Preparing Grounds for Metalpoint Drawing

[George O'Hanlon]

Materials Needed
</font>[list][*]Support (paper, paperboard or wood panel)</font>[*]Traditional Silverpoint Ground</font>[*]Water</font>[*]Metal or ceramic pot or container</font>[*]Stove or electric burner</font>[*]Aqueous pigment dispersions optional, for colored grounds)</font>[*]Flat bristle brush, 1-inch wide</font>[*]Steel wool pad, #0000</font>[/list]
To prepare grounds for metalpoint drawing technique, you will need a rigid support. Select a heavy, smooth-surfaced paper, paperboard, and parchment or wood panel, such as plywood or hardboard. Papers with a rough texture or smooth glossy surface are both undesirable for use in metalpoint drawing. Wood panels should be well-sanded and smooth, since any roughness will show through the ground.

If you are using paper as the support, wet it thoroughly and tape it immediately to a drawing board, heavy plywood board or similar surface that you would use to stretch watercolor paper. Let the paper dry before applying the first coat of the ground. Since absorbent supports tend to warp after applying several coats of the ground, it is best tack parchment and paperboard along their edges to a heavy board, and thin sheets of plywood or hardboard may need to be coated on both sides with glue size to reduce absorbency and minimize warping.

To prepare the metalpoint ground place a measure of tap water in a metal container and gradually add to the water an equal amount by volume of Traditional Silverpoint Ground. Stir the mixture until smooth and allow it to stand for about 30 minutes. Heat the container over a stove or electric burner until the mixture is warm but not scalding hot. It should have the consistency of cream and is now ready to apply.

For tinted grounds, add the selected colors to the ground mixture while it is being warmed. Only a few drops of Rublev Colours Aqueous Pigment Dispersions are needed to tint the ground. In all cases, colors should be added in very small amounts for two reasons. Many pigments due to their physical properties hinder the effectiveness of metalpoint on the ground, so increasing the amount will diminish the quality of the strokes. As the amount of color added to the ground is increased, the contrast between the ground and the metalpoint strokes will likewise decrease. Add color to a sufficient amount of the ground to apply several coats on the number of boards you want to have the same tint.

With a wide brush, preferably a soft-hair brush about an inch wide, apply the coats to the substrate. Apply each coat first in one direction followed by another laid perpendicularly in the other direction. Let each coat set before applying the next coat. To achieve a smooth ground, apply three or four very thin coats of the ground mixture rather than load the brush and apply one or two heavy coats.

To smooth the ground, lightly burnish the completely dry ground with fine steel wool (#0000), fine grit wet-dry sandpaper (1000 or P1000) or a lightly damp cloth folded to make a wide pad. If you use steel wool or sandpaper, it is advisable to pass the damp cloth over the surface to remove any dust.


Metalpoint Drawing Supplies

Aqueous Pigment Dispersions

[John Kennedy]

George,
I'm interested in making my own silverpoint ground and so my question would be what NP products would one buy and what would be a good recipe?

Here is why! In Cennino Cennini's Il Libro dell'Arte on page 4-5 he explains his system, which appears that he uses saliva and bone ash on prepared panels of white lead and linseed oil over gesso. He mixes the bone ash with saliva (spit) and applies it to the panel with his finger (all over the panel) then tapping the panel before it dries completely, ensuring that an even coat has been applied everywhere over the panel.

Now as to the panel he used boxwood (I guess any panel will do) and after it was cleaned and throughly dry it was rubbed and smoothed with cuttle (which I believe to be cuttlefish shell or some sort of fish shell that was grounded) such as used by the goldsmith used in casting. Then about a beans worth or less of the bone ash was applied to the panel with the saliva.

I'm guessing that the NP Traditional Silverpoint Ground, being an already prepared product has the ground lead white and bone ash already in your recipe, or something similar to give the panel or paper the proper desired roughness required for the silverpoint, brass, copper, etc. to be able to work properly, if I'm right in my guess.

Anyway, I just thought if one had a recipe you could share (which I'm sure has to be a bit more modern than the saliva (spit) method, it might be fun to make a batch adding all of the proper ingredents.

Finally, can one just use the bone ash and saliva in order for the silverpoint to work as did Cennino, per his book? And, does this method, after writing on the panel, require just dusting off the excess bone ash and storing it in a dry place? Cennino, kept it wrapped in a dry paper folded up for futher use as needed.

[Robert Garrett]

George,

Thanks much for the last paragraph.. It has made my paper silk smooth instead of having small paint brush ridges in it. The surface produced I know it is easy to assume of it as rough thats not what it is.

THink of a a Eggshell, and thats what the finished surface feels like.

As per John Kennedy's request..

Titanium white, and rabbit skin glue make distemper .. cover surface with it. wont give you the responsiveness of the traditional silver point ground though.. Which is rather awesome.

RG

[George O'Hanlon]

Originally posted by John Kennedy:
I'm interested in making my own silverpoint ground and so my question would be what NP products would one buy and what would be a good recipe?

You can use any of the white extenders offered in the online store, such as chalk, gesso, perlite, silica, kaolinite, etc. In addition to the extenders, you should also add a white pigment, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Although lead white is an excellent pigment for metalpoint grounds, I do not recommend it use due to its toxicity.

Originally posted by John Kennedy:
I'm guessing that the NP Traditional Silverpoint Ground, being an already prepared product has the ground lead white and bone ash...

The Natural Pigments Silverpoint Ground is based upon the idea of Cennini's recipe, but not based on the all of the actual ingredients.

The ground does not contain oil or lead white, because the toxicity of the latter ingredient is not necessary in modern day drawing grounds. It does not contain any heavy metals that are considered toxic. It does contain rabbit skin glue, which is the same type of glue recommended in Cennini's recipe.

Originally posted by John Kennedy:
Finally, can one just use the bone ash and saliva in order for the silverpoint to work as did Cennino, per his book? And, does this method, after writing on the panel, require just dusting off the excess bone ash and storing it in a dry place?

You can use bone ash and saliva, but a much more durable ground is a white pigment and white extender(s) with animal collagen glue.