104 



THE POPULAE EDUCATOR. 



more easily and correctly arranged for the commencement of a 

 drawing than those parts which are much above, or to the right 

 or left of the eye. We have frequently seen beginners sit down 

 to draw a house from a copy, and commence with the chimney, 

 scratching away without having made any settlement as to the 

 walls, doors, windows, etc., and when they get to the bottom 

 find it altogether out of proportion. Who can expect anything 

 but difficulty and failure, if he attempt to copy a drawing after 

 ihis manner ? No, we must copy from copies as we would copy 

 from objects. When we are seated opposite the house of which 

 we are about to make a drawing, it will naturally occur to the 

 mind that the parts most in view, and best seen and understood, 

 must be the first to be drawn, for from them the proportions of 



with the wall have the same vanishing point. A question may 

 be asked with regard to the point of sight, as to whether the 

 drawing, Fig. 33 (or any other where the point of sight is the 

 principal vanishing point), could have been correctly made if 

 the point of sight had been to the left of the door at g, instead 

 of the right ? Certainly it could. We have stated the point 

 of sight determines the part of the building which is directly 

 opposite us from the spot where we stand. This spot, re- 

 member, is called the " station point." If the point of sight 

 had been to the left in this subject, we should not have seen 

 such a broad extent of the retiring side of the projecting wall, 

 c e ; if it had been at h, we should not be able to see this re- 

 tiring side at all, since we cannot see round a corner. Therefore 



all the rest of the subject are made and arranged. It very 

 rarely occurs to any one, when drawing from the object, that to 

 begin with the chimney is the right thing ; then why should we 

 do it when drawing from copies ? When drawing a building, 

 always commence with the parts opposite and on a level with 

 the eye, and proceed to the foundation ; then the superstructure 

 may next be sketched, and the chimneys added last of all. 

 Follow this practice in drawing from copies, and then you will 

 not find any difficulty when you are drawing from objects. 



When the question, "Where are we to begin?" refers to 

 ornament, or to an arrangement of objects which can be placed 

 on a table, look well at the whole first ; then examine it care- 

 fully to discover the principal lines and characteristic angles, 

 and bygin with those nearest to the centre, passing outwardly 

 from all sides of the centre gradually, without allowing any line 

 of importance to be unnoticed, that is, unmarked. 



In Pig. 32 the eye of the pupil will quickly recognise the 

 lines which go to the point of sight, and he will observe that 

 the retiring lines of the window thrown open at a right angle 



it will be evident that four or five persons might sit in a row, 

 all draw the same object, and all produce correct drawings, 

 though not all alike, arising from the difference of position, 

 each having his own point of sight, and each drawing his re- 

 tiring lines to that point. 



We said, when giving an explanation of the definitions or 

 fixed principles relating to retiring lines and planes, that the last 

 (Definition 11) should engage our attention at a future time; 

 we will now endeavour to make it clear with the help of a 

 drawing, after repeating the definition itself, which was as 

 follows : " All lines inclined with the horizon and with the 

 picture plane, have their vanishing points above or below the 

 line of sight, according to the angle they form with the _ horizon, 

 their vanishing points being always on a line perpendicular to 

 the vanishing point upon the line of sight, to which they would 

 have retired had they been horizontal." 



In Fig. 33 the learner will perceive that the inclined retiring 

 lines are the lines of the roof ab and cd. If the roof had been flat 

 that is. horizontal its line would have been c e, and would 



