Drawing at Reford Gardens, season 2025
In preparation for my solo exhibition at the Reford Gardens showed from June 1st to October 5th 2025, I'll be in artistic residency, working directly in the gardens and experimenting with the “three pencils” (trois crayons) drawing technique (black, sanguine and white highlights).
During the period from May 27 to August 5, I created 18 drawings. Every morning, from six-thirty to lunch time, I set up in the gardens to work. I was surrounded only by the chirping of birds and the gentle sound of the stream. This peaceful atmosphere allowed me to concentrate entirely on the plant I had chosen as my subject for the day. Around eight o'clock, the gardeners began their day's work, followed shortly afterwards by the first visitors. By this stage, with my sketch structure and composition well established, I felt ready to engage in conversation with the visitors and answer their questions. These were very pleasant exchanges. Finally, to complete each drawing, I spent an extra day or two in the studio. Thanks to this disciplined routine, I was able to complete two works a week.
The series are presented below in the chronological order in which they were made, and reflect the evolution of my mastery of this technique over the course of the season. This experimentation has considerably broadened my knowledge of the potential of this technique, which will certainly be very useful for my future productions.
Materials used :
Clairefontaine Paint'ON multi-technique sketchbook, A3 format (11.7 x 16.5 in. / 29.7 x 42 cm), beige tinted: a thick 100% cellulose paper, suitable for both dry (pencil, graph pen, felt-tip) and wet techniques (Indian ink, gouache, acrylic). Acid-free, 100% PEFC-certified.
Black pencils (to replace black stone):
Faber-Castell, PITT Oil Base, Extra Soft #112601
Faber-Castell, PITT Oil Base, Hard # 112604
Sanguine pencil :
Faber-Castell, PITT Oil Base, Rötel/Sanguine # 112920
White pencil :
Faber-Castell, Polychromos Oil Base # 101
Derwent Lightfast, White LFI
THREE-PENCIL (TROIS CRAYONS) DRAWING TECHNIQUE
The origins of three-pencil drawing date back to the 16th century, a period marked by a return to in-depth study of the human body and nature. Renaissance artists sought to give greater depth and realism to their works, and it was in this context that the Three-Pencil technique was born. This period, marked by in-depth reflection on the human body and nature, gave rise to sophisticated techniques for representing shadows, light and volume. Renaissance students had to master the art of the “Three Pencils” before taking up painting.
This technique, highly appreciated in academies, was used to train artists to work with values (light, medium, dark) and contrasts. This traditional approach lasted until the emergence of Impressionism. Why was it no longer taught?
The three-pencil method combines sanguine, black stone and white chalk. It was made famous by artists such as Rubens and Watteau. It is appreciated for its simplicity, expressiveness and ability to create effects of volume and depth.
The paper used is medium-weight (gray, blue or brown). Black stone is used for the main drawing lines, shadows and cool tones, red chalk for warm tones, and white chalk for highlights.
Black stone, also known as “Italian stone”, is a schist that leaves an indelible mark, ranging from black to gray. It is generally used for contours and shading.
Sanguine, a fine-grained brick-red stone, has been known for thousands of years. Depending on the degree of firing, it can be browner or redder, and is ideal for warm tones and halftones.
White stone is cut from a variety of limestones. Already in use in the 16th century, it became widespread in the 17th century. It is used to indicate the reflection of light on shapes. Because it doesn't cover well, it was mainly reserved for small drawings, and was mostly used in combination with other pencils.
The technique relies on the artist's ability to master values and compose with a limited number of tools. It demands great precision and sensitivity to contrast, but also allows for a certain spontaneity, particularly in the use of white. By carefully choosing the support and combining shading, hatching and highlights, it is possible to evoke a wide variety of materials.
Some areas of the paper remain visible, so that its hue contributes to the representation of the material. It is also possible to accentuate contrasts between tones, or lightly mix sanguine with black or white to create intermediate hues and reinforce nuances. Finally, working with three pencils can be seen as the equivalent of the grisaille that precedes a painting, where drawing and volumes are established before coloring. It is an excellent transition to color drawing. It provides a link between understanding, combining volumes and colors. But it can, of course, be a complete work in itself.
