Thursday, August 21, 2008

Flute Player


Silverpoint on prepared off white paper
12 x 9ish

You don't get many do overs in life, but that doesn't really apply to drawing. If it isn't right, throw it out and do it again until it is. This is a do over. I originally did it about a year ago when I was experimenting with copper instead of silver. I found out that it works, but I much prefer silver. Copper is harder and therefore leaves a lighter line so you really don't have much of a value range to work with. I couldn't tell that annealing helped in that area either. You might expect a different color line too, but that difference is so slight that you really have to look hard so that's not a factor. Plus there is the question of how it will oxidize. How would it look when used with silver? That's not something I can control, and I really won't know for several months if not years so that's a risk I'm not really willing to take. Anyway, what I wound up with was a rather faint image that was basically all right, but nothing to write home about. Since I liked the image and the model I thought it was worth taking another shot at it. This obviously, is the result.

2 comments:

brendan said...

hey david,
i've been watching your blog for a while and i really adore it.
silverpoint and egg tempera are two fields i have wanted to explore for a long time.
i am a lithographer first and foremost so the comments on this vs. that in terms of drafstmanship are exciting in a way.

keep up the good work sir

Dave B said...

I have a watcher? That's so cool. All this time I thought I was just talking to myself. I'll have to watch what I say now. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment, and thanks for the compliments.

It feels like I'm doing nonstop silverpoint these days. It keeps me from going to sleep in front of the TV at night. I may have done my last tempera though. They just take too long, and I think I've figured out this oil stuff now. I can make it do more or less what I want it to which is the main reason I switched to tempera.

Do you use stone lithography? I haven't seen a big slab of bavarian limestone since school days. My lithography experience is limited at best. It didn't end well, but the stone did make a nice doorstop. I should tell that story some day. I would like to get an etching press though.

I'll make you a deal, I'll keep up the good work if you stop calling me sir. It makes me feel old and I'm getting to the age where I don't need any help feeling old. :)