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If you have ever had ain- lessons in model 



drawing and shading, you will have learnt that in 



any object of globular, or approaching globular, 



form (such as an apple, orange, etc.), the darkest 



part does not extend to the extreme edge of the 



shadow side any more than the bright light falls 



on the edge of the light side. The rough sketch 



of apples at the bottom of page 71 will illustrate my 



meaning more clearly. There is a slight reflected 



light on the shadow side near the edge, while on 



the light side the extreme edge is receding from 



us, owing to the spherical form of the object, and 



therefore does not catch the light so strongly as the 



point nearest us. All this must be remembered 



in shading a rose. 



Half close your eyes to see your flower (or 



flowers) in broad masses of light and shade. I 



think I advised this in our talk on violet painting 



in the first chapter of this book, but please excuse 



me if I am rather insistent on it, for it is really 



a wonderful help ! 



If our Editor will allow me space for a digression, 



I must tell \-ou a funny little anecdote apropos of 



this practice of mine. My mother, re-arranging 



the walls of a room after re-decoration, with the 



aid of a youthful maid newly imported from the 



West Countree, asked the girl (from her elevated 



position on the high steps) if a picture she had just 



restored to its hook was hanging straight. The 



damsel hurried to the other side of the room, 



and stood gazing, head on one side, with such 



violent contortions of countenance that my mother, somewhat 



alarmed for the girl's sanity, asked, " Whatever is the matter with 



you, Alice?" "Oh! please, ma'am," was the reply, "I was only 



looking at it artistic, like Miss Maude ! " 



Whether this startling per- 

 formance was a help to her to 

 discover the exact equilibrium 

 of the water-colour, and whether 

 I look quite so comical when at 

 my work, I don't know ; but of 

 this I am sure, we can judge a 

 general effect in broad masses 

 through our half-closed lids far 

 better than when, 



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73 



