Clairfontaine Ingres Paper

This pastel drawing ‘nude Study – 10-11-25’ is a quick study done in one hour. A bit of impressionism tested on Clairfontaine’s Ingres paper. Basically, it’s back to basics for I long to put myself to the test once more. The reason is that Clairfontaine’s ingres paper which I never used before. In the past I always used Hahnemühle’s and Fabriano’s. The reason is a bit mundane. The latter’s paper has tear-off edges and the first come in sheets that are loosely laminated. I don’t like to cut the paper with scissors manually. A bit of a drag really: I have to draw a line with a right angle and do the job. What the heck, why not because I was just curious what the Clairfontaine paper was all about. Time to get over my laziness and I didn’t had an ambition to do something serious this morning anyway.

A Loose Sketch

Just a loose sketch, testing out this paper and I always keep box of charcoal in my cupboard. So, rather a quickly before my students start to poor in for art class. Free sketching without any artistic expectation and I had the perfect artistic motif for it. A great nude model I found on the internet. Unfortunately I can’t give you the credentials of the photographer because those weren’t listed. At least, a voluptuous lady but the lighting was simply astonishing. Surely, I have tons of these referential pictures I store just to keep my hands busy when I haven’t hired a live model. Anyway, the setting in the picture was perfect to execute in charcoal. Not in the last place because the Ingres paper would deliver me those lovely broken structures.

Impressionism captured in Charcoal

For the style of execution I had my drawing Model Study, after Laure Albin Guillot – 25-08-22 in mind. That one was rendered in Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt 14B pencil. However, I thought the same kind of impressionism could also be captured with charcoal. To be honest, I must say I am quite content with the result that came muck quicker than expected. Back home I enforced some darker regions with Conté Noir pastel pencil because charcoal can become rather stainy. In my studio in Voorburg I didn’t had spray and I had to retouch some planes as well. Needless to say, I’m highly motivated to do a short series in the near future. Maybe I feel like I did when I discovered the magic Pitt Graphite Matt pencil back in 2022.

Charcoal & Conté Noir pencil on Clairfontaine Ingres paper (21 x 28.5 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers