Smudgy Bits. Dry Media, Accessories & Supports. Drawing is thinking made visible. Make it a regular part of your art practise!

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Loreen Baldwin
5 years ago
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1 Smudgy Bits Dry Media, Accessories & Supports. Drawing is thinking made visible. Make it a regular part of your art practise!

Made from twigs burnt in an airtight container, willow charcoal has a soft, silky feel and is easily wiped off, even with a finger.

2 Charcoal One of our oldest drawing materials is charcoal, and it remains one of our most immediate means of expression. Cretacolor produce different types of charcoal, each offering a different tone and result. Willow charcoal showing off the beautiful tone of Zeta Mattpost paper. Made from twigs burnt in an airtight container, willow charcoal has a soft, silky feel and is easily wiped off, even with a finger. It s the least black of the charcoals, with a slight brownish tone, especially when rubbed. Cretacolor willow charcoal breaks less easily than other brands. Willow charcoal is easily wiped off, making it an especially fast drawing medium.

Willow Charcoal Hard Compressed Charcoal Soft Compressed Charcoal Cretacolor make Compressed Charcoal from charcoal mixed with different pigments, to provide various degrees of blackness and ease of

3 This makes it perfect for where correction may be needed preliminary mapping out of a drawing, and for fast rendering, such as life drawing. The ability to dust off the willow charcoal completely, leaving just a pale line, makes it a popular material for the under-drawing of an oilpainting. Willow Charcoal Hard Compressed Charcoal Soft Compressed Charcoal Cretacolor make Compressed Charcoal from charcoal mixed with different pigments, to provide various degrees of blackness and ease of blending. The sticks are longer than most brands 8mm x 94mm. Their harder grade compressed charcoal provides a lighter tone, similar to willow but not as brownish, with more defined marks, which are less easily smudged. This charcoal is useful for preliminary sketching, where a dense, more obvious line is not wanted, and for finer detail, as the hardness keeps its point longer. Cretacolor medium grade has more black pigment in it, so is blacker & softer, and their soft grade has even more black pigment in it, and gives a denser, blacker mark that is more easily blended, so more favoured for massing of tone. Cretacolor Sketching Charcoal s oblong shape & dense black makes covering large areas fast and easy. The blackest compressed charcoal has Lamp Black pigment added. Cretacolor s oblong Sketching Charcoal (7mm x 14mm x 72mm) and extra large round Chunky Charcoals (18mm x 80mm!) produce a wonderful, velvet darkness, and their size lends them to large, bold works.

Cretacolor also produce Compressed Charcoal in pencil form, for more detailed work, but don t think you ll keep your

The dustiness of compressed charcoal, and the strength of the pigment, necessitates the use of a kneadable eraser

The natural rubber of a Monolith eraser also cuts through dense black charcoal to bring back white areas, or

4 Cretacolor also produce Compressed Charcoal in pencil form, for more detailed work, but don t think you ll keep your fingers clean! The dustiness of compressed charcoal, and the strength of the pigment, necessitates the use of a kneadable eraser for making highlights, as these can swallow the powder. The natural rubber of a Monolith eraser also cuts through dense black charcoal to bring back white areas, or negative space. Standard vinyl erasers will merely slide around, though these can be quite useful for blending. A blending stump pushes the powder deeper into the paper and has far more accuracy than fingers. The dusty nature of charcoal allows wash effects with just water and a brush.

Combining various charcoals creates a full picture with complex tones & shades. As well as adding pigment to charcoal, Cretacolor add oil to make a drawing material that is black but less smudgy.

By altering the amount of oil that is added, the Nero pencils are made from extra-soft through to hard grades: the harder, the more delicate the shading ability and finer the point; the softer the

5 Combining various charcoals creates a full picture with complex tones & shades. As well as adding pigment to charcoal, Cretacolor add oil to make a drawing material that is black but less smudgy. Nero Pencils and leads have a smooth, slightly waxy feel and produce a dense, very black line, offering greater control than charcoal and a wider tonal range than graphite. By altering the amount of oil that is added, the Nero pencils are made from extra-soft through to hard grades: the harder, the more delicate the shading ability and finer the point; the softer the grade, the blacker and smoother the feel. Nero pencils are perfect for artists who find graphite pencils not black enough. Suggested tools for charcoal drawing: blending stumps, kneadable eraser, Monolith eraser, fixative, soft cloth (shammy), sandpaper block, erasing shield. Suggested papers: Zeta Mattpost, 140gsm D&S cartridge, 150gsm & 250gsm Stella, 300gsm Britannia matte.

