Introduction to: Conté Crayon

In this video and blog post Lancelot Richardson will run through some of the most important qualities of Conté Crayon. You can use the videos for reference, skipping forward using the time stamps to find the information and demonstrations most relevant to your work - you'll find the themes picked out in the video play bar. You'll also find some extra material information and inspirational artists listed below.

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Introduction (from the start)

• Different forms of conté sticks, conté pencil & pastel (50secs)
• Pros & cons of conté (1mins 30 secs)
• Markmaking in conté (4 mins 52)

Conté pencils (9mins 10secs)

• Markmaking & sharpening (10mins 35secs)

Sanguine conté sticks (13mins 12secs)

• Markmaking & erasing (14mins 5secs)
• Sharpening & shaping (15mins 35secs)

Black conté sticks (16mins 31secs)

• Markmaking & smudging (16mins 52secs)
• Grades (17mins 56 secs)
• Combining different black & sanguine conté (19mins 4 secs)

White conté (19mins 35secs)

• White on toned paper (20mins 5secs)

Other:

• Different colours of conté sticks (22mins)
• Papers to use with conté (23mins 42secs)
• Fixative to use with conté (26mins 51secs)
• 40 min conté portrait demo (29mins 22secs)
• Working on toned paper (1 hr 8mins 35secs)
• Using water with conté (1 hr 11mins 10secs)
• Combing conte with other pastels & crayons (1 hr 13mins 12secs)
• Historical drawings conté-like media  (1 hr 15mins)

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Conté Crayon 101

Conté Crayons are type of hard pastel and while we'd usually focus on the fundamental material itself rather than a branded medium, the hard pastels made by Conté a Paris are the best that are readily available. They are made from pigment mixed with clay and a binder moulded into crayons (sticks) or pencil cores. They can feel chalky or waxy depending on their composition and can be applied to a support in broad strokes using the side of the stick, or fine strokes using the edge of the end of the stick. Conté crayons encourage calligraphic mark making, are usually deliberately snapped to achieve a sharp edge and can be partially erased, often leaving a stain on the paper. 

Conté facts:

• Conté à Paris, the company which makes Conté crayons was founded by artist and chemist Nicolas Jacques Conté, who invented the modern pencil in the late 18th Century. 
• Where mined block of graphite had previously been cut into sticks and bound in cloth, leather or sandwiched between wooden slats to give it strength, Nicolas Jacques Conté mixed clay with graphite and wax to create a moulded core which he then inserted into a wooden sheath. This allowed him to use cheaper powdered graphite and to vary the hardness of his pencil cores; it also meant the French were not reliant on the English graphite mined in Cumbria during the Napoleonic wars. 

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Inspirational artists using pastel & Conté crayon today:

Tim Wright

Tim Wright grew up in London, where he continues to live and work. His early paintings displayed an interest in the figure and explored its fragmentation through a vigorous painting process. From 2011 until 2013 he was engaged as painting consultant on the Mike Leigh directed film 'Mr Turner'.  He taught the actor Timothy Spall to paint, in order for him to prepare for the role, and, when filming began, advised him and other actors on set. His drawing below won 3rd place in the Derwent Art Prize 2016.

• Visit Tim Wright's website here: www.timwrightartist.com 
• Follow Tim Wright on Instagram: @twrightartist 

Helen Schone 14, Pencil, Chalk & Watercolour on paper, 100cm x 110cm, 2015

Paula Rego

Paula Rego is one of the foremost living artists working in pastel. A major retrospective of her work is currently on show at the Tate Britain until the 24th October 2021. 

• Read more about Paula Rego HERE.
• Watch Paula Rego: Series & Stories HERE. 

Dog Woman, Pastel, 1994