VI. THE PARABLE OF JOASH. 1 29 



done by a careful and firm pen outline on grey 

 paper, with a slight wash of colour afterwards, 

 reinforced in the darks ; then marking the lights 

 with white. This method is classic and authoritative, 

 being used by many of the greatest masters, (by 

 Holbein continually ;) and it is much the best which 

 the general student can adopt for expression of the 

 action and muscular power of plants. 



The goodness or badness of such work depends 

 absolutely on the truth of the single line. You will 

 find a thousand botanical drawings which will give 

 you a delicate and deceptive resemblance of the 

 leaf, for one that will give you the right convexity 

 in its backbone, the right perspective of its peaks 

 when they foreshorten, or the right relation of depth 

 in the shading of its dimples. On which, in leaves 

 as in faces, no little expression of temper depends. 



Meantime we have yet to consider somewhat 

 more touching that temper itself, in next chapter. 



