( 212 } 
A 
Brief and General Idea of Drawing, 
and Painting in Water-Colours: In- 
tended for the Amufement of the Curious, rather 
than for the Inftru&ion of Artifts. 
A S the greatefl Number of the prefent Edition of this Work will be delivered 
flained, or wafhed in their natural Colours, and as the Drawings in General 
are quite new Defigns, with fome little Decorations added on the Ground- 
Work, in order to fet off the Figures which are the Subjed-Matter of the Work 3 
I think it will not be improper to give my Thoughts on Defign and Colouring, in 
brief and general Terms. I fhallnot meddle with Perfpedive : Yet, it may not be 
improper to hint, that Perfons who are unacquainted with it can be no Proficients in 
Drawing, as is manifeft from the Works of fome Painters of no fmali Fame, in 
whofe Works a Mathematical Eye difcovers very grofs Abfurdities. We have many 
good Authors of our own, as well as Tranflations from other Languages, on the 
Subject of Perfpedive ; from which any one may eafily gain a general Conception of 
the Art, and by a little Labour become a Mailer of it. 
Perfpedive is principally neceffary in regular Buildings, where many ftraight Lines 
run through the various Parts of them, of which all that are parallel mufl meet in 
one Point. In other Subjeds a thorough Knowledge of Perfpedive is not fo abfo~ 
lutely neceffary, yet a due Regard for it is always to be had, as in Landfcapes, to 
diminifh every Thing according to its fuppofed Difiance from the Eye 3 for, by 
making the diftant Figures the leaft, and drawing them in finer or fainter Lines 
than you do thofe that come forwards in your Pidure, they naturally feem to be 
more diftant 3 and when you come to finifti fuch Pidure, your extream diftant Ob- 
jeds fhould appear fo faint, or fo obfcure, as not to be difcovered to be of any 
precife Form or Colour 5 for fo it is in natural Objeds far diftant from our Sight*. 
As Objeds draw nearer, they may be made a little more exprefiive 3 and fo on, more 
and more, till you come to the neareft Objeds of all in the F ore-Ground of the 
Pidure, which fhould be finifhed with great Strength, and brighter Colouring : For 
it mufl always be confidered, that fuch Objeds as have really in them (elves a very 
bright Colouring, if they are removed to a little Diftance from the Eye, will 
loofe (by the Interpofition of the Air) fome of their Luftre 5 and by being^ farther 
removed they will loofe more of it, till they appear, as it were, Colourlefs : For v . 
