Conte

Conte, also known as Conté sticks or crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base. Conté is most commonly found in black, white, and sepia tones. Each stick is square in cross-section.

Conte is frequently used on rough paper that holds pigment grains well. It can also be used on prepared primed canvases for underdrawing for a painting. The sticks' square profile makes Conté more suitable for detailed hatched work as opposed to the bolder 'painterly' drawing style demanded by soft pastels.

They were extensively used by the Renaissance Old Masters in a variant called Sanguine.