Aaron Holland Fine Art

Silver-Point

"When metallic silver is drawn across paper that has been coated with a layer of white pigment, small dark particles of the metal are held in the porous or granular surface of the coating in the same way that other materials [graphite, lead, charcoal, etc...]are held by the fibers of uncoated paper. Silver-point drawings, which were more popularily esteemed in the past than they are in the present, are characterized by a certain delicacy of line.

Unless immediately protected by fixative, the lines acquire a tarnish such as forms on all silver surfaces; this color change, however, is usually desired, and the drawings are therefore left unfixed until it occurs."

excerpt from- The Artist's Handbook

by: Ralph Mayer

To Begin: You may use either a smooth bristol drawing paper, or smooth watercolor paper and coat it with a layer of chinese white or white guache, and let dry. This is most easily done by securely taping the paper to a board and applying a wash much like you would in watercolor. I find it convenient to leave the paper taped as such for the duration of the drawing. ( Do not begin until paper is completely dry- 24 hrs. is recommended).

Part of the charm of silver-point drawing is the limited ability to erase the lines. What you draw is what you get. You can erase a little, and lightly, but as soon as you erase the white ground off the paper, or make it too smooth by erasing, it will no longer accept the silver. When that happens you are done in that area. A plastic eraser will work to erase lightly, as will a kneaded eraser, but I recommend begining with the idea in mind that you are not going to erase.

You can purchase silver in small rods from your local jeweler for about ten dollars or so, and a mechanical pencil holder will work nicely to accomodate it. Sharpen the silver to a soft round point using sandpaper. You do not need to press down hard on the paper to make a mark, remember silver point is known 'delicacy of line.

Spray fix when done, or wait to fix until the silver has tarnished. Good luck!

-Aaron

Mr. Brian Lewis was my mentor for about three and a half years at the Bougie Studio (MPLS) where he instructed his students in classical drawing and painting techniques.

Brian's lineage as an artist comes also from the French Academic approach, specifically classical realism, or neo-classicism via Richard Lack (et al. Gammel). Brian is probably best known for his still-life and portraiture. He is in fact one of the finest portrait and figurative painters alive. He is also a well respected landscape painter.

I remember on weekends, or sometimes on a week-long vacation, Brian would take a sketching trip to Colorado or the North Shore or some distant, beautiful location with other artists and return with a bundle of small plein air sketches under his arm. All of us students would gather around to admire his paintings. These paintings would often become the subject of large-scale finished paintings like the one above. The picture(above) hung in the foyer of the Bougie Studio for a number of years while I was attending. Brian is currently instructing at The Atelier in Minneapolis, and is preparing for a one-man show which is to be announced.

For more information about Mr. Lewis or The Atelier tradition click here.

I have learned that front-lighting is generally not the most flattering light for a subject, as it tends to flatten out the shapes, and washes it out. In this example I liked the effect.

The sun peaked over the trees at about 8am, and casts their shadows upon the building and the grass. As the sun moved up in the sky, the shadows started to recede, and the whole scene became bathed in sunlight, with a noticable absence of any shadows.

I had about a half hour to get the idea on canvas. After that I had to rely on memory and my drawing. I really wanted to capture the shadow on the building because it gave the lighthouse a dramatic feeling, and made the other elements in the picture (people, water, trees, etc...) seem more interesting.

"Eagle Bluff Lighthouse", 8 x 10, oil on linen- HOLLAND 2007