A stylus (from German) is a writing stick, a core made of a type of clay slate, designed for writing on surfaces made of slate. What is the stylus in the modern sense? This is the same as "graphite", writing the core of a pencil.
Graphite Properties
The pencil lead is made of graphite, which is a form of natural carbon. Graphite, under the influence of pressure and heating in the soil, acquires a crystalline structure. Its crystals resemble plates joined by a weak bond.
The most common type of graphite is amorphous, or shale, crystal. It is known that such a lead is friable and not suitable for drawing.
About 1,500 years ago, high density graphite was discovered in England, where it was subsequently mined for three years. The graphite corresponding to the description was used in the manufacture of forms for cannonballs.
Quality graphite contains a high percentage of carbon. In addition, it turned out that the lead of this property has in its composition the largest share of clay. Thanks to clay, the mixture retains its strong consistency until firing, and after it has a cementing effect.
Pencil production
The manufacture of pencils improved during the 17th century. Graphite was cut into thin sheets. Such a rod was placed in a wooden lath, which was covered with another similar lath, and as a result of gluing the two halves, a pencil was obtained. He was sharpened from one end and with the help of a plane gave a rounded shape.
In 1795, the French chemist N. Contier created the formula for a graphite rod. It consisted in the fact that a lead of the type such as "amorphous" was combined with clay and its subsequent firing was carried out before converting to a solid consistency. Currently, the formula has remained relevant for the manufacture of pencils.
To make the stylus suitable for writing or drawing, it is impregnated with wax. When graphite is immersed in a wax mass, air bubbles appear on the surface as a sign of wax replacement of the space filled with water in the extrusion process.
Drawing technique
A pencil is a universal and very convenient tool in the hands of an artist. With it, you can create sharp, clear, soft and sophisticated lines, wash them and apply again. By adjusting the pressure, it is possible to create tonality on the periphery of the whole picture and its contour.
The color pencil is susceptible to the surface of the substrate for applying the image, so the stroke on smooth paper is different from the stroke on a rough sheet. Colored pencils are made standard and water-soluble. White spirit dissolves wax in the composition of the standard pigment pigment, and this property can be used for various effects. The water-soluble type pencil is more predictable and safer to use, therefore it is used for the effect of the usual stroke and filling.