Directory of Artists Techniques; Silverpoint Techniques

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Silverpoint Drawing Techniques

One of the oldest drawing techniques known to artists is silverpoint. Its popularity became common ( circa 1400, Renaissance Italy) because it complemented the egg-tempera painting style favored at the time. An early Renaissance painter would draw his subject in charcoal, on a prepared surface, then use silverpoint to establish a precise drawing. The charcoal was then brushed away and the outline was ready to have egg tempera applied. By the mid 1500s, silverpoint began to be replaced by graphite, as artists were making the switch from the strict laws of egg tempera to the discovery of oil paints.

The distinct beauty of silverpoint over pencil is that silverpoint will tarnish over a short period of time, causing a brownish and silver look that is quite unique. After the silver tarnishes, the drawing can then be reworked, allowing more silver to be deposited over the tarnished areas. As this tarnishes, the darks get darker and the lights stay silver. If you don't want the tarnished look, by putting the work under glass, you can preserve the silver shine forever. Rarely was this type of preservation done, primarily because silver was a sketching tool and/or the under layer work for an egg tempera.

Artists, today, have shied away from the use of silver, as most of the information on the technique came from the 15th century and absolutely does not apply. The truth is that today, we have much better paper and supports, allowing silverpoint to be quite easy and versatile.

Supplies:

A 3 or 4” piece of about 18 gauge sterling silver. (jewelry repair shops either carry this or can order it. The cost is approximately 4.00.

A pen holder for the silver wire. These are cheap and available at any art or craft store.

A silver coin. It is a great tool for broad shading.

Paper: watercolour, Bristol board ( I use 3 ply vellum), masonite (already prepared or do it yourself), Strathmore board is excellent or even a piece of leather. Pick your paper, keeping in mind, you want something that can take several thin coats of water-based primer and still hold it's flatness. It's really hard to draw in any medium, if the paper is not flat.

Priming Material: gesso, white casein, Chinese white watercolour (my personal favorite), zinc white acrylic paint. You can even use latex house paint.

A small piece of sandpaper for sharpening the silver and smoothing the brushmarks from the primed paper support.

A charcoal pencil or a piece of plain charcoal for sketching the initial drawing.

And last, but not least, a kneaded eraser. A common myth was that silverpoint can not be erased. That may have been the case 600 years ago but with current day supplies, it can be easily erased.

Here is the way I work a silverpoint drawing:

Apply two to four thin coats of water-based primer. Use a broad brush and keep the layers thin. You want to have a surface relatively free of brush marks. If you find there are brushmarks, no problem, just take a FINE piece of steel wool or sandpaper and smooth them out.

Your surface is ready. Sketch your drawing lightly on the surface with charcoal. Place the piece of silver in a pen holder. An 18 gauge piece of silver needs to wrapped with a small piece of masking tape to hold it in the holder.

Sharpen the piece of silver with sandpaper. Wrap sandpaper around the tip of the silver and roll the silver until there is a ROUNDED point. The silver does not need to be as pointed as a pencil, as you are working on a thinly coated surface. The purpose here is to deposit silver into the ground on the surface of the paper, NOT go through the surface and scratch the paper itself.

The style of drawing is up to you.

Broad use of a coin. Great for shading and use on larger drawings. Deposits a large amount of silver...fast.

Cross-hatching is my personal favorite. I like the look of an etching.

For a stippling effect, make sure your silver is rounded. Too much pressure can puncture through the ground to the paper.

From this point, it is totally up to your own style of drawing. I don't usually rework a drawing, as I use drawing as an immediate means of responding to a moment. It takes my drawings about 3 weeks to tarnish. Give it a try, see how different the results are compared to drawing with graphite. It might change the way you think of drawing.

Bibliography:
The Artists' Handbook, Ralph Mayer, 1957
The Painter's Handbook, Mark David Gottsegen, 1993
The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters, Jacques Maroger, 1948

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