NYSTCE Visual Arts 167: Artistic
Processes & Materials Exam 2025
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
Origins of drawing - ✔✔-first was created on cave walls as early as 10,000 B.C.
-by Egyptians starting in 3,000 B.C.
-originally used to express ideas and scenes in cave paintings
-In the Middle Ages, drawings were mainly completed on animal skins, wood, wax, or
slate
Drawing in the Renaissance Era - ✔✔-became more widely used due to availability of
paper
-artists would learn to draw before painting or sculpting
-used to study and record nature and anatomy
-artists used pen and ink, as well as black and red charcoal
Charcoal - ✔✔an early drawing material made from slowly burned wood. Charcoal was
used for cave drawings, when burnt sticks were rubbed on cave walls
Red chalk - ✔✔-made from iron oxide pigment and refined clay
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,-popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Leonardo da Vinci used it for many
sketches
Black chalk - ✔✔-carbonaceous shale, and it is softer than red chalk
-used in 15th-century Italy for underdrawings for ink or metal point artwork
-Albrecht Dürer and Anthony van Dyck used black chalk for portraits
White chalk - ✔✔-calcium carbonate or soapstone
-used for highlights on drawings
Conté crayons - ✔✔-developed in the early 1800s
-made in red, black, and white
-harder than chalk and produce smoother lines
Ink - ✔✔-liquid pigment that can be used with a pen or a brush
-commonly used for writing
Pens - ✔✔-first made with bird feathers (quills) and reeds, and later they were created
with metal tips
Pencils - ✔✔-made from graphite encased in wood
-available in a range of hardnesses, from 10H to 10B
-10B pencil has the softest lead, and it will wear down quickly, leaving the darkest mark
on the paper
-in the middle are F and HB, which are a medium hardness and darkness
Mahlstick - ✔✔stick with a padded head used to rest and support your hand to keep it
steady while drawing or painting
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, Kneaded rubber eraser - ✔✔can be manipulated and rolled into smaller sizes to erase
small areas, and it will not leave eraser crumbs behind
Gum eraser - ✔✔-yellowish and will crumble quickly
-best for larger areas
Pink eraser - ✔✔-firmer and more precise, but it will still leave crumbs on the paper
Parchment - ✔✔-commonly used drawing surface used in the Middle Ages
-animal skin
Paper - ✔✔-first created in A.D. 105 in China
-wasn't widely used as a drawing material until it was produced more quickly and
more inexpensively in the 1800s
-comes in hot-pressed and cold-pressed surfaces
-Hot-pressed paper will be smooth, whereas cold-pressed paper will have a texture
-A smooth surface will allow for greater detail and better control of pencil marks,
whereas a rough surface is better suited for looser drawing and sketching or for a
drawing with a rough texture
Archival (paper) - ✔✔acid-free, doesn't yellow or deteriorate over time. should be used
for finished drawings, whereas any paper can be used for preliminary sketches
Hatching - ✔✔-technique that uses closely placed parallel lines to create shading and
tones
Crosshatching - ✔✔-when hatching is used perpendicular to itself, creating heavier
shades and tones
Critique - ✔✔1. Describe visual facts
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
Processes & Materials Exam 2025
Questions and Answers 100% Pass
Origins of drawing - ✔✔-first was created on cave walls as early as 10,000 B.C.
-by Egyptians starting in 3,000 B.C.
-originally used to express ideas and scenes in cave paintings
-In the Middle Ages, drawings were mainly completed on animal skins, wood, wax, or
slate
Drawing in the Renaissance Era - ✔✔-became more widely used due to availability of
paper
-artists would learn to draw before painting or sculpting
-used to study and record nature and anatomy
-artists used pen and ink, as well as black and red charcoal
Charcoal - ✔✔an early drawing material made from slowly burned wood. Charcoal was
used for cave drawings, when burnt sticks were rubbed on cave walls
Red chalk - ✔✔-made from iron oxide pigment and refined clay
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,-popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Leonardo da Vinci used it for many
sketches
Black chalk - ✔✔-carbonaceous shale, and it is softer than red chalk
-used in 15th-century Italy for underdrawings for ink or metal point artwork
-Albrecht Dürer and Anthony van Dyck used black chalk for portraits
White chalk - ✔✔-calcium carbonate or soapstone
-used for highlights on drawings
Conté crayons - ✔✔-developed in the early 1800s
-made in red, black, and white
-harder than chalk and produce smoother lines
Ink - ✔✔-liquid pigment that can be used with a pen or a brush
-commonly used for writing
Pens - ✔✔-first made with bird feathers (quills) and reeds, and later they were created
with metal tips
Pencils - ✔✔-made from graphite encased in wood
-available in a range of hardnesses, from 10H to 10B
-10B pencil has the softest lead, and it will wear down quickly, leaving the darkest mark
on the paper
-in the middle are F and HB, which are a medium hardness and darkness
Mahlstick - ✔✔stick with a padded head used to rest and support your hand to keep it
steady while drawing or painting
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, Kneaded rubber eraser - ✔✔can be manipulated and rolled into smaller sizes to erase
small areas, and it will not leave eraser crumbs behind
Gum eraser - ✔✔-yellowish and will crumble quickly
-best for larger areas
Pink eraser - ✔✔-firmer and more precise, but it will still leave crumbs on the paper
Parchment - ✔✔-commonly used drawing surface used in the Middle Ages
-animal skin
Paper - ✔✔-first created in A.D. 105 in China
-wasn't widely used as a drawing material until it was produced more quickly and
more inexpensively in the 1800s
-comes in hot-pressed and cold-pressed surfaces
-Hot-pressed paper will be smooth, whereas cold-pressed paper will have a texture
-A smooth surface will allow for greater detail and better control of pencil marks,
whereas a rough surface is better suited for looser drawing and sketching or for a
drawing with a rough texture
Archival (paper) - ✔✔acid-free, doesn't yellow or deteriorate over time. should be used
for finished drawings, whereas any paper can be used for preliminary sketches
Hatching - ✔✔-technique that uses closely placed parallel lines to create shading and
tones
Crosshatching - ✔✔-when hatching is used perpendicular to itself, creating heavier
shades and tones
Critique - ✔✔1. Describe visual facts
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
