DRAWING. 



113 



II;AU ING, I'KACTICAL, is the art uf imitating on a 

 Oru-mj{. |)|- |)cr surface, by lines and colours, the natural nppcarun- 

 < ""~ .'""'' cos of visible objects. The difference between this and the 

 term Piiiitliii!; Iwve not been accurately defined. The for- 

 mer is, however, more commonly applied to those slighter 

 works of art, that are executed in chalk, Indian ink, or 

 water-colours ; while, by the term painting, is understood 

 all works in oil, fresco, or crayons, and sometimes the 

 more highly finished works in water-colours. 



The theoretical parts of the art, which are equally ap- 

 plicable to all the branches of it, as far as they respec- 

 tively go, from sublime allegory to the humble depart- 

 ments of flowers and butterflies, will be found, in what 

 relates to the form of objects, in the preceding artide ; 

 and the great principles of chiar' oscuro and colouring, 

 will be more clearly elucidated under the article PAINT- 

 ING: We shall here, therefore, consider drawing only in a 

 practical point of view, by treating of the processes and 

 operations employed in die various parts of it. 



As- the principal and most distinguishing attributes of 

 most objects are contained in their form, the foundation 

 of every branch of this part of the art is correctness of 

 outline, without which the finest colouring and most la- 

 borious finishing will fail to convey the true character of 

 the object to be represented. 



In copying any object, or sot of objects, whether from 

 nature or from a picture, it is evident that, on whatever 

 .scale it is performed, whether larger or smaller than the 

 original, the proportion of the pnrts of an object to the 

 w hole, and of one object to another, in the various rela- 

 tions of length, breadth, height, and distance, is the ba- 

 sis of correctness of form and true delineation. 

 Drawing Whatever department of the art may be the student's 

 the figure, ultimate aim, the habits of correctness, and accuracy of 

 eye and hand, which are desirable in all of them, will be 

 best acquired by careful practice in drawing the human 

 figure, whether from prints, drawings, or from plaster 

 casts. As the gentle undulations and delicate inflexions 

 of form, of which the human figure is in a most peculiar 

 manner composed, demand the utmost attention, and as 

 the slightest inaccuracy instantly discovers itself, by dis- 

 torting, or at least changing, the character of the object, 

 his eye will speedily acquire that faculty of minute dis- 

 crimination, which will extend itself to every species of 

 objects, and render every thing easy which he may af- 

 terwards attempt, whether animals, the ramification or 

 foliage of trees, buildings, mountains, &c. 



Although it is usually recommended that the student 

 begin with detached parts of the human figure, such as 

 eyes, noses, hands, feet, and the like, and that when he 

 has acquired tolerable facility in this, he may proceed to 

 whole figures, yet he will derive greater advantage from 

 beginning these at (Oiirc. The figure ought of course to 

 be simplified in its details as much as possible, and, 

 that it may be the more easily comprehended, a cer- 

 tain formality in the attitude may at first be advisable, 

 which may afterwards be gradually varied according to 

 the progress of the student. He will thus acquire suffi- 

 cient accuracy in the smaller parts ; and, what is more 

 difficult, a correctness and facility in arranging and dispo- 

 sing the larger masses of the several members, according 

 to their various proportions and relations to each other. 



In beginning an .outline, the general proportions of 

 the larger parts should be first blocked out, if we may 

 use the expression ; and these may be considered rat lid- 

 US to their situation than their form. When this has been 



VOL. VIII. PART I. 



done with sufficient accuracy, lie will then gradually de- Practical 

 scend to the more minute parts, till tho whole is comple- Drawinjt. 

 ted. The advantage of this method is sufficiently ob- """Y"^ 

 vious ; for if the student begin with the more minute 

 parts at once, finishing his outline as he goes on, he will 

 not proceed with the same certainty ; the parts will not 

 be so well put together ; and when a correction is to be 

 made in the general inclination of an arm, a leg, or the 

 trunk, all the time and attention that he has bestowed on 

 the minutiae are entirely thrown away. 



In marking out the leading lines and points of the ob- 

 ject to be copied, he should begin by assuming the size 

 of some part of the figure ; the head, for instance, to 

 which all the other parts arc to be proportioned, accord- 

 ing to their relative magnitudes, whether larger or 

 smaller; and a few of the most prominent points should 

 be carefully marked in their true proportions, according to 

 their respective distances and bearings, whether lying ho- 

 rizontally, obliquely, or perpendicularly with each other. 



In order to assist the eye in placing the various parts 

 in their proper, relative, perpendicular situations, a small 

 plummet is sometimes used ; but it is better to habituate 

 the eye to lead itself from one point to another in any 

 given direction, without any other auxiliary than the 

 correctness which careful practice may have given it. 



With regard to the style in which the lines ought to 

 be executed, the student ought to aim at nothing further 

 than a correct, neat, and distinct outline, such as may 

 be best suited to the form and surface of the original ; 

 as freedom and boldness of execution, which dazzle and 

 mislead the ignorant, are qualities which practice only 

 can give, and, when sought after, arc too apt to lead to 

 the greatest of all defects, affectation .tnd manner. 



It lias often been recommended to beginners, and that 

 by respectable authority, in order to enable them to turn 

 their hand, to practise the drawing of straight, curved, 

 and parallel lines in every direction, without reference to 

 the delineation of any particular object; but all this may 

 be as easily acquired at the same time that the learner 

 is improving the correctness of his eye, by the represen- 

 tation of objects wherein every species of lines occur ; 

 and no one is better calculated for this purpose than the 

 human figure. 



When the student has attained considerable proficien- 

 cy in outline, he may proceed to the shading of his fi- 

 gures, which may be done with black lend, black or red 

 chalk, or Indian ink, bistre, sepia, or the like. But black 

 chalk is, upon the whcje, best adapted to this purpose. 

 There are several ways of using the black chalk, viz. by nmwing in 

 the method called hatching, which is jx-i formed by parallel black clmlk. 

 lines crossing each other at certain angles, according to 

 the nature of the shadow and form of the object represent- 

 ed, which is the same principle as that on which stroke 

 engravings are executed: as also by smooth shadows pro- 

 duced by the chalk, without the appearance of any lines. 

 Of this last there arc many varieties, which we shall 

 presently notice. The first mentioned of these methods, 

 which, when skilfully executed, has indeed a very good 

 effect, is not to be recommended to the painter, as the 

 laying the lines, as die engravers call it, is so difficult 

 and so essential a part of this mode of working, that die 

 student is apt, in attending to this subordinate part, thi* 

 language in which he is expressing himself, to neglect die 

 subject of which he is treating. To the young engraver 

 _it may, however, be useful in assisting him in the practice 

 of the uivdiiuiiijuc of his art. 



