To me, this graphite pencil drawing ‘Sheer Beauty – 28-11-25’ was nothing but sheer joy to create. Maximal tonal tension: hefty and subtle combined. That was my very aim doing this one. Also to test a new paper I got my hands on. I had never used Clairfontaine Ingres paper before, and its delicate grain offered surprising control over graphite diffusion. The Faber Castell Pitt 14B pencil’s softness allowed me to push contrast without losing subtlety. This experiment became a meditation on light - how it touches, hides, and reveals. Why not better do this by employing sheer structures? Lately I have become intrigued by these and I recall how fun it was to create ‘Sheer Deco Nude – 14-10-22’. It empowers me to push my limits and kick that tonal can down the road even further. As to the subject: I found the perfect model to do the job. Great session!
Broken Tonal Play of Light and Dark
Well, time to also honor Seurat’s broken tonal compositions whose meritable attempts on paper I had the pleasure to see. Many times of course and I remember last time when there was a big exhibition in the Kröller Muller Museum. There you have it. Two sound reasons motivating to experiment with sheer curtains filtering light into a fractured play of light and shadows. The Clairfontaine Ingres paper has a nice tooth and offers great tonal response. Its surface surprised me with subtle depth, even though one can scratch very hard into its grain without destroying. On an average, I think its quality is similar to Fabriano’s Ingres paper. One downside though, the paper doesn’t come with a score line to tear it off. Well, a small disadvantage but that’s when a right angle, pencil and scissors come in handy.
Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Clairfontaine paper (21 x 28.5 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers
