One of the oldest drawing materials, charred sticks were used with the early cave-paintings. The Romans used them and throughout the history of art the material crops up again and again. It was often the medium for preliminary drawings. Various types of wood produce different characteristics; willow and beech tend to produce brittle sticks, vine twigs the softest and blackest. The charcoal can be applied to the paper in a direct manner, and then manipulated with a tortillon, a hog brush, a fingertip, a piece of rag or a plastic rubber. The drawings need to be fixed when finished.