lawn, they are only to be laid on paper ; that 
is, such as is drawn with charcoal upon white, 
and that drawn with chalk upon black or blue 
paper ; and then, giving each of them a 
knock or two with the hammer, the char- 
coal or the chalk will fall through them upon 
the papers directly in the lines they were 
drawn, and give you the true representation 
of the object drawn from the life, in white 
lines upon the black paper, and in black 
lines upon the white. 
Then strengthen these shadow’s of drawings 
with your black-lead pencil, chalk, or red 
oker, upon the pieces of paper where they 
made the marks; for otherwise the lines will 
easily be rubbed out. But it must be ob- 
served, that this amendment is to be made 
•soon after the lines; because those tender 
draughts wifi quickly vanish, if care is not taken 
to strengthen them immediately. You are 
to begin this operation at tire bottom of the 
drawing. 
3. Another way is, by taking a thin piece 
of paper, and holding it against a glass-win- 
dow ; particularly a sashed one, because the 
interruption of the lead in the smaller glazed 
windows will hinder part of the prospect ; 
then draw what you see from the glass, and 
afterwards the black-lead paper is to be used 
as directed before. 
4. There is another way still, which may 
be more easy to the hand or arm of a person 
not accustomed to drawing upon a paper or 
lawn placed upright, which is by the use of a 
camera obscura ; though to help the hand one 
may hold a baguette, or such a stick in the 
left hand as the oil-painters use to rest the 
right hand upon ; or have some other rest 
made for the right hand, as may be easily 
screwed up and down at pleasure. But there 
is this difference still between drawing a 
piece of perspective, or view, on a transpa- 
rent paper or lawn placed upright against any 
object, and drawing by the camera obscura ; 
that such a piece will take in more of the view 
or object, and from a greater distance, than 
the camera obscura will: however, the port- 
able camera obscura will, at first, be very 
easy to. the arm of a beginner, by reason the 
objects appear on an horizontal plane, such 
as a table ; and the hand, having a proper 
rest, will more easily follow the line repre- 
sented on the plane with great exactness. 
The camera obscura is a machine or appa- 
ratus' wherein the images of external objects 
are represented distinctly, and in their ge- 
nuine colours, either in an inverted or erect 
•situation. This machine may be made as 
follows : Darken a chamber, one of whose 
•windows looks into a place set with a variety 
of objects, leaving only one little aperture 
open in the window. In this aperture fit a 
lens, either a plane convex one, or one con- 
vex on both sides, so as to be the portion of 
a large sphere. At a due distance, to be de- 
termined by experience, spread a paper or 
white cloth on the wall, unless the wall itself, 
be whitened so as to serve the purpose ; and 
on this the images of the desired objects will 
■ be delineated iovertedly. 
In this case it is not more difficult to draw, 
or rather copy the objects, though they are 
reversed, than to draw or copy several things 
which we see upright on the frames of trans- 
parent paper, lawn, or tiffany ; for to trace 
Ikies will be as easily done one way as the 
other ; and though the objects falling on the 
DRAWING. 
paper. ( qr cloth v ill, while you are drawing’ 
them, Tie reversed, it is but turning the paper 
or clotii upside down, when they are done, 
and the drawing will be right to the eye. But 
to obviate this difficulty, let the paper, or 
what is to receive the objects, be placed 
against the back of a chair, and let a person 
look on the several objects represented there- 
on over the back of the chair, and this will 
set them right to the eye. Or, if you would 
rather have tiie images appear erect, it may 
be done either by means of a concave lens’, 
or by receiving the image on a plain specu- 
lum inclined to the horizon under 'an angle 
of 45 degrees, or by means of two lenses in- 
cluded in a draw-tube instead of one. 
It is to be observed, that if the aperture 
does not exceed the bigness of a pea, the ob- 
jects will be represented thereon, even 
though there be no lens at all. To render 
the images clear and distinct, it is necessary 
that the objects be illuminated by the sun ; 
and they will be still brighter if the spectator 
first stay a quarter of an hour in the dark. 
Care must be likewise taken that no light 
escape through any chinks, and that the wall 
be not too much illuminated. Farther, the 
greater distance there is between the aper- 
ture and the wall, the larger and more distinct 
will the images be; but the rays becoming 
thus too much dilated, the brightness of the 
image is weakened, till at length it becomes 
insensible. But the portable camera obscura 
is more proper for beginners, as being more 
easy for their arm; besides, the objects ap- 
pearing on an horizontal plane, may, of 
course, be drawn with greater exactness. 
