Silverpoint drawing is a traditional technique that involves dragging a metal stylus across a prepared surface to create lines that are delicate and precise. The silver point technique became popular during the late Gothic/early Renaissance era. Traditionally the metals used for Silverpoint drawing were lead, tin and silver. Silverpoint was especially favoured in Florentine and Flemish workshops because it did not blunt as easily as lead or tin and rendered precise detail. The practice has recently seen a resurgence among artists who show an interest in historical drawing techniques, these artists now commonly experiment with any bits of metal they can find such as a paper clips or nails.

silverpoint saw a decline in popularity by the 18th century as the rococo art style became more favourable among the aristocracy and upper classes. 

The disadvantages of silverpoint are the difficulty of working with the materials, Needing to prepare surfaces with a coating, traditionally gesso or Chinese white ground. Another disadvantage is the difficulty to remove marks once made, while it is possible to remove verry lightly applied marks or cover them up it becomes increasingly difficult to remove marks as harder pressure is applied to the stylus. This leaves the entire process time consuming and requires allot of skill to master. Another disadvantage is the lack of variation in colour, silverpoint using only metal allows for variation in shades as lighter and harder pressure is applied to the stylus, however attempting to apply colour requires the addition of further materials.
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