, Nitram was already world-renowned as the highest quality charcoal on the market- but by the early 2000s, its business model of small batch local production was not able to survive- international suppliers no longer imported it, focusing on lower-quality high-output charcoals, and eventually Nitram ceased production. 

That is, until in 2010 Canadian artist Jerzy Niedojadlo decided to revive it- travelling to France to apprentice himself under Martin's son Daniel, learning the unique charring process which makes Nitram great, preserving the wood's cell structure while ensuring a perfectly even carbonisation. 

Since then, Nitram has been reborn from the ashes- rising once again to be one of the world's leading charcoal manufacturers and innovators, from its new home in Canada.