1 he construction of a portable camera ob- 
scura may be as follows : Provide a wooden 
chest, in the middle of which raise a little 
turret either round or square, open toward 
the object. Behind this aperture incline a 
little plain mirror to an angle of 45 degrees, 
which will reiiect the rays upon a lens con- 
vex on both sides, included in a tube. At 
the end of the focus of the lens, place a ta- 
ble covered with a white paper to receive 
the image ; and, lastly, make an oblong aper- 
ture to look through. By means of this 
machine the images will be exhibited per- 
fectly like their objects, each clothed in their 
different colours ; whereby any person, un- 
acquainted with designing or drawing, will 
be able to delineate any thing to the greatest 
degree of accuracy and justness ; and those 
even well versed in painting will find many 
hints by it to perfect them in this art. 
5. Two other methods, both easy and en- 
tertaining, not hitherto mentioned, for taking 
of draughts or drawings, are as. follow: 1st. 
Prick with a pin the outlines of the print or 
drawing you design to copy, and then laying 
the same on a sheet of paper, take a powder- 
puff or tuft of cotton, dipping it now and then 
in charcoal-dust, and beat it over the pricked 
lines through the picture, by which means 
you will have full directions marked on. 
your cloth or paper sufficient to finish a just 
drawing. 
2d. The other way is by making such an 
impression from the print as shall give a just 
copy of it ; and it is of great use when we 
want to carry every stroke of the graver 
along with us; which method, if you are 
very careful, will indeed but very little sully 
the print. 
For this end, take some white or green 
4 B 2 
3fe 
soap, which mix with such a quantity of wa- 
ter as will bring it to the consistence of- a 
jelly ; with this mixture rub the print, and 
with a wet sponge gently wet the paper de- 
signed for receiving the impression ; then 
laying it on the print, cover all with two or 
three other pieces of dry paper, and rub it 
very hard all over with any thing that is 
smooth and polished ; and thus the wetted 
paper will have upon it the reverse of the 
print you rubbed it upon, with every distinct 
line in the original, if you have been careful 
to rub it equally. 
Secrets of copying drawings, Sc. 
To take a drawing with fixed ink. — Take 
aftlvin sheet of paper, and rub it all over with 
fresh butter, as equally as possible, then dry 
it well by the fire, and rub the buttered side 
with either carmine, lamp-black, black-lead 
powder, or blue bice finely ground, till it is 
all equally coloured ; taking care in rubbing 
on any of these, that the colours will not 
come off by a very slight touch of the finger. 
Then lay the coloured side of this buttered 
paper upon a piece of clean paper, and lay the 
print you design to copy upon the buttered 
paper ; afterwards with a fine pin or needle, 
blunted a little at the point, trace the outlines 
of the drawing carefully, by which means you 
will have a good copy of it upon your white 
paper ; which may be touched afterwards with 
crayons, or the like colour. 
To take the impression with red ink.— 
Mix some vermilion finely ground with lin- 
seed oil, but not so much but that it shall 
still be liquid enough to run or flow in a pen. 
With this trace the lines of your print ; and 
then with a sponge dipt in water wet the 
back side of the print, and turn the printed 
side down upon a piece of white paper, so as 
to lie smooth : then lay over that a piece of 
dry paper, and press it hard in every part ; 
and the lower white paper will receive the 
impression. But if you have a linen-press, 
it is better to put your papers between two 
of the leaves, and screw the press as tight as 
you can, by which means you will have a 
fine impression. 
To take draughts, writings, Sfi. with red 
loose ink. — Take some vermilion finely 
ground, and mix it with fair water in a gallipot 
with some cotton in it, so that it may run 
very free in the pen : with this mixture draw 
over all the strokes of your print, imitating 
both the finer and stronger lines ; then with 
a sponge dipt in gum-water wet a piece of 
clean white paper, and while it is wet turn 
the print upon it ; and pressing it well, take 
off the print, and you will find all the strokes 
remain on the clean paper; and as soon as it 
is dry the vermilion will lie fixed to it. 
This sort of ink has been used frequently 
in writing any thing designed to be engrav- 
ed; for by turning tl\e writing side ot the 
paper down upon a copper-plate covered 
with bees-wax, and white ground, rubbing it 
very equally, the impression w ill be upon the 
wax. 
Taking draughts with blue loose ink. — You 
may likewise make such a sort of ink with 
blue bice and common water as will run very 
finely in a pen, and serve for the same use as 
the former ink. 
To take of a drawing in a standing red 
colour by tracing.- — Take vermilion finely 
ground, and mixing it with a little fresh but- 
