Silver-Point Drawing
A pointed rod of silver, which, when drawn
across paper that has been specially coated with white pigment,
leaves minute particles of the metal embedded in the surface,
producing a greyish line that becomes darker in time as the
silver tarnishes; also a drawing so make. The colour and delicacy
of the lines in siverpoint drawings have always been admired. The
traditional point is a silver rod about 1/4 inch in diameter and
3 to 4 inches long; it frequently has a twisted shaft to give the
artist a better grip. A silver point may either be pointed at
both ends or have a flat chisel edge at one end for making
broader strokes. In Medieval and Renaissance silver point, the
paper, parchment, or board was coated with calcined bone in a
glue medium. Modern siverpoint paper is made by coating rag paper
with zinc white in a watercolour or casein binder, a pigment may
be added to the coating if tinted paper is desired.
Silver point was used extensively during the
Renaissance both for the underdrawing in panel painting and as a
medium for fine drawings. The latter were done on white or tinted
grounds and were commonly highlighted with white water colour
applied with a brush. Silver point remains a standard artist's
medium for fine drawings.
from correspondence with the artist
Island Art Shuttle.Copyright © 1997 [Island
Art Shuttle]. All rights reserved.Revised: February 28, 1998.