Russian Drawing Course Part 1: Materials & Set-Up

[Siddharth upadhyaya]

hello

I am from India and getting such costly materials is difficult for me, cant I use pencils and my sketchbook to work on the assignment rather than buying the roll and the board to complete the assignments.

[Daniel Daigle]

Hi Siddharth, yes of course you can use pencils and a sketch book.
However you should keep this in mind:
Iliya uses stretched paper because it is tough. You can put it through a lot of abuse before the paper starts to give out. This allows you to rework areas many times. With a sketch book, you may be limited by how many times you can rework your drawing. but you can always start fresh on a new page for cheap. Also, working on a large piece of paper allows you to get more detail, on a smaller sketch book your drawing will be ,more compressed, so your hatching may not be as expressive as Iliyas.
In general, I think working on a sketchbook is doable, as long as you are not expecting the end result to be a carbon copy of Iliyas drawing. I mean, that’s hard to do nonmatter what material you use LOL

[Jane Wong]

I already have a roll of thick Strathmore Bristo vellum surface — is this too smooth?  Also, I stretch a lot of watercolor paper by dipping it in my bathtub — is this OK or will it wash away any sizing or coating on regular paper?

[Daniel Daigle]

Hi Jane, I would not consider the paper that Iliya uses either rough or smooth, but maybe a little more on the smooth side. it has just enough texture to give off a scraping sound when your pencil marks it. Its actually pretty satisfying. I think it might be the same paper you have.
I used to draw on marker paper because it is super durable, and translucent. It is VERY smooth, but consequently it doesn’t hold a ton of medium. So it just depends on what your goals are.
As for submerging the paper, I’m not entirely sure, though I don’t for see this being a problem as long as its just a quick dip. if it sits too long the fibers might expand and unravel. In my work shop with Iliya, we used spray bottles until water was about to pool up on the surface. The old method is just to take a swig of water and spit it on the paper evenly LOL it works really well

[Gerrit Handl]

Hello, I have read in the discussion on the stretched paper that the frames are reusable, the paper stretches again once it dries again. I really like the stretched paper as a permanent mount for a large drawing. I’ve seen in Ilya’s studio the drawings are displayed still stretched on the frames. The problem with this method is the movement in the paper which will damage it within time. Is there a museum standard method to stretch paper permanently for display? In graphic collections of old masters I have seen paper mounted with paper strips which can slide within harder frames made from board allowing it to expand and shrink. Is it advisable to glue the paper on board with a fixed mount? Which glue would one mix into the water or is there another way to securely mount large drawings to museum and permanent standard? Any advice is highly appreciated.

[PatrickHennessy]

I ordered tombow mono 3b pencils. I used this brand before. Will they be too dark?

[Derek Smith]

For those who’ve got ahead in the course- a q about using the panels, from a $ perspective. Are folks having to use a panel per drawing? Or are you cutting the drawing away to re-use the panel? I wouldn’t see any problem wth cutting off, removing the staples etc… I don’t think it would do anything to the drawing. 🙂 Do the panels tend to hold up to re-use, if you’re doing it that way? Thanks…

[Daniel Daigle]

Hi Derek, I would say that if you want to display your drawing on a wall, it looks much nicer when mounted to the board. but I have found no issue in removing the paper with a staple remover.

[Gerrit Handl]

I see the drawing on the board moving with humidity. Is there a way to avoid this? The drawing develop wrinkles which create shodows on the paper. And I believe the edges might crack do to the movement in time. You stated above, that the drawings stay mounted at the studio when you r instructors work on them. Do they also go on sale on the panel?

[Daniel Daigle]

When I did this my paper was pretty tight. no chance of humidity causing wrinkles. we have an average of 67% humidity here. so maybe its different where you are. but id suggest stretching it tighter and more evenly if possible. Also the Strathmore mixed media paper is pretty thick and the movement due to humidity should be negligible. its designed to hold some amount of water. so I wouldn’t worry about the edges cracking unless you are also being rough with hem. abrasion will definitely have an impact on paper over time.
I would list it for sale as it is on the panel. it looks much nicer don’t you think? its also easier to hang on a wall.  unless the customer wants it behind glass, then I would remove it and trim the edges, or take it to a professional framer.

[Danielle Jackson]

Good morning, afternoon, or evening. I’m struggling to find rolls of paper in the UK, and would appreciate advice on which to buy. There are two accessible options.

Frisk Drawing Cartridge 150gsm 841mm x 10m Roll, paper, White, 88 x 7 x 7 cm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N8QCUHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DE3BXA5JCYH9DNGMMKZW

https://www.cassart.co.uk/fabriano-accademia-roll-200gsm-1-5-x-10m.htm?trackterm=Accademia

Which of these do you feel would be most suitable for the duration of the course? If neither are suitable, can you support me to find an alternative? Thank you in advance, and take care.

[seren]

Hello,

The measurements given in the video for cradled panel and sketchbook are in inch. However, i am living in a country which uses metric system. I cant find 18×24 inch sketchbook. Should i go for 50×70 cm or 42×59 cm (which is A1 paper size)? Same question for the cradled panel.. Also,  I cant find cradled panel here, and i wonder if there is an exact thickness for these panels. I am very confused.

Thank you

[Daniel Daigle]

Hi Seren, no need to be exact here. When I took Iliya’s workshop, everyone had different sizes. It just depends on how big you want your drawing to be. its a good idea to use a medium that is big enough to allow your shoulder to move. A2 would probably be closer though.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5be87ff03c3a53a02587a1d1/1544439267809-93MKQ3IO813IOBYXPE0R/taman%CC%83os+finales.jpg?format=1000w
for the panel you could use ply wood or some lighter material, like a sealed particle board. as long as it wont warp easily and can be stapled 🙂

 

[seren]

I have just made it done in 50×70 cm size by a carpenter nearby just an hour ago :). I wish i checked the forum earlier. But anyways, thank you very much for responding. I will keep that in mind for the next time.

[Daniel Daigle]

As long as you can draw on it, it will work 🙂

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