Sanguine, sometimes called "red chalk," is a reddish-brown color, specifically in drawing. 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.
|
| Raw Sanguine |
Sanguine comes in pencils, lead, lithographic or dry chalk, and sticks. It is better to start with dry sanguine because it is easier to stump and erase.
Overview
Includes a brief history with advantages of the medium.
Brief History of Sanguine
The name sanguine was derived from the Italian word "sanguigna" in French, which means "blood" because it resembles the color of dried blood. Sanguine's earthy shade ranges from red ocher to intense red, whence its suggestive name.
Sanguine has been used to sketch for centuries because it is ideal for creating volume, rendering, modeling, or representing human flesh. It is now sold as wood-cased pencils or manufactured sticks, used with the same techniques to apply charcoal or pastel.
|
| Raw Sanguine |
Reference
- Image from Lala Ragimove Art Blog
Materials or Supplies
Includes unique types or brands.
|
| Compressed Sanguine |
What is Compressed Sanguine?
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.
Preferred Brands
- Pro Art
 |
| Sanguine Pencils |
What are Sanguine Pencils?
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 Powder |
What is Sanguine Powder?
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.
Preferred Brands
- Createacolor
