Exploring Silverpoint

Recently I have been experimenting with Silverpoint drawing. This is a very old technique favoured by artists of the Renaissance which produces very soft and subtle marks which darken over time as the metal tarnishes.

To begin you need to prepare your ground, I used Silverpoint Drawing Ground by C. Roberson and Co.

Mine was traditional off white, I painted it onto Strathmore Illustration board. In the past I have used pre-prepared paper. If you don't have a ground the silver doesn't make a suitable mark.

For very fine lines you can use silver wire and you can attach it to a handle or use it in a clutch pencil, providing that the dimensions are the same. I also purchased a pencil type with a thicker piece of silver, this makes thicker, heavier lines and you can use it to good effect for shading.

It's fun to experiment with different kinds of metals and objects, this tiny silver spoon was used to create a soft texture on the hare drawing below. The hare and cygnet drawings are ACEO size, 3.5 by 2.5 inches. It has not been possible to show these images at a high resolution due to their size but I hope it gives some idea of the effects of this medium. Maybe you will feel inspired to have a try yourself?

The tiny drawing featured here are for sale in my Etsy shop Acornmoon. 

White Hart Illumination, Silverpoint and a Winner!

Thanks to all of you who left comments in my last post and shared your thoughts on life long learning. As promised a winner has been chosen and the first name out of the hat is Weaver of Grass. I shall be posting a copy of The Dream Quilt to her in due course.

The weather here has been wonderful and warm, everything in the garden has grown and we have been kept busy with hedge clearing and other chores. We found time to visit our favourite garden in Wales. Bodnant garden is situated in the Welsh hills near to Llandudno, so a visit to one always entails a visit to the other. Bodnant has many different features including magnificent lawned terraces and lakes filled with water lilies, rose gardens and laburnum arches, but my favourite part is the woodland walk where magnificent Japanese Maples and Giant Redwood trees mingle with our native species, if you haven't yet visited you must put it on your wish list!

I finished a medieval inspired illuminated painting which I have called "White Hart". I made good use of some of the lovely new art materials purchased on my last trip to London. The fern areas are gold leaf and the tiny silver coloured dots are shell Palladium.

I have also been trying my hand at silverpoint drawing, using a tiny piece of silver wire and a thicker angled piece of silver set in a wooden holder. If you fancy having a try you need to either buy a piece of specially treated paper or you can prepare your paper using a ready made off white ground. I used one by C.Robertson and Co. All of these marvellous things can be bought from Cornelissen in London or online.

Silverpoint is a very subtle technique, similar to drawing in graphite but more even in tone. It produces pale grey marks which develop over time as the silver oxidises. Unlike graphite it will not easily erase and therefore is a more archival technique, one which was favoured by the old masters and now seems to be having something of a revival.

The White Hart painting is now with the gallery "Art of the Imagination" (Books Illustrated). The two silverpoint drawings are in my Etsy shop, see the link in my sidebar.

I hope the weather is being kind to you too, once again thank you so much for visiting my blog.