Drawing Lesson 30, Part 4 – Drawing From Life

Drawing From Life in Silverpoint

Video Lesson Description

In this video lesson you will discover how to make a Drawing From Life in Silverpoint technique.

Making Life Portrait in Silverpoint

In this video lesson we are drawing from life. 0.9 millimetre metal-point stylus is a great drawing tool for small details and fine textures of model’s skin. Another thicker silverpoint stylus can be used for model’s dress. Such silverpoint stylus has two working ends – one tip is cut under 45 degrees, and another is cone-shaped.

The 45 degree tip can produce a line with variable thickness. By rotating the stylus so it touches ground with the sharp edge, a very thin line can be drawn. When the stylus slides over the paper with its polished flat surface, a much thicker line is drawn.

The model’s dress has an intricate pattern. It is a bit of a mechanical task to depict this pattern on the artwork.

The dark tonal values of the dress are quite similar to each other. The cloth absorbs the light in most places and reflects it only on folds and edges. Such areas are done lighter on the drawing.

When drawing from life, I probably would pay less attention to drapery on such a portrait in graphite pencil. However, silverpoint media dictates its own rules and demands more details. There is a fine line between going artistic and photo-realistic in drawing from life artwork.

Wider and looser strokes can be used when drawing from life in combination with miniature lines. Elaborate contours of the pattern are depicted with special care, while broader strokes unify separate details into one composition.

Great art starts from a strong drawing. By drawing from life you can develop strong drawing skills, These skills can be polished by the demanding technique of silverpoint.