Drawing Chalks Cretacolor traditional drawing chalks, either in stick or pencil form, come in a range of natural earth colours (black, sepia, burnt umber, sanguine (a brick red), and white) that

The oily are less easily smudged and are water-resistant. Neither are easily erased instead, the white is used to create negative space.

6 Drawing Chalks Cretacolor traditional drawing chalks, either in stick or pencil form, come in a range of natural earth colours (black, sepia, burnt umber, sanguine (a brick red), and white) that provide for complete tonal studies. They come in both dry and oily substances. The dry variety is easy to blend, and combine well with charcoal and pastel. The oily are less easily smudged and are water-resistant. Neither are easily erased instead, the white is used to create negative space. In this way, they are similar to painting in solid colour, so were traditionally used to produce studies that would tonally and structurally lead on to oilpainting. Chalks are layered dark to light, with the brightest part of the sphere made using the white. Like many of the above drawing instruments, Cretacolor offer some Traditional Chalks in powdered form, which has an amount of binder in it so it can be used for rubbings, toning large areas, or combined with water to make paint. Make sure always to use a particle mask when using powders. Chalk powder was rubbed on a sheet and then transferred down onto a sheet underneath it, producing a transfer-print looking drawing.

Here the powder is used with water to quickly fill in an area. Suggested tools for use with traditional drawing chalks: blending stumps, Monolith eraser, sandpaper block, fixative.

Silverpoint Before the discovery of graphite in the 16 th Century, most very fine drawing was made using a stick of silver, called a Silverpoint.

7 Here the powder is used with water to quickly fill in an area. Suggested tools for use with traditional drawing chalks: blending stumps, Monolith eraser, sandpaper block, fixative. Suggested papers: 140gsm D&S cartridge, 150gsm & 250gsm Stella, 300gsm Britannia matte. Silverpoint Before the discovery of graphite in the 16 th Century, most very fine drawing was made using a stick of silver, called a Silverpoint. It leaves a line of silver particles on the drawing surface, which doesn t smudge and creates a very even line, ideal for cross-hatching techniques. Due to graphite migrating through layers of oilpaint, its use for preliminary drawings was continued even after graphite became available. One of the beautifully unique qualities of a Cretacolor Silverpoint is that silver tarnishes, and the tone of a silverpoint drawing gradually changes from a silvergrey to a warm brassy tone. Silverpoint keeps an even line width, producing a pale grey image that deepens & warms as it ages.

You can get good results on some, mostly hard papers, on gesso, or use Golden Silverpoint Ground, which not only makes any grease-free surface perfect for the application of silverpoint, but makes it

8 You can get good results on some, mostly hard papers, on gesso, or use Golden Silverpoint Ground, which not only makes any grease-free surface perfect for the application of silverpoint, but makes it receptive to all metals gold, stainless steel and copper (which verdigris in the presence of ammonia..!). Suggested tools for use with silverpoint: Golden Silverpoint Ground, assorted metals (paperclips, rings, etc). Suggested papers: 150gsm & 250gsm Stella. Graphite Graphite wasn t discovered until 1564, when a gale blew a large tree over, exposing a grey shiny material in the ground that people initially thought was lead (hence lead pencils). From the 17 th Century graphite was used as a drawing tool, but the ability to make different grades of hardness/softness from 9H (H for Hard) to 9B (B for Black, softer) wasn t developed until the end of the 18 th Century, and wood-encased pencils weren t developed until the beginning of the 19 th Century. The delicate tones and marks in this drawing show the subtlety of the hard 8H pencil. Graphite pencils at the hardest end of the scale produce fine, pale grey lines that are good for subtle marking and these keep their point best. Hard pencils are mostly smudge-resistant, but can be blended using a blending stump. Softer grades produce darker lines that are easiest to blend. By using a range of soft and hard graphite, a very wide tonal range is possible. With Cretacolor, even the hardest 9H pencils are silky smooth to use. Graphite produces a silver-grey and shiny mark that is relatively easy to erase. It is most commonly used encased in wood as a pencil, but solid graphite sticks are

available in round, square, oblong and extra large cylindrical crayons, which produce different marks and are better for broader application. Water-soluble graphite can be blended using water.

