For those of you who are out there experimenting with drawing materials, I want to introduce you to an historic method. Silverpoint drawings were done centuries before wood-encased graphite pencils came into use. Any metal - gold, silver, brass, etc.- will make a mark on most any surface. In Italy, they prepared wood and paper with a clay/gesso coating that "took" the mark particularly well. The trick to this type of drawing is to be bold, decisive...and make no mistakes because there is no going back to correct. The marks are made typically with the purest of silver wire held in a holder for ease of use. The marks will be very faint until they oxidize and "tarnish" as silver does in any form making the drawing appear slightly darker with age. Take a look at http://www.silverpointweb.com/ for more information about supplies..or where I buy my supplies when I am in Florence (Zecchi is about a block from the Duomo on Via Lo Studio) http://www.zecchi.it/ ....or visit my studio at Artspace where I always have some materials in stock. This is a 4 x 4 inch silverpoint on claycoated Italian board. Framed 12 x 10 $350 + shipping and NCSTx
