Untitled #39

Untitled #39

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

This was a 25 minute pose from life on newsprint. Although newsprint is non-archival due to the acidity found in most brands, it has unique qualities that I have yet to find in other papers. When working from the figure; the paper exhibits a softness which easily lends itself to rendering common light and shade effects found on human skin. Especially smooth newsprint. 

If you have ever run your hand across a pad of it, you will notice that it has a skin like feel to it as your able to push down on it and the stack rebounds just like skin. The irregular and slightly wrinkled surface of the paper allows for a cushion of air to exist between every sheet, much like how a quilt traps air, and it's this cushion that makes graceful tonal transitions so effortless. 

For soft tonal effects in drawing - something within the mix of tools and surface has to have a giving nature to it. Some artists prefer the tool side via soft willow or vine charcoal, which I use on occasion on other papers, but nothing is as seductive as a soft surface. There aren't many to be found in the world of readily available art materials, but newsprint is one of them.