Drawing Techniques
What is drawing ?
Drawings are two-dimensional works of art made on receptive surfaces such as paper, parchment (prepared animal skin), canvas or a plastered wall.
It involves dry media like charcoal, graphite or chalk directly on a surface.
What are some drawing techniques used in the medieval period ?
Dry Medium:
Metalpoint
Chalk
Charcoal
Liquid Medium:
Ink: Iron gall ink and carbon-based ink
Metalpoint:
Metalpoint drawing is made by applying a stylus on prepared ground (colored paper). It allows for cross and parallel hatchings on the surface. Once it’s drawn it cannot be erased. The use of different metal stylus such as silver, gold, lead, and copper allowed precise line and permanent metallic traces work on the colored paper.
Chalk:
Chalk is mined directly from earth. It has white, black and red shade ranges. Red chalk is an iron-oxide pigment produced in the 15th-18th centuries. It has orangey red to crimson color range. Black chalk contains carbon. It produces varying shades of black. White chalk is used since the renaissance for the heightening technique. Compared to charcoal chalk is more “powdery”. Chalk can be easily manipulated either using finger or a cloth and this process called “Stumping technique”. It is difficult to make corrections.
Chalk Wash: powder obtained from the stick form of the chalk mixed with water
Charcoal:
Charcoal is made of willow or vine twigs heated at a high temperature without oxygen. It produces solid drawing sticks that create black lines. It has large, sprinter-like particles that require a textured paper since it has no binding agent to hold on to. It can be easily manipulated. Charcoal is highly prized by the renaissance artists for its chiaroscuro effect.
Ink:
Ink is fundamental for illustration and writing. It has low viscosity. It has been used since the antiquity to modern times. There are 3 types of ink is seen in the medieval era:
Iron gall ink: made of oak galls and ferrous sulphate thickened with gum arabic.
The ink appears bluish-black upon application and darkens to a rich purplish or brownish black overtime. It is water-resistant. Used as a standard writing ink in Europe.
Carbon-based ink: made of soot( carbon black) , water and binder as a gum arabic
Red inks: Cochineal (dried insects), Vermillion, Brazil wood, Sepia (cuttlefish). Reddish-gray tones.
In later periods, Bistre and Logwood inks are also seen.
Bistre: made of wood soot. It has warm brown tones.
Logwood: made of tree extract. It has variable color range.
Ink is applied with quill pen or reed pen and brush.
By using a pen, one can achieve linear effects and with using a brush tonal effects.
Layering technique: this technique includes underdrawing with black chalk overlaying with brown wash to create depth and texture.
What are some new discoveries ?
Graphite
Pastel
Graphite:
Graphite is the crystalline form of the carbon. The first usage was Central Europe during the 16th century but more widespread in the 18th century. Original production is to cut into sticks or wrapped with twine or placed in porte-crayon. The shade and tone of the pencils varies. 9H is the lightest stroke HB is the medium and 9B is darkest stroke. It creates linear marks and hatching also tonal arrangement can be achieved.
Pastel:
Pastel is finely ground pigment. It uses gum tragacanth as a binder. It crumbles when stroked on the ground. It requires a textured paper for adhesion. Historically use of blue/grey papers with coarse texture. Pastel can be found in loose powdered, color sticks and pencil form.
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