Silverpoint. Study, Opossum Skull. 24" x 14"
Silverpoint. Leven Canal. 6.8" x 6.8"
Silverpoint. Weathered Root. 7" x 11"
About Silverpoint:
The Renaissance was really the heyday in the use of Silverpoint. It was used extensively in outlining for paintings as well as for fine drawings. Silverpoint drawings were often on colored ground or highlighted with watercolor paint. It was a primary drawing medium prior to the invention of graphite pencils. (Graphite was used very early in different parts of the world, but it was not until the 17th century that graphite pencils encased in wood became available.) The use of Silverpoint declined once other drawing media where easily obtained but had a resurgence in the late nineteenth century. It is still not a common medium, but is far from vanishing. Today, Silverpoint and other metals, such as gold, platinum and copper, are typically only used in fine drawing (alternately called Metalpoint). The different metals age differently. Silver and copper are the most commonly used. Copper may tarnish in a few months and can give a greenish tint to the drawing. Silver can take years before it shows significant tarnish and turns brown. Gold and platinum do not tarnish but are also very expensive.
Silverpoint uses a metal (silver) stylus that is abraded by the drawing surface to leave a metal mark. It cannot be easily erased and any effort to do so comes at a cost – damaging the surface, so the artist must be sure and confident when the stylus goes down. Though it can be used for such, silverpoint doesn’t really lend itself to sketching and is typically only used for fine drawing. Some artists using Silverpoint find that shading with silverpoint is really restricted to lines and hatching, much like pen and ink. However, I find, with the right shape to the stylus tip and a good quality surface, acceptable shades of gray can be achieved without hatching. It may not be as smooth as graphite, and there is always some structure to it, but “lines and hatching” are not evident.
Silverpoint requires careful preparation of the surface, as paper is not abrasive enough to produce a good mark. Historically, powdered calcified bone was used in a glue-like binder and a few purists still use this type of ground today. There are a few commercially prepared ground materials available, though some people today simply use a matt finish latex paint. Gesso is also used and is possibly slightly superior to latex paint. I find that none of these materials is abrasive enough to produce an adequate tonal range for my work and I formulate my own ground. The base material can be paper, board, canvas, or any robust common art material.
The Renaissance was really the heyday in the use of Silverpoint. It was used extensively in outlining for paintings as well as for fine drawings. Silverpoint drawings were often on colored ground or highlighted with watercolor paint. It was a primary drawing medium prior to the invention of graphite pencils. (Graphite was used very early in different parts of the world, but it was not until the 17th century that graphite pencils encased in wood became available.) The use of Silverpoint declined once other drawing media where easily obtained but had a resurgence in the late nineteenth century. It is still not a common medium, but is far from vanishing. Today, Silverpoint and other metals, such as gold, platinum and copper, are typically only used in fine drawing (alternately called Metalpoint). The different metals age differently. Silver and copper are the most commonly used. Copper may tarnish in a few months and can give a greenish tint to the drawing. Silver can take years before it shows significant tarnish and turns brown. Gold and platinum do not tarnish but are also very expensive.
Silverpoint uses a metal (silver) stylus that is abraded by the drawing surface to leave a metal mark. It cannot be easily erased and any effort to do so comes at a cost – damaging the surface, so the artist must be sure and confident when the stylus goes down. Though it can be used for such, silverpoint doesn’t really lend itself to sketching and is typically only used for fine drawing. Some artists using Silverpoint find that shading with silverpoint is really restricted to lines and hatching, much like pen and ink. However, I find, with the right shape to the stylus tip and a good quality surface, acceptable shades of gray can be achieved without hatching. It may not be as smooth as graphite, and there is always some structure to it, but “lines and hatching” are not evident.
Silverpoint requires careful preparation of the surface, as paper is not abrasive enough to produce a good mark. Historically, powdered calcified bone was used in a glue-like binder and a few purists still use this type of ground today. There are a few commercially prepared ground materials available, though some people today simply use a matt finish latex paint. Gesso is also used and is possibly slightly superior to latex paint. I find that none of these materials is abrasive enough to produce an adequate tonal range for my work and I formulate my own ground. The base material can be paper, board, canvas, or any robust common art material.
Silverpoint. Paperbark. 17" x 11"
Salisbury Crags. (7.5" x 5.5")
Image on the left is the original after the drawing was finished. Image on the right is after accelerated aging - the silver is tarnished and brown. Normally, it can take years, even decades for the silver to tarnish to this level. If isolated from the air, such as in a closed frame, it will be even longer before it tarnishes.
Image on the left is the original after the drawing was finished. Image on the right is after accelerated aging - the silver is tarnished and brown. Normally, it can take years, even decades for the silver to tarnish to this level. If isolated from the air, such as in a closed frame, it will be even longer before it tarnishes.
Silverpoint. El Cap (1) 9" x 9"
Silverpoint. Broken Root. 17" x 11"
Silverpoint. Dead Thistle
Silverpoint. Washingtonia Robusta
Silverpoint. Sequoia Bark
Silverpoint. Maple Leaf