DRAWING. 



Practical sepia. Over these the tints of the different objects are 

 Drawing. p ut on ^ as g^ Teal ]y mentioned. 



^ift^T" Bv m i x in w 'i ta tne colours of the sky, and the grey 

 methods of tints of the distant shadows, a very small portion of per- 

 drawing in manent white, great addition'will be made to the solidity 

 water co- an } appearance of air of these parts. The quantity of 

 white must be excessively small, and when in due pro- 

 portion, will not be discovered by making any differ- 

 ence on the general appearance of the object, and these 

 tints may be washed over as often as the effect may re- 

 quire ; and this may even be practised both on the lights 

 and shadows in every part of the drawing. 



Sometimes a drawing is carried through its different 

 stages without the use of any middle tint, by putting 

 on the lights and shadows of the different objects at the 

 same time ; the lights, of course, of their proper colour, 

 and the shadows composed of tints, wherein the colour 

 of the object and the greyness of shadow are combined, 

 and blending them into each other when wet ; and these 

 tints, both in light and shade, may be retouched with 

 other tints, according to the variety and depth required 

 in the several parts. 



The practice of some artists, is to put repeated wash- 

 es of the pure colours singly, making out every part 

 with greater brightness than is 'intended, and then to 

 wash down with grey or neutral tints each object, ac- 

 cording to its relation to the whole ; and these tints 

 will be much improved by the addition of the smallest 

 quantity of permanent white, as already mentioned. 



Another method much practised, which has a good 

 effect, is to lay over the different objects with the tints 

 of their respective shadows, without leaving any light. 

 The light will be afterwards taken out by putting on 

 touches with clean water in a hair pencil, according to 

 the form of the lights required, and rubbing the paper 

 with soft bread till all the colour be entirely brought 

 off the parts, and the lights will be put over on tho.>e 

 parts where the tint of the shadow has been taken off. 

 In this way, the lights of such objects which, from the 

 complexity or peculiarity of the forms, it would be 

 .tedious and difficult to leave out, as in the foliage and 

 ramification of a thin tree appearing light against a 

 dark object, or in analogous cases, will be made with 

 the greatest minuteness and precision. This may be 

 rxtended to almost any object in any part of the pic- 

 ture ; and in the fore-ground, in particular, the degree 

 of roughness which it gives, (which is indeed a stum- 

 bling block to the ignorant,) is of most essential advan- 

 tage, in giving a variety of surface in rocks, trunks of 

 trees, &c. ; and these tints may be washed over as of- 

 ten as necessary, till the parts are brought up to then- 

 proper tone, and if found not light enough, the process 

 of wetting with the hair pencil, and rubbing with the 

 bread, may be repeated as often as occasion may re- 

 quire. The lights on the surface of a piece of water, 

 or the smoke of any distant fire, &c. will be much as- 

 '<:J by touching them up with permanent white. 

 When the drawing is found to have received too 

 much local colour, thereby depriving it of the requisite 

 effect of air, it will easily be brought down to the ut- 

 most delicacy of tint, by washing it over with a great 

 quantity of water and a flat tin brush ; taking care that 

 all the colour that is disengaged from the paper be pro- 

 perly washed away, so that the brilliancy of the lights 

 may not be injured by any of the dark colour. When 

 the drawing is brought to a sufficient delicacy of effect, 

 and has become perfectly dry, any deficiences in sharp- 

 of form or brightness of colour, may be supplied by 

 retouching with the several colours. 



The sponge is likewise an important auxiliary to a Prair>.v 

 painter in this department of his art ; as when any ob- ^* 

 ject has received a tone of colour, or even a form which j^^Tof 

 he would wish to change, he may proceed with the 6 p on ging. 

 wet sponge till he has got it sufficiently lightened, or 

 even, if necessary, entirely taken out ; and this will be 

 no detriment to the general appearance of his drawing, 

 as the paper is roughened already, as directed above, as 

 much as it can be : it is obvious, however, that unless 

 the paper be of considerable thickness, it will not ad- 

 mit the repetition of this process very frequently. 



When the shadows of any objects, more particularly 

 in the distance, have acquired too great a degree of 

 brightness, it may sometimes be reduced by a method, 

 the efficacy of which would not, d priori, be suspected ; 

 namely, by a thin wash of yellow ochre over the part, 

 and sometimes a very thin wash of permanent white, or 

 even, in certain circumstances, of pipe clay, will have 

 the same effect. 



We have already elsewhere cautioned the painter 

 against the use of white lead, in any shape ; as, from itg 

 opacity, and the blackness that it in a very short time 

 acquires, it is altogether unfit for water-colour draw- 

 ing. 



In making out the effect of the reflexions of objects Reflexions 

 in water, (always presupposing the knowledge of per- of objects in 

 spective necessary, to give each object its proper form water - 

 and situation,) in order to represent the effect of soft- 

 ness and delicacy, so beautiful in nature, produced by 

 the blending of the tints of one object into those of ano- 

 ther, the paper should be damped all over the part to 

 be wrought upon, in the manner already prescribed for 

 doing a sky ; and the broad masses of colour, according 

 to the tint required for each object, will be laid on. 

 The dampness of the paper, aided by the roughness of 

 its surface, will give a softness and liquidity to the wa- 

 ter, which could not be produced in any other way ; 

 and this process may be repeated when it has dried, 

 as often as expedient, till the necessary effect be pro- 

 duced. 



On the foreground, when a few touches of a very 

 dark colour are required, indigo, and a little lake, will 

 form a tint of the deepest tone possible, which, how- 

 ever, must be used with great caution, in order to avoid 

 harshness. 



As coldness is one of the most disagreeable defects 

 that a picture can have, it will always be advisable to 

 paint on rather a warm key ; and this, when carried to 

 any excess, may be much more easily corrected, by the 

 introduction of a few cool grays in the shadows, than 

 to give any appearance of warmth when the effect has 

 got into the opposite extreme. This coolness will be 

 best given, by a mixture of madder, lake, and indigo; 

 and a very small quantity of this tint will be sufficient 

 for the purpose. 



We have made no mention of Prussian blue, which Prussian 

 though a more brilliant colour than indigo, is not so well 1>lue - 

 adapted, and has indeed lately been almost totally explo- 

 ded from water-colour drawing. There is one serious 

 disadvantage to which it is subject, namely, that in the 

 grey already mentioned, made up of blue and Indian 

 red, if the Prussian blue were used instead of indigo, 

 the action of light upon it would soon discharge all the 

 blue, and leave nothing but the colour of the red. This 

 ought to be most particularly attended to, as in a few 

 days the whole tone of the drawing would be complete- 

 ly changed. 



The paper, before beginning to work on it at ajl, should 

 be fixed on a drawing board, and made as fiat as pos- 



