Wash is a general term that generally refers to diluted ink applied with a brush. In this detail from
Guercino's drawing of Venus and Cupid, the face of Venus shows how, by varying the density of the
wash by varying his brushstroke, the artist achieved tonal gradation.
Giovanni Francesco
Barbieri, called Guercino
(Italian, 1591-1666)
Detail from Venus and
Cupid, 1615-
Pen and brown ink and
brush and brown wash
over red chalk, on cream
laid paper, 25.5 x 39.
centimeters