Patricia, I use "General's" brand charcoal pencils. I've never really tried any other, but these seem to work fine, and they come in different grades. And their white pencils have a good feel to them. The paper:
I think it was a Canson, but I'm not sure (sorry). It was very thin, I've never done such an involved drawing on such thin paper, it just seemed so fragile. All I know is I fell in love with the color, a beautiful shade of green. I'm going to use it again and I'll let you know exactly what it was when I get some more.
Jimmie, I'd really love to see what you come up with. I'm sure it will be great.
Kevin, thanks for the warm reply. I hesitate to give any advice because what might be a "don't" for me may be a "do" for you. I think you just need to dive right in and try several shades/tints of paper. I have found that the value and color of the paper (as well as it's texture) make a huge difference. I've done 4 of these now and each one was a completely different experience due to the (sometimes subtle) differences in the paper. I've abandoned a few when the particular paper wasn't
happenin' for me.
I haven't done any pastels in ages, but I am curious to do one again at some point.
David