Conté

Using conté for portraits

Conté is a drawing medium made from iron oxides, clay known as kaolin and cellulose ether or wax as a binder. This mixture is used for producing the classic terracotta shades of colour as used by artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci. Once it was restricted to only three colours, black, white and sanguine (terracotta colour), however it’s now available in many varying ‘earthy’ colours.

The classic form of conté came in sticks, but in more modern times it’s now available in pencil form. The pencil variety makes it easier to handle and less messy. The drawings still have the look of the traditional conté but the pencils are much easier to work with and produce excellent results.

Conté has been used for portraiture and figure work for centuries and remains a favourite amongst many artists. It can be a pleasing alternative to graphite or charcoal and creates a softer looking image to any drawing or sketch. This medium is best suited to being used on a rougher surface paper to extract plenty of the pigment and create the illusion of many shades from the single colour.