Silverpoint: What is it?

During the fifteenth century, before graphite was discovered, artists drew with metalpoint. As you might guess, metalpoint was a sharp ended stick of soft metal, usually silver or a silver alloy, hence the common description of the medium as silverpoint. It was used by both Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Contemporary metalpoint artists use a variety of metals – gold, lead, and brass. Often the marks look grey, but the metal shines when the light hits it as in the goldpoint, below.

How to use it

Silverpoint only makes a mark on paper when it is coated with something. This used to be calcined bone, but I’m glad to say that more modern products are available! This substance is called a ‘ground’, so the first step in any silverpoint drawing is to apply a couple of layers of a suitable ground to your paper. I use a hot-pressed watercolour paper, which, being very smooth, is ideal for my highly detailed drawings. 

Getting the drawing right first time is really important because silverpoint is incredibly difficult to erase completely. Lights and darks are created by cross hatching – the closer the lines, the darker the tone. Getting really dark  areas is challenging, although the choice of ground does seem to make a difference. 

Over time silver tarnishes, developing a warm, mellow, brown colour. This is highly prized by collectors. Gold remains unchanged.