I concentrated on drawing in college and graduate school. Since then, I have worked in other media, including watercolor and oil pastels. Recently, I have worked with water-soluble graphite pencils and watercolor pencils. I still consider myself a drawer; even though I sometimes paint with watercolor, I gravitate to the linear aspect of drawing.
A drawing instructor at KSU introduced me to a drawing technique using graphite and turpenoid on Basinwerk paper. (This paper was most essential to use with her method.) It was a cream-colored paper made in Germany and used for lithograph-proof printing; it had a smooth and supple surface. The combination worked beautifully; graphite melted into the turpenoid, creating fluid strokes and lovely washes. I continued working in this medium for a while and into grad school. I drew into graphite washes, creating undulating movement through the piece. Is it a Drawing or Painting?
Unfortunately, Basinwerk was discontinued; there may be a soft paper that mimics its surface, but I have not found it.
What is the traditional definition of drawing and painting? A drawing is created with a pencil or pen, and a painting is made with a brush using a wet substance. Ink is wet, yet it is considered a drawing medium.
Drawing is considered linear but also involves shading to create form and shape. Painting is traditionally known as form and shape, but some works still present linear components. The artist’s hand may dictate their direction, and the boundary between drawing and painting may be obscured.
The most recent piece I created is the image of two swallowtails sipping from a puddle. A moment captured with my camera showed the reflections in the water; even the shadows were reflected the more I studied this. Inside the shadows, a proboscis is revealed, sucking up water like a straw, the slightest movement rippling the water.
The contrast of the butterflies' landing simultaneously in opposite directions created the composition; it was one of those unexpected gifts I often talk about. I would have missed the moment if I had not had my camera.
Perhaps the viewer’s perception of a piece defines an artwork as a painting or a drawing. The artist who created it might have a different definition than the viewer. In my drawing, “After a rain,” I used aquarelle and watercolor pencils, as well as a small brush for watercolor washes in a few places.
The boundaries between drawing and painting may be unclear because of how artists handle the media, subject matter, and how they convey their expression. We may not have to categorize a work of art by creating a label.
Have you ever looked at a work of art and wondered how the artist created it? With what tools and media? Did you ask yourself, is it a drawing of a painting?
