I’ve never attempted metal point work before, but really enjoyed my experiment with copper point. It has all the aesthetic benefits of using a hard pencil lead, but makes the user more aware of their marks because it isn’t easily erasable. If you’ve ever enjoyed the challenge of working with pen and ink or love the look of pencil, but are wary of the possibility of smudging your work- I would give it a try.
Prime a board or paper with gesso, skin glue and bone dust, or zinc white pigment and matte medium and get to work. There are, of course commercial silver point grounds, but at $30 a bottle???! Make it.
For the points, I chose copper because I happened to have some lying about. You can also use silver, gold, lead, and I’ve heard even steel or iron wire to create your ‘leads’.
I also have read that the lines will develop a ‘patina’ over time, giving the work a beautiful and ethereal quality that isn’t really typical of pencil work. I would assume the type of patina will vary depending on the metal used for your point.
Lucas Nickerson Fine Artist 