How to Use Sanguine for Drawing

Sanguine, a drawing chalk, creates pictures with a reddish tint. Made popular by Venetian painters such as Peter Paul Rubens, sanguine allows artists to create monotone drawings similar to traditional charcoal or chalk drawings. If you wish to use sanguine for drawing, practice drawing with chalk-drawing techniques. To improve your drawing abilities, practice drawing from life. Draw complex objects such as buildings, trees, cities and the human figure.

Things You'll Need

• Paint brushes

Instructions

1. Grasp your sanguine chalk. Place the chalk so that it rests on the paper. Drag it along the paper to create a soft, light line.

2. Create a thick, dark line by pushing the chalk into the paper with extra pressure.

3. Smooth the line by running a paintbrush along the paper. For example, place the brush at the base of a thick line and run the brush along the line. This creates a smooth appearance.

4. Pick up the brush. Run the brush along the paper lightly to create a smooth, light line. Push the brush against the paper firmly to create a smooth, dark line.

5. Shade the drawing by running the edge of the chalk around the paper. Smooth the chalk by running a soft brush along the surface of the paper.

6. Darken the drawing by adding additional layers of sanguine. Draw over a line with chalk or dip a brush in crushed sanguine and apply it to the surface of the paper. Use a thin, flat brush to create a thin, dark line.

References

• Learn to Draw: Charcoal Drawing Tutorials
• Britannica: Sanguine
• Lines and Colors: Sanguine Drawing; Charley Parker