226 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR 



When we are drawing any subject from nature, we are sup- 

 posed to be standing on an imaginary line which goes off directly 

 on our right hand and on our left, and therefore neither 

 advances nor retreats in its direction. Having thus placed 

 ourselves, we must look directly before us ; consequently, the 

 way we are looking, which we will call the direction of sight, 

 will form right angles with this imaginary line upon which we 

 are supposed to stand. Now this imaginary line indicates our 

 position, and if we were engaged in tracing a landscape from 

 nature upon a piece of glass (which would be the picture plane), 

 that glass or picture would necessarily be placed parallel to this 

 imaginary line that marks our position : therefore whatever line 

 in nature is found to be perpendicular to the picture plane 

 would be perpendicular to the line of position also ; and similarly, 

 any line of the object which formed an angle with the one, 

 would in like manner form an angle with the other. To most 

 of our pupils this will no doubt be sufficiently clear, but as we 

 wish to make it evident to all, if possible, we ask them to turn 

 to Figs. 5 and 6, Lesson II. in Geometrical Perspective, Vol. II., 

 page 225, which will illustrate our remarks. It will be seen how 

 the picture plane is situated with regard to the eye, E. It is 

 parallel with our position when we stand before it and look 

 directly towards it, and when a line from the eye E to the surface 

 of the picture will form right angles with the picture plane, 

 as the line E PS with HL. Well, then, admitting this to bo 

 the case, we can understand that if a line in the object is so 

 placed that each end is equidistant from the picture plane 

 (that is, parallel with it), we have nothing more to do than 

 draw it across the paper; it has no vanishing point; but 

 when the line has one end nearer to the eye than the other, 

 it then retires and is at an angle both with our position and 

 the picture plane : all lines similar to this must have their vanish- 

 ing points. 



After the above remarks, we now come to the object of the 

 present lesson, namely, to give some general directions to our 

 pupils how they are to proceed when they are drawing retiring 

 lines from nature. 



The rule in Geometrical Perspective for finding a vanishing 

 point is, " Draw a line from the station point parallel to the 

 ground plan as far as the picture plane." When drawing from 

 nature, our practice must be founded upon this regulation when 

 we desire to determine the vanishing points for the retiring 

 lines of buildings or other regular objects at whatever angle 

 they may appear before us ; all of which can very easily be 

 done without the necessity of making a plan of the subject, 

 even were that possible. We recommend the practice of a few 

 very simple problems in Geometrical Perspective ; for we can 

 testify how much this branch of art prepares the mind of tho 

 student of nature to perceive facts which might otherwise be 

 lost to him. It gives him confidence in placing his lines, and 

 the proportions of the whole and parts of objects, so that when 

 a doubt arises he has a means at hand to dispel it; therefore wo 

 urge those of our pupils whose only desire is to draw from 

 nature without having any intention to pursue any branch of art 

 in which geometrical drawing is indispensable, not to neglect 

 the advantages a little geometrical knowledge affords, as we 

 know from long experience how it imparts a readiness and 

 certainty in drawing lines which in thousands of hands would 

 run wild without its guidance. Upon the same principle we 

 should, in Geometrical Perspective, " draw a line from the station 

 point parallel with the ground plan:" so in like manner the 

 student, when standing before his subject, should hold up his 

 arm horizontally and parallel with the retiring side of the build- 

 ing he is about to draw, and if he then looks in the direction of 

 his arm he will find he is pointing to the vanishing point, which 

 probably may be marked by some conspicuous object in the 

 distance, perhaps a particular tree or cottage, which he must 

 fix as a vanishing point. He must then hold up his pencil at 

 arm's length, and horizontally between his eye and the build- 

 ing, and measure its length on the pencil, then see how many 

 of these lengths will be repeated between the end of the build- 

 ing and the object which had been previously marked as the 

 vanishing point. We will suppose it is repeated twice : he 

 must then commence by drawing the horizontal line, and then 

 decide upon the size of the building, or the space he intends it to 

 occupy in his drawing ; say from a to b (Fig. 4). Repeat that 

 space twice on the HL, first to c and then to e, which will be 

 the vanishing point for all the parallel and horizontal retiring 



lines upon that side of the building. The same practice must 

 be observed for the retiring end of the building : the arm must 

 be extended in a parallel direction to it, the point fixed upon, 

 and the building measured on the pencil as before, and the 

 distance repeated till it reaches the object the arm pointed at. 