You can pre-wet the paper and draw into it, so the lines bleed and blur, draw first and use a brush to add water for a wash effect, or spray the drawing with a water-mister to gently diffuse the

9 available in round, square, oblong and extra large cylindrical crayons, which produce different marks and are better for broader application. Water-soluble graphite can be blended using water. Once dry, areas can still be erased. An even greater range of effects are available using Cretacolor Monolith Aquarelle water-soluble graphite sticks. You can pre-wet the paper and draw into it, so the lines bleed and blur, draw first and use a brush to add water for a wash effect, or spray the drawing with a water-mister to gently diffuse the marks. A transfer-drawing, made by rubbing graphite on the reverse of a sheet and then pressing it through using a hard pencil onto a sheet underneath it. Tracings are commonly done this way. Cretacolor Graphite Powder is also available, and used for rubbings, creating large toned areas, or coating the back of paper to transfer drawings. Graphite powder is considered a hazard by inhalation, so you should wear a particle mask when using it.

To erase marks made by hard grade pencils, you can use a vinyl or natural rubber eraser, like the Monolith Eraser. Softer grades require either a kneadable eraser or Monolith eraser.

10 To erase marks made by hard grade pencils, you can use a vinyl or natural rubber eraser, like the Monolith Eraser. Softer grades require either a kneadable eraser or Monolith eraser. Suggested tools for use with graphite: vinyl eraser, kneadable eraser, Monolith eraser, blending stumps, sandpaper block, fixative, erasing shield. Suggested papers: Zeta Mattpost, 140gsm D&S Cartridge, 150gsm & 250gsm Stella, 300gsm Incisione. Coloured Pencils Cretacolor Coloured Pencils are a very fast and effective medium to produce both coloured sketches and finished works. They are very portable, great for quick set up and clearing away at home and when travelling. Their ability to combine drawing with certain painting techniques makes them very versatile. Coloured pencil used on a ground of Fine Pumice Gel mixed with magenta acrylic. Coloured pencils are available in both Karmina permanent (non-soluble in water) and Marino water-soluble ranges. Water-soluble coloured pencils can be turned into watercolour by using a wet brush to aquarelle the pencil marks. Permanent and water-soluble pencils of the same colour can be used in tandem, to let some areas wash and others remain solid. Coloured pencils work well on relatively smooth papers, and coloured papers, letting the colour show through where the pencil doesn t fill. Colours can be mixed by cross-hatching and layering. Coloured pencils are not easily erased, but a sharp curved blade, such as a scalpel, can be used for removing areas of colour. Suggested tools for use with coloured pencils: Monolith eraser, #10 scalpel blade. Suggested papers: 140gsm D&S Cartridge, 150 & 250gsm Stella, 200gsm Toscana (for water-soluble), 300gsm Britannia matte, 310gsm Incisione.

Coloured Markers Quick rendering of visuals for commercial work, such as architecture & interiors, product design and graphic design, has traditionally been done using markers.

Letraset ProMarkers are available in a large range of 148 colours and are doubletipped pens, with a chisel for large areas and a point for finer detail.

11 Coloured Markers Quick rendering of visuals for commercial work, such as architecture & interiors, product design and graphic design, has traditionally been done using markers. Markers are exceptionally fast at sketching out coloured roughs called visuals. Letraset ProMarkers are available in a large range of 148 colours and are doubletipped pens, with a chisel for large areas and a point for finer detail. As the ink they use is transparent, they can be layered to create mixed tones. Light areas can be brought back into the image by using pastel pencils. ProMarkers are alcohol-based, which allows areas to be blended evenly, without the streaky nature of water-based markers. They should be used on Zeta Mattpost or bleed-proof paper pads, otherwise as they will appear blotchy. Very even graduations can be created on tracing paper, as the ink remains wet longer, and special blending markers easily manipulate the colour. Promarkers feature a double tip for greater variety of mark-making.

