The practice of drawing on a prepared surface with a tarnishing metal dates back to the Middle Ages. Of the different soft metals used, silver was the most popular due to its ability to hold a consistently fine point. A silver-point drawing produces a delicate gray line that, over the course of several months, will gently darken to a warm brown tone through exposure to air.
The silver-point tool can take many forms: a silver jeweler’s wire held in a pin vise, a silver tipped stylus or a silver rod inserted in a wooden handle are all options. The Austrian company Cretacolor manufactures a version of the latter option that is available at Wet Paint.
Although the silver-point tool will make faint marks on some untreated surfaces, ideally the drawing surface is prepared with a white ground. Recipes for this surface preparation have ranged from traditional grounds made with rabbit skin glue & chalk to more modern options like Chinese (zinc) white paint or acrylic gesso. Golden Artist Colors has recently come out with Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground, a low viscosity acrylic polymer emulsion that contains high levels of titanium dioxide. Golden’s ground is ready to use right from the bottle, just shake it before brushing or spraying it on your drawing surface & allow it to cure for 24 hours before you start your silver-point masterpiece. Ampersand’s clay coated hardboard, Claybord, is another fantastic surface for the silver-point drawing.
A 140# hot pressed watercolor paper makes an ideal surface for your silver-point drawing, though any smooth card weight paper will work. If you plan to draw on a lighter weight paper, you may wish to stretch the paper prior to applying the silver-point ground to avoid buckling. After you have prepared your surface & executed your drawing, allow the silver to oxidize to the darkness of your preference over several weeks or months. Apply a light coating of spray fixative to halt the oxidation process, then mat & frame your silver-point drawing just as you would a pencil drawing.
· Established 1976 · Creative Supplies for Creative People 
