Conté
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This image has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. You can comment on the removal.
Conté, also known as Conté sticks or crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base, square in cross-section. They were invented in 1795 by Nicolas-Jacques Conté, who created the combination of clay and graphite in response to the shortage of graphite caused by the Napoleonic Wars. Conté crayons had the advantage of being cost-effective to produce, and easy to manufacture in controlled grades of hardness. They are now more commonly made of a variety of fabricated chalk. (http://www.nyu.edu/classes/miller/guide/contcr.html)
Conté is most commonly found in black, white, and sepia tones and is frequently used on rough paper that holds pigment grains well. It can also be used on prepared primed canvases for underdrawing for a painting. The sticks' square profile makes Conté more suitable for detailed hatched work as opposed to the bolder 'painterly' drawing style demanded by soft pastels.
They were extensively used by the Renaissance Old Masters in a variant called Sanguine, which has become the name of the reddest sepia tone of Conté.
 |
This art-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
