Durer was the first artist outside of Italy to become an international art celebrity. He was well traveled and widely admired. At the age of thirteen, he drew his own self-portrait, by looking in the mirror.
Artists from one period do not see more correctly or render more skillfully than those of another. Through all the different eras and cultures it seems obvious that artists record not so much what they see, but what they know, or what they mean. Cultural and religious beliefs also influence some artists more than others. None the less, every work of art is precious and represents something personal
Those artists who give in to their inner yearnings and keep on practicing drawing, become better with time, and learn how to really see. Once you can really “see” what is before you, it is easy to manipulate. The artist's arm and hand becomes an extension of the eye and mind that convey knowledge, convictions, experience and emotions.
There are a few very interesting facts about the drawing tools in the times of the Old Masters.
They did not have pencils to draw with. Most drawings were made with natural red chalk or with ink,
applied with a small brush, a reed or a quill pen. Both the Greeks and Romans used metal lead in the form of a small thin disc called a “plumbum” (Latin for lead) for ruling guide lines on papyrus to keep their lettering even.
Later the lead was formed into rods, but it did not write well and after many experiments a workable pencil developed only after 1564 when a tree blew down near Borrowdale in England, exposing a deposit of graphite or black carbon in a pure, solid form, called “plumbago”, meaning “that which act like lead.” Supply was limited. Later more graphite was discovered in Bavaria and more readily available to work with.
In Napoleon's time a young inventor named Nicolas Jacques Conte, developed an improved formula of powdered clay and powdered graphite to form clay sticks, fired in a kiln, like pottery.
We are still using Conte Crayons today.
Modern pencil making is a sophisticated process, and we are fortunate to have all the varieties of drawing materials to choose from.
Pencils come in a great variety of softness and hardness of the graphite. The best way is to try some, because they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The softer the pencil, the darker it will be. The middle range would be around HB or F, and that is a good place to start. H stands for harder and makes it easy to remember. The higher the number eg. 4H or 5H, the less graphite will be released, and works well when you want to indicate distance in a landscape, or make very subtle marks.
Rather than changing pencils, you can learn to vary the amount of pressure that you exert upon the point. Heavy pressure will produce dark lines and slight pressure will produce fine, light lines.
Practice makes perfect and will help you to get to know your tools. Use a variety of textured paper to make marks so that you can become familiar with the paper and pencils that will suit you best.
We are all unique and will eventually develop our own styles. Therefore it is important to try different surfaces, materials, and art teachers, to help us get to where we are comfortable with who we are as artists. We are never to old to learn and should never think that we know it all. Above all, keep your feet on the ground and stay humble, no matter how good you become.
Experiment and discover the great fulfillment of being an artist.
Next time we will talk about Values and Textures
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