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Jeremiah,
Thanks for your interest!
Sauce is a cross between charcoal and ink, but not really either. I first discovered sauce portraits, and the word sauce, in a book of portraits painted by the Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi 150 years ago.
His sauce "drawings" were magnificent. It took me six years to find sauce, they still make it in Russia, and another five years to figure out how to use it, but I think I have most of the bugs out. (I haven't seen any artist using sauce the way Kramskoi did before or since the 1850's with the exception of his student, Ilya Repin).
...And now you can get sauce through Richeson and Co., it is a Yarka product.
Sauce is a claylike substance, which is pressed into a stick. Because of its potency, it must be crushed into a powder to be used. As a powder, it can be used like charcoal, and has much of the qualities of charcoal, but it is much smoother, less grainy. The "magic" occurs when water is added to the sauce; it devolves completely and can be used as an ink wash. It has a full nine-value range, unlike charcoal with a six value range. You can also get some incredible effects with the combination of powdered sauce and the wet sauce.
It is, however, not for the faint of heart. I suggest working with charcoal until one is familiar with the process, then moving into sauce. I know others on this site have used sauce; it might be interesting to hear their stories. (One grain of sauce on the counter will spread with water to cover the entire surface. It is extremely potent...).
The article I wrote was in the April 2002 issue of International Artist Magazine. I am currently editing a sauce video I filmed in August. (I've been about and abroad for two months....), and that should be ready in 4 to 6 weeks. I am also working with another magazine to publish in the states.
I'll post the sauce portrait I completed for the video soon.
I have reluctantly (I do love charcoal) abandoned charcoal in the life studies I do as reference for my commissioned portraits, and am now working exclusively in sauce. I figure mastery comes with use, and I have been doing around 15 charcoal life studies a year.
Peggy
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