Drawing Lithic Artefacts

Stone Age researchers spend a lot of time studying and documenting lithic artefacts. Since it is impossible to study all these artefacts physically, they often rely on images. Drawings are often the most informative because the lines and symbols in these drawing contain technological information which tells the audience how the artefact depicted was made. Conversely, making these drawings is an excellent way of learning to recognise and understand this technological information.In a distant past Yannick aspired a career as an artist and while the art world is probably better off without him, he managed to find a new purpose for his artistic bend in his career as an archaeologist in the form of making lithic illustrations.Both professional and amateur archaeologists ask him questions about the drawings regularly with "It's probably very difficult, I'm sure?" the most prominent. Drawing lithic illustrations is bound to rules and conventions anybody can learn. Of course it helps if you have a deft hand at drawing, but this style of drawing is a craft, not an art form. A craft anybody can learn with a little perseverance.Starting from there, Yannick gives courses in drawing artefacts. While preparing these courses he noticed that almost no books or papers suitable as course material are available, a realisation eventually resulting in this book.Contents:1 Introduction1.1 Art or craft1.2 Why draw in the digital age1.3 Reading guide2 Conventions2.1 Introduction2.2 Terminology2.3 Angle of incidence2.4 Projections2.5 French or American projection2.6 Lines2.7 Ripples2.8 The ventral surface2.9 Burins2.10 Polished artefacts2.11 Natural phenomena and damage2.12 Burnt flint2.13 Other symbols2.14 Microliths3 Preperations3.1 Introduction3.2 Residue and use-wear analysis3.3 Digital illustration3.4 Supply list3.5 Function of the assorted supplies3.6 The work station3.7 The artefact4 The pencil drawing4.1 Introduction4.2 Preparing the graph paper4.3 The outline4.4 The dorsal ridges4.5 The dorsal negatives4.6 The ventral surface and the bulb of percussion4.7 The lateral sides4.8 The cross-section4.9 The striking platform and additional details4.10 Refits4.11 Finishing touches5 The pen drawing5.1 Preparations5.2 The lay-out5.3 Tracing the illustration5.4 Finishing touches6 Scanning and digitally editing your illustrations for publication6.1 Scanning6.2 Editing your illustration6.3 Step one: paint it black6.4 Step two: Increasing the contrast6.5 Step three: making the illustration binary6.6 Cosmetic alterations7 Conclusion