Tools for working with drawing materials Once they have been used a bit, the blending stump contains enough residue to make it useful as a drawing tool in its own right.

They create a different effect to using your fingers, allowing much greater pressure to push the drawing material into and across the surface, and a great degree of control when softening an edge or

12 Tools for working with drawing materials Once they have been used a bit, the blending stump contains enough residue to make it useful as a drawing tool in its own right. Blending Stumps are compressed paper sticks used for subtle blending and creating halftones with chalks, charcoal, and graphite. They create a different effect to using your fingers, allowing much greater pressure to push the drawing material into and across the surface, and a great degree of control when softening an edge or subtly adjusting the tone. Blending stumps can be cleaned using a sandpaper block. Tortillions are made from spiral-wound paper and have a similar use to a blending stump. The effect is slightly different more subtle blending and a finer point for edging. A Cretacolor sandpaper block is used for pointing drawing leads & pencils. You lose much less of the instrument than by using a pencil sharpener and can get just the shape you want. It also cleans up blending stumps.

An eraser is an important drawing tool for creating negative (white) space and gentle shading. Cretacolor kneadable putty Erasers are used with powdery media, e.g. charcoal, graphite, as they are able to swallow up the dust, by stretching the eraser and folding the dirty part back into it.

They can be easily shaped for many necessary effects from a fine point for picking out highlights, to a fat blob for dabbing, lightening tonal areas.

eraser is. Even when they can t remove a very black mark, such as the Nero makes, they can be used to create excellent half-tone effects.

13 An eraser is an important drawing tool for creating negative (white) space and gentle shading. Cretacolor kneadable putty Erasers are used with powdery media, e.g. charcoal, graphite, as they are able to swallow up the dust, by stretching the eraser and folding the dirty part back into it. A Kneadable Eraser is perfect for drawing back into the darks, creating highlights as well as erasing. They can be easily shaped for many necessary effects from a fine point for picking out highlights, to a fat blob for dabbing, lightening tonal areas. Monolith natural rubber erasers, like the Monolith, have enough grit to work back into soft or shiny pencil layers, and are more effective for using on really black areas than a kneadable eraser is. Even when they can t remove a very black mark, such as the Nero makes, they can be used to create excellent half-tone effects. Cretacolor vinyl erasers are designed for use with harder pencil grades (2H and above) on hard papers and drafting film. They tend to slip on soft graphite surfaces as they quickly become coated with graphite, but this can be used to smear the graphite to great effect.

An erasing shield is very thin metal card with various shaped perforations through it, so that you can direct and control your erasing very accurately and cleanly.

Cretacolor provide a handy pack that contains a shammy, blending stumps & tortillions, an erasing shield, kneadable eraser, and sandpaper block (art.43014).

14 An erasing shield is very thin metal card with various shaped perforations through it, so that you can direct and control your erasing very accurately and cleanly. Chamois (shammy) is a soft leather cloth that is very useful for blending large areas, and is easily washed out in soapy water when it gets too dirty. Cretacolor provide a handy pack that contains a shammy, blending stumps & tortillions, an erasing shield, kneadable eraser, and sandpaper block (art.43014). Pencils can be sharpened using a knife, which allows you to create the type and length of point you want, or a good pencil sharpener like the Monolith Sharpener. Workable Fixative is an aerosol spray that stops powdering enough to continue layering charcoal or pastel, and it help stops smudging when transporting or storing works. A good fixative like Pebeo Fixative for Charcoal will not yellow or cause speckling to your work. A Final Fixative, such as Schmincke Universal Fixative, will seal the drawing so that no smudging will occur even if you rub your finger across the work. This kind of fixative is not so good if you want to continue drawing, but is excellent for finished works, or if you want to paint over the drawing with oils or acrylic colours.

