x Introduction. 



prominent. Bring out the important features ; often ignore 

 features that are of no significance. Drawing should show 

 structure rather than mere appearance. Represent things not 

 so much as they appear, but rather as they really are. To make 

 the suggestions more definite, suppose you are to make a draw- 

 ing of the perch. Prop the fish up so you get a square view of 

 its left side. In the first place the drawing should be of good 

 size, so there will be room to put in details without having them 

 crowded. About eight inches will be a good size to place 

 lengthwise on the drawing paper. It is better to make the orig- 

 inal drawing of the same size you wish for the finished drawing. 

 Determine the place of the drawing on the sheet, leaving about 

 equal space at each end, and with the drawing a little above the 

 middle, as the general label should always be beneath the draw- 

 ing. First draw a straight line for the longitudinal axis. Next 

 determine where the greatest depth of the fish is, and draw a 

 line, the transverse axis, at right angles to the main axis. Note 

 carefully whether or not the transverse axis is divided into two 

 equal parts by the longitudinal axis, i.e. whether the body of the 

 fish is more above or more below the main axis. Having these 

 points located, proceed to draw the outlines of the fish, watching 

 closely to see that you get the right proportions. Go no faster 

 than you can give satisfaction to your own criticism. After com- 

 pleting the general outline, draw the lateral line. Then make a 

 dot for the hindmost tip of the gill cover, which marks the pos- 

 terior end of the head. Proceed to put in the details of the 

 head, the parts of the gill cover, the mouth, the eye, etc. In 

 drawing the mouth, show it as it is and be careful not to be 

 guided by any preconceived notions of it. Block out and then 

 fill in the different fins. Unless you have an abundance of 

 time, do not attempt to represent the scales, and it is not essen- 

 tial to show the colors. 



When the above features are satisfactory to you as drawn in 

 pencil, proceed to trace over the lines with ink. This is not so 

 easy, as you cannot readily erase. Have confidence in the 



