Nature and Art, April 1, 18G7.] 
ON SKETCHING FROM NATURE. 
101 
ON SKETCHING FROM NATURE. 
By Aaron Penlet, Professor of Landscape Painting' at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. 
No. IX. A SPUE OF BEN LOMOND. 
1HIS is the first sunset drawing introduced into 
the pages of Nature and Art. The effect 
is that of a summer’s evening when the sun has 
just sunk below the horizon, leaving the heavens 
illumined in softened, but still golden, light. At 
this particular time such an amount of warm 
reflection is diffused over the landscape as finds its 
way to the feelings of most people — at any rate, of 
all are nature-loving, and who delight in the 
study and practice of transmitting her effects to 
paper. We all like warmth of colour — it is natural 
to do so ; there is something cheering and exciting 
in it ; and for this reason, apart even from that 
mingling of harmonizing and contrasting hues, a 
sunset effect is always looked upon with pleasure. 
To give a simple, yet an agreeable illustration, I 
have avoided any complicated arrangement of 
clouds, whereby the pupil would be confused, and 
have sought to produce a breadth of effect and 
singleness of character which will tend to show the 
blending of tones peculiar to the sunset. I have also 
selected for study a description of scenery calculated 
to convey instruction and manipulative dexterity — 
the latter being requisite, truly requisite, for the 
expression of intention. And this being the case, 
I cannot advocate too much a neat and careful 
method of handling the brush, or a careful study, 
before applying it, of what has to be done, and of 
the manner in which it is to be done. A little 
halting, with some thought upon “ the why and the 
wherefore,” will greatly help to success, whereas 
the want of it will always be accompanied by 
failure. An esteemed friend of mine, who really is 
an excellent amateur artist, once told me that im- 
mediately he began to put on the first wash of the 
sky, it was “ a case of sal volatile, he felt so 
nervous.” That this is a general feeling I can pretty 
well testify, having witnessed it so constantly in 
my numerous pupils ; therefore I the more earnestly 
recommend the exercise of thought, first upon the 
matter and then upon the manner of treating it. 
In addition to all this, cleanliness is most desirable, 
and should be observed in respect to the Colour- 
box, Brushes, and Paper. Tire first should (at least 
in my opinion) always be sponged clean, and wiped 
with a pallette cloth after finishing the day’s paint- 
ing. It will then be ready for further use, and the 
most delicate tints may be produced without danger 
of unnecessary mixture. The brushes should also 
be washed and put into form by passing them 
through the pallette cloth. As for the paper, too 
great care cannot be taken in keeping its surface 
free from dirt or abrasion of any kind ; and, to 
preserve the equality of texture, bread will be found 
preferable to india-rubber in making corrections. 
With these prefatory remarks, I begin to place 
before the amateur directions for copying the 
present subject upon Loch Lomond. It is only in 
the first stages of progression, and yet sufficiently 
coloured to give a somewhat true and pleasing- 
impression. 
I have said much — but not too much — upon the 
necessity of having a correct and well -drawn outline 
before thinking of commencing to colour. I will 
now only say, let it not be neglected. After the 
paper has been washed with clean water and a 
large brush, prepare some rose madder (or crimson 
lake) and yellow ochre in two different tints — 
the one inclining to a roseate hue and the other to 
a light amber; and, while the drawing is still damp, 
commence at the top with the red tint and join the 
yellow midway, then add the red just above the 
mountains, and also over them as far as the water, 
where again change for the yellow, passing over the 
middle distance and foreground to the right, and 
then again taking more red over the immediate 
front. While in its wet condition, take a piece of 
blotting-paper, folded once or twice, and touch with 
its sharp edge upon the white light on the stones 
by the water’s edge, which will remove the colour 
very softly, and regain the white of the paper. 
This method of obtaining light is frequently put 
into practice when fleecy clouds or a mackarel sky 
are to be represented. When this first blotting in 
(or washing in) of colour is dry — quite dry — the 
drawing should be turned upside down, and the 
yellow portion of the sky passed over with clean 
water, and then a tint of cobalt, with a little 
rose madder (or lake) introduced into it, and 
carried to the top of the sky. This will give the 
grey warmth of tone seen above. After this, make 
some tints of the amber, roseate, and blue hues, 
and apply them over the mountains, observing 
where the several changes occur. Take care not to 
let the blue mingle with the orange tone, which 
would completely spoil the purity of colour, but let 
it rather amalgamate with the roseate tint, where 
it will unite agreeably into the soft clear greys, 
away from the influence of sunlight. Attention to 
these contrasting as well as harmonizing varieties 
must be observed, as by them the effect of lustrous 
light, if I may so speak, is preserved. The water 
will also receive light washes from these colours. 
The warm yellow tones of the middle distance, as 
well as the grass, are to be put in with yellow 
ochre and a little rose madder. The grey shadows 
(warm in character) must also have their first 
washes placed correctly, and somewhat strongly, 
with the edges decided and clear. 
At this stage, when the whole of the above flat 
tints are satisfactorily done, it is desirable to wash 
all over them with a soft brush and clean water, to 
