Wet Graphite Wash

Today I thought I'd go over the steps to doing a wet graphite wash. In my last post, you saw some pieces done in a dry graphite wash, but wet is a little more involved.

First step- Cotton paper is great for these, because it has a really nice texture and thickness, and it's more resilient, so it's harder to dent with your pencil marks. In order to get an interesting texture, take some cheap paint primer and mix it with drywall compound. Then, paint it lightly over the surface of the paper. Don't try and get the coat even; it's more fun to have it thin in some areas and very thick in others. Once this is done, you can blow-dry the paper. To flatten out the paper, we use a special heat press for the classroom, but you can do it at home with an iron and a towel over the top of the paper. Once this is done, tape the paper down securely to a board. (Blue Painter's tape works best since it won't tear the paper)

Here, I have my drawing done and all ready to go. This one was really fun since we're learning about the scapula and spine in my anatomy class right now :)

Step Two- You'll need the following materials: Water (in a bucket and a small cup), paintbrush(es), powdered graphite, a flat surface

Here's all my stuff ready to go. I like to have at least 2 brushes, since some areas can be hard to reach. In the cup you'll need to mix about 1/4 in water with a small spoonful of the powdered graphite. Just to warn you, they will not want to mix. It's easiest to stir up from the bottom, like you would with a cake mix. Here's what it looks like when it's mixed pretty well: 

Pretty cool, right? Like liquid metal.

Step Three- Next you'll need to wet (with the clean water) the areas of the drawing that you want the wash to cover. Work in small areas, don't try to do too much at once. And don't be afraid of getting it too wet. Let it pool up pretty well. After that's done, dip your paintbrush into the wet graphite, and drop it into the wet area. Gently move it around so that it covers the whole area, but don't worry about getting it completely, as this will leave a better texture.

Once these areas are dry, you can go back and do another coat, erase, or smear them. Make sure they are completely dry before you do so though.

Last step- Once your drawing is completely dry, you can go back in with a regular pencil and refine the edges once more. Next, carefully untape your drawing from the board. You may want to carefully flatten your piece again. This time, sandwich it between two pieces of butcher paper before ironing/pressing it flat.

Now the only step that's left is to spray it with a fixative. This'll prevent the graphite from being smeared. And there you have it, a beautiful wet graphite wash!