Drawing Botanicals in Silverpoint

Silverpoint, a drawing medium used by the old masters, utilizes a sterling silver wire to produce fine lines on a prepared ground. Over time, the lines tarnish and take on a coppery hue. Silverpoint drawings appear to glow due to the thin layers of silver reflecting light. In this workshop, students will be provided with a silverpoint stylus and will learn how to prepare paper to receive the silver marks, techniques of mark-making, building up layers of tone, and erasing or modifying their work. After learning the basics of silverpoint, we will focus on drawing botanicals.

Full Description:

Drawing with silverpoint can be as simple and easy as drawing with a graphite pencil.

Silverpoint, a drawing medium used by the old masters, utilizes a sterling silver wire to produce fine lines on a prepared ground. Over time, the lines tarnish and take on a coppery hue.

Silverpoint drawings appear to glow due to the thin layers of silver reflecting light. In this workshop, students will be provided with a silverpoint stylus and will learn how to prepare paper to receive the silver marks, techniques of mark-making, building up layers of tone, and erasing or modifying their work. After learning the basics of silverpoint, we will focus on drawing botanicals.

Instructor Bio:

In addition to working in silverpoint, Patricia Brett is a stone carver, painter, and printmaker.

Patricia is a past recipient of the Schweinfurth Scholarship (Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland AIA) and the Schimberg Prize (Yale School of Architecture). She has a Master of Architecture from Yale University and a BS in Architecture from The Ohio State University. She taught architectural design at City College, NY, and was a graduate teaching assistant in architectural design and free-hand perspective drawing at Yale.

While living in New York City, she studied at the National Academy of Design School and the Arts Students League of New York.

Student Supply List:

Pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser

Tombow Mono Zero 2.3mm eraser (circular shape eraser in a click-pen holder)

Magnifying glass (if you have one)

Small piece of 600 grit sandpaper (for sharpening the silverpoint stylus)

Hot press Watercolor Paper, 300# preferred, (2 pieces) 9” x 12” min. size

Chines White Watercolor Paint, professional grade tube paint (not Cotman)

3”- 4” small ceramic dish to mix watercolor

Watercolor Brush, Flat 1” – 2” wide (Princeton Neptune 1½” Mottler is a good one)

Inexpensive Watercolor Brush, round #3 or #5

X-Acto knife with #11 blade, or Olfa Knife with 9mm blade

Cutting matt or scrap cardboard to use as cutting surface

Piece of foam core or inexpensive drawing pad, 9” x 12” or 11” x 14” (to attach the prepared paper to it while we work and for transporting your work home)

Small plastic container for water

Students should bring any images they might like to work from, or bring some leaves or a branch.