Chalk is a soft, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor.
Drawing Materials, image reference from Lala Ragimove Art Blog |
Chalk is common throughout Western Europe, where deposits underlie parts of France, and steep cliffs are often seen where they meet the sea in places such as the Dover cliffs on the Kent coast of the English Channel.
Overview
Includes a brief history of the advantages of the medium.
Sanguine, sometimes called "red chalk," is a reddish-brown color, specifically in drawing.
Raw Sanguine |
Sanguine is a chalk with earthy shades ranging from red ocher to intense red. It comes in pencils, lead, lithographic or dry chalk, and sticks. It is also sold as wood-cased pencils or manufactured sticks.
Sanguine is used with the same techniques to apply charcoal or pastel. However, it is better to start with dry sanguine because it is easier to stump and erase.
Sanguine is also a family of pigments created naturally by the earth. It usually appears in red earth shades or tones such as orange, tan, brown, and beige.
Sanguine has been used to sketch for centuries because it is ideal for creating volume, rendering, modeling, or representing human flesh.
The name sanguine was derived from the Italian word "sanguigna" in French, which means "blood" because it resembles the color of dried blood.
Materials or Supplies
Includes unique types or brands.
Compressed sanguine is powdered sanguine pigment mixed with a gum binder; the hardness is determined by the amount of binder used. It is compressed into round or square sticks.
Compressed Sanguine |
Preferred Brands
See below.
- Pro Art
Sanguine pencils have compressed sanguine mixed with a binder. Sandpaper is preferred to sharpen these pencils, as they will break off in a manual or electric rotary sharpener, so using a razor blade or an e-xacto knife with sandpaper is recommended.
Sanguine Pencils |
Powdered sanguine is often used to "tone" or cover large sections of a drawing surface. Drawing over the toned areas darkens them, but the artist can also lighten (or completely erase) the toned area to create lighter tones.
Sanguine Powder |
Preferred Brands
See below.
- Createacolor