Draftsman’s Tools, from Civil Architecture

Jennifer Tonkovich: Lequeu approached the production of his drawings with an almost ritual precision. He began by preparing the sheet of paper. He would soak it before stretching the sheet and adhering it to his drawing board. Water was applied with a natural sponge and the corners were tacked down with glue. Once the paper was ready, he would execute an initial trace or outline, often using drawing tools in order to make a straight line. Next, he applied a binder to set the ink outlines and ready the sheet for gouache. In this stage, he brushed on a solution of water and Roman alum or salt with a brush made from badger bristles. The astringent qualities of the alum mixture would keep the inked outlines from bleeding during the final step, the application of gouache, typically in brown or gray. To tint passages with watercolor, Lequeu relied on four pigments, yellow, rose, blue, and black, often combining and diluting the colors to pastel hues. Lequeu's interest in materials is further reflected in his annotations on his sheet. He includes a recipe for glue, calling for sheepskin flakes, white sugar from Orléans and orange peel, among other ingredients. He gives advice on how to select the best quill from a young and healthy crow, and marvels at how the rubber for his eraser originated in tree sap, revealing the painstaking attention he paid to every aspect of his process. You'll notice throughout the show that Lequeu carefully mounted his drawings, sometimes adding titles in a gothic or imitation Greek script. In some cases, the drawing can actually be lifted to reveal commentary on the mount behind the drawing or additional designs. This sensitive and sophisticated system reveals the meticulous care that went into the creation of each object.