 (See Fig. 4, where it is repeated once and a half, first at d and 

 the half at /, the object pointed at.) If we place ourselves 

 further away from the building, its measured length would be 

 repeated oftener to reach the VP. For an explanation of this 

 see the remarks upon Fig. 39, " Lessons in Drawing," Vol. I., 

 page 137. Another method, or substitute for holding out the arm 

 to find the VP, is to place the pencil or a long ruler between 

 the eye and upon or coinciding with the retiring lines. Those 

 lines which are above the eye or HL will incline downwards, 

 those below the eye will incline upwards, all meeting at the 

 same vanishing point. (See "Lessons in Drawing," No. III n 

 Vol. I., page 72, explanation of the VP.) Suppose we are about 

 to draw tho church (Fig. 5). As we are obliged to sit near to 

 it, we are compelled to make the point of sight at a in order 

 to bring the whole subject within the angle of vision, 60, 

 and consequently make it a case of angular perspective. If we 

 could have sat further away from it, we might have made it a 

 case of parallel perspective, and have fixed the point of sight 

 at the VP of the end of the building. Under the present cir- 

 cumstances, if we hold out the arm parallel to the end of tho 

 building, we shall be pointing to the tree as the VP ; this 

 would be the vanishing point also for the parallel retiring lines 

 of the porch. The ridge of the roof and all lines parallel with 

 it would retire in the other direction, but being at a very small 

 angle with tho picture plane or with our position, they would 

 meet the horizontal line at some distance out of the picture, so 

 that it would be impossible to place the vanishing point within 

 the paper ; therefore we must hold up the pencil horizontally 

 between the eye and the roof, like the line b c, by which we 

 ascertain the proportion of the inclination. 



It is a very difficult task to give a written explanation of all 

 that is to be observed when drawing from nature. The broad, 

 practical rules we have laid down we know to be simple in 

 themselves, and we have endeavoured to make our explana- 

 tions equally so, hoping very few of our pupils will fail to 

 understand them, as we have written under a supposition that 

 the problems in Geometrical Perspective in these pages have 

 been studied, because through a knowledge of them many and 

 great difficulties will be rendered easy and our explanations 

 intelligible. If the eye only is to be depended upon, as 

 some maintain, what need is there for any assistance at all, 

 either from written instructions or from tho lips of a master ? 

 As we have said before, there is not a line in nature but is 

 subject to some especial rule for its representation ; and unless 

 the rule has been the guide for placing it, without fail that rule 

 will become its judge to condemn it. 



LESSONS IN GERMAN. XLI. 



SECTION LXXXIIL IDIOMATIC PHRASES (continued). 

 93ctenfcn tragcn (to bear or have hesitation) may be rendered 

 " to hesitate, to doubt;" as : 3cf> tragc SSebcnfen, c gu tfjun, I hesi- 

 tate to do it. Sr trug Sctenfen, e3 mtr anjiiBcrtrauen, he hesitated 

 to entrust it to me. 



1. 35 er compounded with verbs commonly expresses the idea 

 of away, a loss, wrong, etc. ( 97, 3. 4.) ; as : Sretben, to drive ; 

 scrtm&en, to drive away. @pteten, to play; erftnefat, to lose at 

 play. Scitcn, to guide; crlctten, to misguide (to guide wrong) ; 

 as . sjyie fcfyned fietfltefjt cine frotye, gliicfltcfye titnte, how quickly a 

 joyful, happy hour passes away. 3c$ tyo&e mtc$ ser^&rt, I have 

 heard wrong (misunderstood), etc. Certain uses, however, of 

 this and many others of the same class ( 95, etc.) are best illus- 

 trated by examples ; thus, fcfyen signifies to see, and erfc^cn, to 

 provide. Segen, to lay; and scrtegcn, to mislay: also, figuratively, 

 to furnish, and hence to publish (a book), that is, to furnish the 

 necessary means for producing the book, etc. 



2. QScr frequently answers to our "on;" as: 3BaS ge^t Ijiei' 

 or ? what is going on here ? 



VOCABULARY. 



2(eu'pcrung, /. ut- 

 terance, expres- 

 sion. 



TO. requisi- 1 SMflatb, n. billiards, 

 tion, claim, de- S3fafen, to blow, 

 mand. sound. 



