when they
work, nor
really like the
feel of
charcoal in
their hands,
using the Nitram
baton is a really
great way to keep
your hands clean
whilst working efficiently.
I have two batons on the go at the same
time – one with a short piece of
sharpened charcoal and the other with a
longer, sharpened piece, so I can quickly
swap between them without having to
loosen, tighten and adjust different
lengths of the same charcoal for any
given painting.The charcoal sticks
Soft, dark, and velvety smooth, Nitram
petits mignonettes are perfect for the
gestural flow and expression required for
drawing from life or in the studio. The five
sticks supplied with your Nitram baton
are wrapped in a well-made and protective
mini bubble wrap envelope, as are all
replacement sticks, that not only protects
the charcoal from breaking but helps to
keep your fingers clean as well. The sticks
are easily sharpened using the lightweight,
portable Nitram sharpening bloc.Nitram sharpening bloc
This handy two-sided sharpening bloc is
made from lightweight polished rubber
wood. The sharpening pads are really
robust, do not clog and can be easilyhttp://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2016 57
Robert Dutton
runs regular residential drawing and
painting art holidays throughout the
north of England and in Spain with
Paint Andalucia and Dalvaro Art. For
details of all Robert’s art courses visit
http://www.rdcreative.co.uk.Sunlight and Shade, Rydal Woods,
Rydal Hall – Cumbria,Nitram charcoal
on Canson ‘C’ à grain 115lb (224gsm),
181 ⁄ 2 181 ⁄ 2 in (47 47cm).
Nitram petits mignonettes and larger
charcoal sticks work brilliantly for
expressive drawings on smooth
drawing papers, as here. Because the
Nitram baton with petits mignonettes
charcoal is so lightweight and
responsive to any marks you
immediately want to make, I highly
recommend any artist to try this
intuitive product. Once you start, you’ll
just want to create more and more
drawings with it – yes, it’s that good!cleaned by running them under the tap.
The pads are 180 grit sandpaper with an
adhesive backing, so they can be peeled
off and replaced with the extra pads
supplied when they eventually wear out.
I use my Nitram sharpening bloc for
sharpening other drawing media as well,
and find it particularly useful for
sharpening my graphite sticks and Conté
sticks. I take mine with me everywhere so
that I can create sharp points when
required.Nothing wasted with Nitram
charcoal
For me the biggest attraction of Nitram
charcoal is the quality, so it’s a shame that
any should be wasted – especially during
the sharpening process. Well, with a little
bit of thought it really doesn’t have to! By
gently tapping the sharpening bloc on
the side of a wide, shallow container, the
fine charcoal ‘dust’ can be used to draw
with in lots of creative ways. One method
is to use a sponge (try using the PanPastel
Sofft sponge tool) to create lovely soft,
blended and diffused effects by layering
and pressing the charcoal dust into your
support.
Nitram’s fabulous charcoal used with thesuperb baton is an exceptionally versatile
tool for drawing with and I most certainly
would not be without one, or the
wonderful Nitram sharpening bloc. Both
go hand-in-hand when drawing – quite
literally.Nitram batons and petits mignonettes are
distributed in the UK by Global Art Supplies
and available from leading art retailers. See
page 22 for more information or visit
http://www.globalartsupplies.co.uk.Nitram baton, the unique Nitram charcoal
holder, comes with five petits mignonettes.
Refills are available in boxes of seven Nitram
petits mignonettes. The baton is 8in (20cm)
long and the petits mignonettes about 6in
(15cm) long. TA