Red chalk

For the stratigraphic term employed in the geology of eastern England, see Red Chalk.

Red chalk or sanguine (/ˈsæŋɡwɪn/) is chalk of a reddish-brown color, so called because it resembles the color of dried blood.^{[citation needed]} It has been popular for centuries for drawing.^{[citation needed]} The word comes via French from the Italian sanguigna and originally from the Latin "sanguis".^{[citation needed]}

Sanguine - Red chalk
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Technique

Sanguine lends itself naturally to sketches, life drawings, and rustic scenes.^{[citation needed]} It is ideal for rendering modeling and volume, and human flesh.^{[citation needed]} In the form of wood-cased pencils and manufactured sticks, sanguine may be used similarly to charcoal and pastel. As with pastel, a mid-toned paper may be put to good use. A fixative may be applied to preserve the finished state of the drawing. The pigment used in sanguine sticks comes from red earths such as red ochre.^[1] Sanguines are also available in several other tones such as orange, tan, brown, beige.

Gallery

• 
  Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, c. 1637. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• 
  French sanguine drawing; relatively unusual in fully coloring the background
• 
  Leonardo da Vinci self-portrait in sanguine
• 
  Italian sanguine drawing of a male nude, 18th century

See also

• Conté
• Trois crayons