Tonal Variations on Rice Paper

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper
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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"
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One of the pleasures of drawing is trying out different materials. Different pencils, different inks and brushes, different markers, and today, a different paper. From a roll of rice paper, I cut several pieces of the tissue-thin stuff to experiment with drawing on it. I chose a regular yellow #2 pencil, because I wanted to see how this soft and slightly fuzzy rice paper works with ordinary graphite. I found that I had to use a surprising amount of pressure to achieve tonal gradations. I found that I could leave an initial mark on the paper by just touching the surface with the pencil lead, but to get a full range of tones, I had to draw over and over on a spot to darken it. And I found that the fibers on the surface of the paper have a tendency to clog with graphite and not allow more to be deposited. As for erasing... I didn't even go there! Overall, I found the rice paper to have a nice tooth and a velvety touch, but it is so soft and so feather-light that the action of making marks on it with graphite feels awkward to me. If I am going to use it again for graphite drawing, I am going to have to develop a "rice paper technique" to use.
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