98 



THE POPULAE EDUCATOR. 



brought out by the change of light. We have no doubt that 

 many of our pupils, when they have conquered their early diffi- 

 culties, will discover with pleasure and surprise that drawing 

 from nature haa a charm about it which cannot be realised by 

 copying only. 



The necessary materials are simple : A block, that is, a solid 

 mass of paper composed of several layers bound together only 

 at the edges, so that when a drawing is completed we have only 

 to slip a penknife between it and the next paper, pass it round, 

 remove the drawing, and underneath will be found another sur- 

 face like the one already filled, ready for use. The kind of paper 

 for pencil drawing ought not to be very rough, a slight grain will 

 assist the pencil to mark freely, but on very rough paper it is 

 impossible to give a very high finish to the work ; rough papers 

 are better adapted for colours. A few pencils, H, HB, and B, and 

 a portable sketching stool, will be all that is requisite for our 

 first essay. Being now prepared, let us suppose that we are on 

 our way in search of a subject, and in the meantime we will 

 make a few observations which especially apply to beginners. 

 No one who has been accustomed to copy pictures only, can 

 altogether comprehend what a very different thing it is to draw 

 from nature until he has made the attempt, when he will discover 

 there are several reasons for the difference. One is, that all the 

 objects in the picture are reduced for him, probably to the 

 exact size ho wishes to make them ; another is, the outline upon 

 the paper haa a more definite effect than the general form in 

 nature, which admits of no actual boundary line, but presents 

 only the mass discoverable from other objects by colour, and 

 light and shade ; another reason is, that objects in nature 

 advance or recede from one another, whilst in a picture they are 

 all arranged upon one plane or surface ; and thus we are led to 

 acknowledge the necessity of knowing something both of lineal 

 and aerial perspective. It is true many depend upon the eye 

 alone for the proportions of the retiring parts as they recede, 

 and consequently are liable to make frequent and serious mis- 

 takes, which a little acquaintance with perspective would 

 prevent; but we intend to take up this part of our subject 

 again. 



Wo will now pass on to another consideration with reference 

 to the choice of subject for the first attempt of a beginner. 

 Wo well know the feelings with which most beginners go out 

 for the first time to draw from nature ; their enthusiasm 

 would persuade them to attempt great things ; nothing short of 

 some extensive prospect, hill and dale, woods, rivers, buildings 

 in short, a whole country side. Upon this point we wish to 

 caution our pupils. It is one of the first and greatest mistakes 

 which young painters make when they begin to draw from 

 nature ; nearly all, without exception, sit down to take some 

 extensive view, without a question as to its composition, and 

 without any inquiry whether they will bo able to go through 

 with it. The principal reason they give for their choice is "the 

 beauty of the scene." Wo knew a case some years ago of a 

 young student in the Royal Academy, who copied in the painting 

 school an elaborate landscape by an old master; succeeding 

 beyond his expectations, he felt a strong desire to paint a picture 

 from nature, having now, as he thought, acquired sufficient 

 power to justify the attempt. Accordingly, he went to the top 

 of Highgate Hill, and commenced a picture of the entire pros- 

 pect looking northward ; he worked hard for several days, but 

 found he was alternately painting in and rubbing out; the 

 constant changes of sunshine and shade, as they passed over the 

 landscape, perfectly bewildered him, and the result was that 

 he gave it up quite disheartened. He resolved, however, 

 to show the little he had done to the late Mr. Constable (the 

 painter of "The Corn-field" in the National Gallery), and ask 

 his advice. Mr. Constable looked first at the picture and then 

 at the youth, and in a quiet way, though with unmistakable 

 meaning, said, " My young friend, go and draw a gate-post, 

 and when you have done that draw two posts, and go on till 

 you can manage a dozen; afterwards add a cottage, then a 

 tree, and proceed in this way until you have power to do 

 something more elaborate before you think of painting 

 such a subject as this. You have made precisely the same 

 mistake that I made when I was your age ; you have begun at 

 the wrong end." 



The above excellent advice needs very little comment from 

 as. It is exceedingly valuable, and forcibly suggests the folly 

 of rushing headlong into a multitude of difficulties from which 



there is no escape, but at the cost of much discouragement. 

