DRAWING. 



115 



J figure will be of course modified, according to the taste 

 Drawing. o f the artist, or the intention he may have in view. In 

 v "" "~Y~~~ order to have a good view of the figure, it should 

 never be nearer the eye than twice its own length. 

 Those general precepts which we have given above for 

 drawing the figure, apply to a certain extent to all vi- 

 sible objects, varying and modifying the style of out- 

 line and shading in the way that seems best calculated 

 to express the qualities of form and surface of objects 

 he is imitating ; and this talent will be best acquired, by 

 the attentive observation and comparison of nature with 

 the works of other artists. 



Drawing In the drawing of landscape, the same process in the 

 landscape. ou tline must be adopted as in the figure or other ob- 

 jects ; that is to say, to begin with those great lines 

 which bound the principal masses, and from these to 

 proceed to the smaller ones : but as the various objects 

 which it is the province of landscape painting to repre- 

 sent, differ most essentially from the human figure, and 

 from each other, a separate style of outline must be 

 adopted for each. A tree, for instance, as it consists 

 of many small parts, which it is impossible for any 

 mere outline to represent, and as these parts vary con- 

 siderably in their appearance, according to their dis- 

 tance and their condition with regard to light and shade, 

 such a mode of imitation must be adopted as will best 

 express, in a general way, those appearances ; -whilst, 

 in those near the spectator, even the character, both of 

 the foliage and ramification of the species to which it 

 belongs, whether oak, ash, beech, &c. must be attend- 

 ed to. 



As the forms of hills are distinct and well defined, 

 they do not admit of that latitude of generalization 

 which must necessarily be allowed in the drawing of 

 trees; every feature must be marked distinctly, and with 

 almost the same accuracy, that we have inculcated in 

 drawing the figure. Lines, besides what is sufficient 

 to express the exact contour of the object, should like- 

 wise be touched here and there over the whole object, 

 when near enough to be seen distinctly, in order to con- 

 vey a true idea of its acclivity and of its surface, whe- 

 ther broken by precipices, or covered with wood, and 

 even expressing the character and position of the strata 

 of which it may be composed, when visible. The ne- 

 cessity of this cannot be too much pressed, as it is too 

 frequently the practice, by neglecting it, to give a form 

 and character so different from the original, as to ren- 

 der it hardly recognizable. 



In drawing architecture, (we speak here not of geo- 

 metrical elevations and plans, but of architecture as 

 fonningapart of landscape painting,) when the surface 

 is smooth, the outline must be executed with a clean 

 straight line, and a ruler may even be occasionally em- 

 ployed to advantage ; great attention should be paid to 

 the squaring and precision of the turnings in the cor- 

 nices, doors, windows, &c. ; and on the parts where 

 the shadow comes, the objects may be marked with a 

 firm dark outline. 



In drawing any set of objects, which are all of the 

 same size and height, such as a range of windows, 

 arches, or columns, in order to keep them in their 

 proper places, lines should be drawn as light as pos- 

 sible, according to their perspective inclination, which 

 will include the upper and lower part of them all; and 

 before making them out individually, these lines must 

 be divided, according to the number and situation of 

 the objects, whatever they may be. By this means, the 

 position and magnitude of each will be accurately found; 

 much trouble in altering and correcting will thus be 



Practical 

 Drawing. 



saved ; and the occult lines will be rubbed out as soon 

 as the delineation of the several objects is completed. 



Without a knowledge of the rules of linear perspec- nTTDCT 



1 -I nl I* Ui*WIIlg 



tive, nothing in this way can be well done, as nothing landscape. 

 in painting occurs which is not subject to the influence 

 of its laws ; as the beauty and truth of such objects, 

 besides the spirit and character of the outline, depend 

 much on the proper inclination of the lines of the va- 

 rious objects, according to their convergence to their 

 respective vanishing points ; and although much care- 

 ful practice may give a general correctness of percep- 

 tion to the eye, which may prevent gross mistakes, yet 

 as the principles are wanting which give certainty and 

 decision, perpetual errors will intrude themselves; and 

 to the more intelligent critic, the artist's ignorance of 

 this indispensible requisite of his art will instantly dis- 

 play itself. 



We shall now proceed to give a few hints on some 

 of the more minute parts of the practice of outlining. 

 These, to some, may perhaps appear trifling and im- 

 pertinent; but as method is most essential in every me- 

 chanical art, and mere delineation is nothing else, we 

 are convinced that the student will readily assent to 

 their utility ; for though, by experience and practice, 

 he will ultimately find them out himself, yet as they 

 are not so obvious at first, his progress will be much 

 accelerated by their communication. 



In drawing arches, or other similar objects, whether 

 of a circular or elliptical form, the vertical lines on 

 which they rest, representing their piers, should first 

 be drawn ; the points from which they spring at both 

 sides, and the highest point at the key-stone, should 

 then be marked'; and before these points are connected 

 by their proper lines, he will be able to form an idea of 

 the appearance and proportion of the part, and he will 

 proceed with his work with less doubt and uncertainty ; 

 he will likewise attend to the radiated appearance of 

 the joints of the stones that compose the arch, taking 

 care that they converge to the centre of the circle of 

 which it is formed : this ought to be particularly attend- 

 ed to ; and, by neglect of this rule, younger students 

 are apt to betray themselves in drawing objects of this 

 sort. When any line, whether straight or curve, lies in 

 an oblique direction, in order to assist his eye in judging 

 of the angle of its inclination, he ought to mark points 

 for both ends of that line before drawing it ; and in ob- 

 jects wherein an approximation to the figure of an isosce- 

 les triangle occurs, as in the gable of a house or the 

 pediment of a portico, in order to preserve the neces- 

 sary uniformity of the sides, he must scrupulously at- 

 tend to the situation of the apex of the angle, consider- 

 ed both with regard to its height, and its relation to the 

 perpendicular lines, at both ends, on which it rests. 

 In delineating ruins, the lines must be executed in a 

 more ragged and uneven style, than in buildings of a 

 smoother character; making out carefully the forms of 

 the several parts, and giving that precision and firmness 

 in all their details, which instantly convince the spec- 

 tator of the intelligence of the draftsman, and the truth 

 and accuracy of his work. 



In making an outline, the mode of practice adopted 

 by many, is to divide the edges of tiJe drawing to be 

 copied, into any number of equal parts, like the degrees 

 of latitude and longitude in a map. The points at the 

 base of the drawing will give the situation of the per- 

 pendicular lines, and those on the sides their heights, 

 and vice versa, the places of the horizontal lines will 

 be found by the points in the sides, and their lengths 

 by those on the base ; but as this method is not appli~ 