15 Surfaces for using drawing materials on In drawing, the surface is apparent more than in any other media. Surface texture may seem immediately apparent just by looking, but smooth papers show a surprising amount of tooth when used with graphite or charcoal. Generally speaking, smooth and matte (Cold Press) papers are best for drawing. More texture holds more powder and the surface is more apparent. Surface texture can be used to good effect to give the illusion of depth. The weight of the paper is expressed in Grams per Square Metre (GSM). This often coincides with the thickness, but a loosely formed paper may feel thicker than a tightly compacted (calendared) paper of the same weight. Thinner papers are suited to dry media techniques, and papers under 100gsm can easily be traced through. Thicker papers of gsm provide a more stable support, and 600gsm papers hardly move at all. The hardness or softness of a paper affects its resistance to erasing, rough working of the surface, and hard scratchy drawing materials. A hard paper will not pill up (pull paper off the surface) when erasing or working roughly. Soft papers lend a soft look to charcoal drawings, where the powder can be pressed into the surface, but will easily pill when rubbed or erased. Non-archival paper degrades quickly when exposed to UV and moisture. Old newspapers grow brittle and yellow when left in the sun. As well as suiting your technique, a good art paper should resist the damaging effects of UV light and humidity. Cotton (rag) is used to make the most durable papers, being naturally archival and composed of long-chain alpha cellulose. Wood pulp in addition contains lignin, which is an acidic compound that will degrade paper over a relatively short period of time. To make good artist s paper from wood pulp therefore, this lignin is removed, and the resulting alpha-cellulose pulp is called wood-free. Cheaper to make than cotton, wood-free pulp still makes a high quality paper. Dry media will go on most art papers. Interesting effects can be achieved drawing on unusual papers, such as tracing paper or decorative papers. There are literally hundreds of different paper surfaces to use. What a huge difference a decent paper can make to your art! If you haven t already, discover the joy of mark-making on a beautiful surface. Hahnemuhle has been making paper in Europe for over 400 years, so is a trustworthy brand, producing good, inexpensive papers. Here follows some of our most popular drawing papers.

It is suited to all dry media and marker pens.

16 Zeta Mattpost is a light paper that punches above its weight! Its surface has a fine quality grain to it and is very durable, so takes erasure without pilling. It is suited to all dry media and marker pens. 140gsm D&S Cartridge is a warm white paper with a fine surface, is archival, and good for all dry media and water-soluble pencils. It is very economical so is a good paper for quick drawing, like life drawing, where quantity is usually preferred over quality here you can have both!

17 Stella is a warm white paper available in Smooth and Matte surfaces & several weights, and in sheets and rolls for extra large works. Stella is an especially hard paper, with good resistance to erasing, making it perfect for pencil, ink, or any time a durable surface is required. 300gsm Britannia matte has a much rougher surface than the above papers, and is much heavier. The extra tooth is good for especially heavy applications of charcoal, graphite or chalks, and the weight offers good stability for aquarelle effects and inks.

18 310gsm Incisione is a bright white paper with a smooth pressed linen surface, ideally suited to detail and delicate tonal work. Non-paper drawing surfaces There are many new acrylic gels & pastes that offer unusual and exciting surfaces to paint on. We mentioned above Golden s Silverpoint Ground. They produce many other great surfaces. Here are just two: Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel is a nearly invisible ground that can be applied over acrylic paint, enabling you to draw with pencil, charcoal or pastel over the top of the painting. Golden Fine Pumice Gel has a great tooth for dry media, but also accepts inks and acrylic colour. It is a warm grey tone, but can be coloured with acrylic paint to provide an excellent coloured ground for pencils, chalks, charcoal or pastel. There are thousands of ways to combine drawing media and surfaces mix it up and see what works!

19 Notes

PH 0-9-360-1238 FX 0-9-360-1239 info@studioart.co.

nz 35 Crummer Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, Aotearoa/New Zealand Open Monday to Friday

20 PH FX Crummer Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, Aotearoa/New Zealand Open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm Copyright & All Rights Reserved Evan Woodruffe (Studio Art Supplies) & Gordon Harris Ltd No reproduction of any part without the prior consent of the authors.

Extension material for Level 2 Design and Visual Communication Study Guide (page 33)

Graphic media Extension material for Level 2 Design and Visual Communication Study Guide (page 33) ISBN 978-1-927194-15-7 For individual student use only. No other use permitted. ESA Publications (NZ)