Original silverpoint drawing, matted and framed. Image size: 6 1/2” x 10 Frame size: 11 1/4” x 13 1/4” Price includes Priority Mail shipping within the US.

This is a drawing of a raven I encountered on a visit to Yosemite National Park during the government shutdown last summer. Silverpoint drawing is made with a sharpened silver stylus on a prepared surface, in this case sanded black gesso on museum board. The technique was made popular during the Renaissance, most notably by Leonardo. The process demands some precision. Value is created by building multiple layers of hatching. The silver lines will oxidize with time beginning to turn a warm brown. (Search Leonardo’s silverpoint of a soldier for reference.) Erasing on a silverpoint is not really a thing, very difficult a best.:) Its use faded with the advent of graphite, but like many other artists I still love the process.