What is a silver point?


Silver point drawing is literally drawing with silver, usually a
silver wire on a "ground" which is a mixture of white pigment
and rabbit skin glue or sometimes acrylic polymer dispersion;
this mixture is painted on the drawing surface in several coats
and sanded between each layer.
It is the most common type of metal point drawing; other
metals used are gold, copper and brass.

Drawing with metal has been used for many centuries prior to
the common usage of the lead pencil.  
It is a very sensitive medium, wonderful for conveying
delicate images and extremely durable. Silverpoint lends itself
to spontaneous drawing and careful planning, partly because
erasure is difficult.

It is an interesting process in that silver will mark the
pigment-glue ground but will not make a mark
on untreated surfaces. The pressure applied does not change
the value (darkness) of the line; dark areas are made by
placing lines closer together or cross-hatching.

Silver does not smudge like graphite and the pigment-glue
ground converts paper to a very durable surface. Silver and
other metals tarnish with age, darkening and changing color,
leaving the surface with a beautiful patina.

I started making silver point drawings in graduate school
while taking an art history class on the Old Masters; I just
decided to make the ground from a recipe that was 500 years
old. The first silverpoint was made with the edge of a silver
dime! Really loved the process so I'm still doing it.  

My art work, including silver points, is found in over 100
collections, both public and private in the USA, Great Britain,
Mexico and Canada.