Viarco ArtGraf No1 Drawing Putty is a smooth graphite putty that permits artists to form the graphite to their specs. It may be used straight from the container as a big ball or block, damaged off, rolled up, or formed right into a smaller level. It may be used dry or moist, with water added earlier than or after laying down marks, it’s fairly a flexible medium. The article will talk about a number of the technical features of Viarco ArtGraf No1 Drawing Putty and display some methods you’ll be able to incorporate this distinctive product into your artwork apply.
Evaluation of Viarco ArtGraf Drawing Putty No. 1
About Viarco ArtGraf
About Viarco ArtGraf
Viarco ArtGraf is made in Portugal and the corporate makes a number of different drawing merchandise, which will also be watersoluble. Traditionally a pencil firm, over time with analysis, Viarco has developed some progressive merchandise. Although I haven’t examined them with the graphite putty, one would assume that they designed every one to have the chance to work collectively which might result in some additional experimentation.
Viarco ArtGraf No1 Drawing Putty is light-weight and is available in a handy ceramic pot with a cork lid. Because it’s so malleable it’s good to have a sturdy container to assist reshape and retailer it in. Model new, it’s in regards to the measurement of a cricket ball out of the packaging, it doesn’t have a odor in any respect, and has a lightweight waxy/easy really feel to it. Be warned, it’s messy and it does get throughout your palms. Nonetheless, that’s all a part of the enjoyment of utilizing this materials, and it’s very easy to wash off your palms with heat water. For the scale and high quality of the packaging, you get quite a bit, and I think about it will final you a really very long time so long as you take care of it. It has an identical texture to a mix of sentimental clay and putty rubber. It have to be handled like clay, by that I imply you don’t need to let it fully dry out. If it does although it could simply be reversed by slowly including water again into the product and leaving it for 1-2 days to return to its preliminary state.
Mark-Making with Viarco ArtGraf Drawing Graphite Putty
I did a number of checks utilizing it drier (no added water) and several other including water in several methods on totally different surfaces. You may obtain a smooth, clear look utilizing it drier and it could grow to be fairly darkish and opaque if wetting the putty. Making use of totally different strain to the floor additionally results in various outcomes.
Drawing-wise, the mark-making is sort of versatile relying on the way you form it, if it’s moist or drier (I don’t say “dry” and point out “drier” because the putty all the time has a stage of moisture inside, and it’s advisable to not let the fabric fully dry out). I discovered it troublesome to have sharp/tight exact pencil-like marks however I really feel with extra time and experimentation this product is one thing you would use for any type of work.
It has a pleasant fluidity and motion when utilizing it, and it lends itself to increase layers and making sweeping gestural marks.
Making use of the drawing putty moist and utilizing a paintbrush to push, distort, and ‘paint’ with the graphite makes for some actually lovely drawings. It’s also potential to put just a little water into the container and ‘paint’ utilizing the pigment from the graphite. This strategy was certainly one of my favorite methods to experiment with utilizing the drawing putty to make totally different sorts of marks and strokes and creating a stunning steadiness between drawing and portray.
Mixing with Viarco ArtGraf Drawing Graphite Putty
As it’s a fast-drying materials, conventional mixing will be troublesome except it’s moist or further water is added. Working with the drawing putty drier jogs my memory of utilizing HB pencils, that are often used to construct up layers reasonably than mixing, however when you work shortly when moist it could mix properly, particularly if utilizing your fingers/palms. It provides itself to being constructed as much as obtain softer transitions, reasonably than over-blended like charcoal. I discovered the paper stump didn’t work for mixing with the drawing putty because of its quick drying properties, which is nice for working shortly however doesn’t give loads of time to push or pull the graphite round.
Erasing with Viarco ArtGraf Drawing Graphite Putty
In the case of erasing I attempted utilizing a typical rubber and a putty rubber and it solely labored barely with the new pressed watercolour paper. I discovered that drawing putty has some superb versatile makes use of nevertheless it additionally has limitations in comparison with utilizing charcoal or common graphite. When utilized on the cotton canvas board moist it could keep wetter for longer, giving the artist longer to regulate or change the marks made. It felt as if it was greatest constructed up reasonably than erased and re-drawn.
I additionally tried to make use of it with onerous pastels, nevertheless, the 2 didn’t combine. The waxy-like texture of the drawing putty is simply too easy for the pastel to combine with.
Testing out this product was nice enjoyable. As I discussed earlier, it’s messy, so you must embrace the method and revel in graphite getting it throughout your palms. I felt it will go well with those that prefer to work expressively, gestural, and on bigger mark-making. It helps to loosen up the method and create intuitive work.
Chances are you’ll ask your self why use a cloth like this as an alternative of pencil or charcoal? Properly, the Viarco ArtGraf No1 Drawing Putty permits you the liberty and flexibility of charcoal, while supplying you with a sooner drying materials with a graphite look. The one drawbacks I feel could possibly be it might take some experimenting to seek out how you want to make use of it in your apply and when you’re used to charcoal, this fast-drying materials might take time to experiment with. It has a really related end to common graphite with out the tremendous tight preciseness which I feel makes for a very lovely materials, making us create looser, gestural, intuitive marks.
Additional Studying
The Distinction Between Graphite and Charcoal Defined
How you can Put together for Your First Life Drawing Class
Preparatory Drawing Strategies for Portray
Selecting a Rubber: Evaluating Erasers
Store Erasers on jacksonsart.com