 All must acknowledge that, whatever may be the extent of tho 

 subject they propose to draw, it is essentially composed of several 

 particular objects, each of which requires a separate and careful 

 study. Now the first question every one must ask himself 

 should be, " Can I copy any one of these objects, independently 

 of tho rest? " If he cannot, let us assure him it would be use- 

 less to attempt the whole together. All who have reached any 

 eminence in the art have found from experience the advantage 

 of overcoming tho difficulties connected with single objects first. 

 Our pupils will clearly see from these remarks that the simpler 

 the subject the better for a first trial, so that as their strength 

 and confidence increase they will find themselves capable of 

 enlarging their subjects, of entering more closely into their 

 numerous details, and as they proceed a proportionate amount 

 of increasing satisfaction will be gained, and the art itself will 

 become more and more interesting. 



Fig. 1 will give some idea of tho class of subject for a first 

 attempt, and the manner of treating it, which need not be much 

 beyond a carefully arranged and cleanly drawn outline; the 

 shadows might be slightly marked in by a few parallel lines 

 under the projecting parts, down the shadowed sides of the posts, 

 to define and to bring forward the branch of a tree. In this 

 simple arrangement of a few posts and weeds, there are no 

 important retiring lines, consequently there will be no necessity 

 for vanishing points, a subject for our consideration in another 

 lesson. The distance of the station point, or the position of 

 the draughtsman from an object of this class and extent, might 

 be about a dozen or fourteen yards, because at that distance all 

 contained within its outer limits will bo considerably within an 

 angle of 60. See " Lessons in Drawing," Fig. 25, and tho remarks 

 upon it (Vol. I., page 72). Subjects of the class we have selected 

 are very common : a stile, a bridge over a brook, and many more 

 of the same kind, are to bo found almost everywhere. Wo have 

 just said that the drawing need not be more than a carefully 

 arranged outline. If for some time tho pupil will confine him- 

 self to outline, and use no more shadow than is necessary to 

 assist in making the form clear and intelligible, it will be an 

 advantage, because it is doing one thing at a time, and he is 

 not overpowering himself with difficulties; besides, shading 

 bad outlines is a waste of time, as shading cannot improve the 

 drawing, nor can it be successfully practised without tho power 

 of correct drawing, as it is only a,n additional help to represent 

 tho form marked out by the outline. There are other important 

 considerations to be attended to. Tho pupil must remember, 

 when he is seated, that the few moments before he puts his 

 pencil on the paper are very important. First, he must decide 

 how much of tho subject he intends to draw ; that being deter- 

 mined, he must fix upon the centre of tho subject to bo arranged 

 in the centre of his paper, and as in most cases the eye will bo 

 considerably below tho centre, there will then bo sufficient room 

 for the sky above, and the foreground below the object. Pro- 

 bably a single trial will induce him to make this a general rule 

 until experience has taught him to arrange this matter for 

 himself according to his position and tho nature of the subject 

 he is drawing. The next piece of advice we would give him 

 before ho begins, is to fix his whole attention upon what he 

 is about to draw ; he must examine not only of what it is com- 

 posed, but he must attentively observe how the several parts 

 are arranged with regard to each other, and what are the rules 

 and principles he has at command for his purpose. As he is 

 about to draw it as it appears to him, without attempting any 

 effect which does not strictly belong to it, he must take up one 

 principle at a time ; the first will be form this refers, in the first 

 instance, to the shape and character of the subject as a whole ; 

 then the position of the parts relative to each other; all 

 important particulars must bo carefully examined, his eye and 

 his mind must become familiar with everything ; this will 

 strengthen his confidence, so that when ho begins to draw, tho 

 acquaintance he has made with his subject will bo of the greatest 

 value. In practice, it is quite allowable to determine the 

 relative heights of the parts with one another by placing the 

 pencil horizontally before the eye, having its edge on a level 

 with any particular point, and by looking along tho remain- 

 ing portion of tho pencil when thus placed, the pupil will be 

 able to see at once which other portions are on the same level, 

 which are above, and which below ; he must notice where lines 

 if produced would cut other lines already drawn, and also whe 



