Silverpoint

Silverpoint drawing is an archaic medium which reached its peak in the Renaissance period. It is a simple and effective technique, which is very rarely used today. At it's most basic, silverpoint is an extremely cheap, subtle and effective way for an artist to show their drawing skills. Silverpoint is also fade-proof and doesn't smudge!

All that is needed for a silverpoint drawing is a piece of metal and a ground to work on. This skull was drawn, using a piece of silver wire, on a ground of leftover household emulsion paint. Simply stretch some watercolour paper, use card, hardboard etc. and paint some emulsion on top. Let it dry then lightly draw on top of the surface. The silver leaves traces in soft, thin, feather-like lines.

The scan doesn't quite pick up the wonderful feather-like softness that can be created with this technique.

Whilst experts use a variety of different grounds, such as gouache paint, I love the use of cheap, leftover household paint which is avaliable to everyone and the total antithesis of 'fine art'!

You don't need to use silver either. Experimenting I found my metal pencil sharpener, and any old coin could produce an effective mark!

Leonardo DaVinci Silverpoint Study of a Horse: