Silverpoint

Figure library · 58 diagrams · page 2 of 10

Every diagram in the program

The teaching figures on their own, large, in order. Each one links to the technique it illustrates. Useful pinned beside the board when you only need the picture.
  1. Ghosting: the pencil rehearses the line in the air several times, then lands once, moving from the shoulderGHOSTING A STRAIGHT LINEstart dotend dotrehearse 3 to 4 times without touchingWRONG · WRIST PIVOT CURVES ITRIGHT · SHOULDER, LOCKED WRISTLook at the end dot, not the pencil point. The hand goes where the eye is.

    Ghosting a line

    ghosting-lines

    Ghosting a line →
  2. Line weight: the same box drawn with uniform line and with weighted line, heavier on the shadow side and where forms touch the groundUNIFORM LINE (DEAD)WEIGHTED LINE (ALIVE)heaviest where it meets thegroundlighteston the littop edgeA line's weight tells the eye which edge is in light, which turns away, and what is heavy. Vary it on purpose.

    Line weight

    line-weight

    Line weight →
  3. Six families of mark: parallel hatch, cross-hatch, contour hatch, scumble, stipple, and the broken lineParallelCross-hatchContour hatchScumble (circular)StippleBroken / wiryCorot: scumble and contour hatch for foliage. The etchers: parallel and cross-hatch for stone. All six live inone drawing.

    Six families of mark

    hatch-families

    Six families of mark →
  4. Four swatches of identical line weight whose spacing closes from wide to tight, producing four steps of valueSAME PENCIL AND PRESSURE · ONLY SPACING CHANGESvalue 2value 4value 6value 8Value by spacing is how an etcher thinks. Half-close your eyes: the lines disappear and only the tone remains.

    Value by spacing

    hatch-spacing-value

    Value by spacing →
  5. A single continuous band that goes from almost nothing to full dark using pressure alonePRESSURE RAMP · ONE 2B, SIDE OF THE LEADfeather touchfull weight of the handincrease pressure smoothly, never in stepsDo ten of these a day for a week and your hand learns to dial tone like a volume knob.

    The pressure ramp

    pressure-ramp

    The pressure ramp →
  6. Two swatches of the same middle value: one made by pressing hard with a hard pencil, which grooves and shines, and one made by light layers of a soft pencilWRONG · 2H, PRESSED HARDgrooves, shines, cannot go darkerRIGHT · 2B, THREE LAYERSmatte, keeps tooth, can go darkerRule: reach a value with a softer pencil and lighter touch, never a harderpencil and more force.Pressure is a one-way door. Layers are reversible.

    Layering, not pressure

    layering-vs-pressure

    Layering, not pressure →