DRAWING. 



Great care should always be taken to express the 

 cylindrical character of the stem and branches 

 throughout. This is best done by putting in, at 



Fig. 9. 



the first, the dark strip which runs down the heart 

 or centre of the shadow in all cylindrical forms ; 

 and by gradually lightening the tints towards the 

 outline on the shadow side, and adding a few 

 touches, indicative of character, between it and the 

 high light, the effect of roundness will be expressed. 



The art of properly delineating foliage requires 

 more training of the hand, and a more thorough 

 appreciation of nature, than any other section of 

 landscape drawing. If the hand is not sufficiently 

 trained, its awkwardness betrays itself in every 

 effort ; and if the subject is not thoroughly under- 

 stood, the mannered artificial style acquired, at 

 once shews the want of the necessary information, 

 by the unnatural appearance of the work ; more- 

 over, every tree, possessing distinct characteristic 

 features, requires a special training of the hand 

 suited to its expression : for example, the pupil 

 may be able, after some experience, to represent 

 a willow, but may be utterly unable to draw an 

 oak. The fir, the chestnut, the alder, the ash, 

 the elm, the plane, and other trees, have each 

 features perfectly distinct from each other, and 

 which should never be permitted to intermingle. 

 The pupil should never allow the texture of the 

 oak to mix with that of the elm, or that of the 

 willow with the ash, and so with the others. 

 Error in this respect is very common, as many 

 seem to imagine that, by acquiring a certain style 

 of scribbling, it will suit trees generally ; and not 

 only these, but grass and herbage. But, after all, 

 there is little real difficulty ; the training of the 

 hand is easily acquired by ordinary patience ; 

 and the knowledge of the characteristics of nature 

 thus acquired is a source of great pleasure. 



The first lesson should be a simple cluster of 

 leaves, as indicated at a, in fig. 10. It will be 

 observed that in this, the leaves bend over on 



both sides from their own weight, and appear 

 attached to the same twig. At b, there are three 

 of these clusters attached ; and at c, there are 

 several of these supposed to be connected by the 



same branch, forming a mass which presents the 

 same characteristics as the simple cluster of 

 leaves. It will be observed that each of the 

 smaller clusters bends over according to its posi- 

 tion, in the same way as each leaf bends over in 

 the simple cluster ; hence, it is useful, in sketch- 

 ing-in a mass of foliage, to outline it, as at d, 

 which, it will be observed, very much resembles a 

 in its character. 



Care must also be taken to think of the twigs, 

 and the leaves they support, with reference to the 

 branches. At/, there is a serrated leafy outline ; 

 but the large bald centre does not suggest foliage ; 

 it means nothing. As this mistake is very 

 common in beginning this branch of drawing, 

 care must be taken to attach the leaves together, 

 as at a. 



In these examples, the foliage is supposed to be 

 in the light, and seen against a light background : 

 it is expressed by simple outline. But in drawing 

 a tree, the foliage is sometimes seen light against 

 a darker portion, and sometimes dark against a 

 lighter. When the background is dark, that 

 should be put in first, the lighter portions being 

 indicated by leaving out the background. This 

 requires some dexterity, as it is a somewhat diffi- 

 cult operation ; but by using the side of the lead, 

 and putting in the background with a broad touch, 

 the abrupt indications left (as at , fig. n) give a 



Fig. 11. 



serrated appearance, which, with a few subsequent 

 touches, is readily modelled into the required 

 shape, as at c. When the leaves are seen against 

 a lighter background, the process is simple, care 

 being taken to keep the pencil blunt at the point, 

 so as to secure a broad dark touch. 



Before beginning to draw a tree, the pupil 

 should notice to what species it belongs, as a 



645 



