Red chalk

Red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown color, which was used as a material for drawing. It is obtained from the red ochre variety of hematite.¹² Another term for red chalk, common in older references,¹ is sanguine (/ˈsæŋɡwɪn/). The word comes via French from the Italian sanguigna and is originally from the Latin "sanguis"; it refers to the color's similarity to that of dried blood.

Red chalk was used by the ancient Egyptians and ancient Romans for wall painting.² By the 16th century deposits were known in Italy, Spain, Flanders, France, and Germany,¹ and the material became a popular medium for drawing.² Leonardo da Vinci, in the late 15th century, was the first major artist to work in the medium.²

Red chalk lends itself naturally to sketches, life drawings, and rustic scenes. It is ideal for rendering modeling and volume, and human flesh. In the form of wood-cased pencils and manufactured sticks, it 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 red chalk sticks comes from red earths such as red ochre.³ Sanguines are also available in several other tones such as orange, tan, brown, beige.

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  Leonardo da Vinci, Supposed self-portrait in red chalk, c. 1512
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  Mademoiselle de Mondran, Study after a Roman bust, 1786; relatively unusual in fully coloring the background