140 



We may now take up our lesson. Our subject is an elm tree 

 (Fig. 34) ; our medium, lead pencil ; our drawing to be rendered 

 in outline. 



Material. — Almost any good drawing paper, white or buff in 

 color, will answer our purpose : 9x12 is a good size. Our 

 pencil should be of medium grade lead (F. or HB.) of any 

 standard make, Kohinoor preferred. 



If procurable, we should have a light drawing board 17x22 

 inches (h^re is an opportunity for the carpenters) to place the 

 paper on, otherwise a very stiff piece of cardboard ; or a large 

 geography book might answer. It is best, however, to fasten 

 our paper, which we cannot do in using the book. For fastening 

 the paper we shall need four thumb tacks for the corners. 



A Faber or multipex pencil eraser is needed ; also a sponge 

 eraser with which to remove the light lines and clean the draw- 

 ing before lining it in. 



Our position. — Our point of view will depend upon our subject, 

 but it is not well to be so near as to necessitate raising the head 

 in order to see the top of the tree. If we take longer than one 

 sitting for our drawing (which I do not think advisable, as we 

 must not choose too complicated a subject) we must mark our posi- 

 tion in order to again obtain the same point of view. 



Position of the drawing -boar^d. — Our paper must be placed on 

 the board with its edges parallel to those of the board. The 

 drawing-board should be held perpendicular, or nearly so, to the 

 direction in which it is seen, for if the board is tilted far back- 

 ward, it will be fore-shortened and our tree probably will have 

 been drawn longer than it should be. 



How to look. — The tendency of the beginner is to see and draw 

 too much in detail. It is most essential that we look first for the 

 large shapes, the greatest dimensions ; next for the smaller ones ; 

 last for detail. It is not well for the pupils to work too close to 

 their drawings. They should occasionally sit well back in their 

 seats or get up and stand behind their chairs in order to obtain 

 the general effect of their drawing, to see that the big shapes are 

 right and that the spirit of the tree has not been lost. 



As an aid to placing our drawing so as to best fill the space it 

 has to occupy ,w^e may use what the French call a ' ' cherche-motif, ' ' 

 the English, a finder. This is nothing more than a small 



