DRAWING. 
and cOpiedj by the student who wishes to 
excel. The Konians, inspired by emula- 
tion, imitated the Greeks, and although 
they never attained the excellence of their 
masters, have left multiplied specimens of 
correct knowledge in the human outline. 
Long after the fall of their empire, Italy 
produced a succession of men who brought 
tire art of drawing almost to its greatest 
possible perfection, of those Michael An- 
gelo and Rafaelle were particularly cele- 
brated, and though the latter seems to be 
most admired for his taste and correctness, 
the former once convinced him he had 
drawn the figures too small in a painting of 
Galatea, on the ceiling of a chamber in II 
PiccioloFarnese, by sketching a large and ad- 
mirable head of a Faunus on a wall with char- 
coal, which was preserved with the utmost 
care in Keysler’s time, who relates the cir- 
cumstance. Roused by the successfid exer- 
tions of the Italians, every nation in Europe 
made their works their study, and many 
persons at different periods might be men- 
tioned belonging to each, who have excelled 
in particular branches of drawing, nor are 
the modern English at all Inferior to their 
rivals in this essential foundation of all the 
ramifications of the fine arts, as without 
truth in the drawing or formation of the 
outlines, a statue becbmes a disgusting copy 
of human deformity, and objects delineated 
in painting or water colours destitute of 
this requisite, the representations of crea- 
tures of the fancy unlike those of nature or 
of art : from these positions it must be ob- 
vious that the student should begin his 
operations with the greatest caution, ac- 
quiring a thorough knowledge of geometry, 
and the laws of perspective, which will 
enable him to comprehend the various cir- 
cular forms adopted by nature, and the pe- 
culiar shapes they assume when placed in 
particular positions. 
Drawing may be practised with lead, 
chalk, crayons, charcoal, water-colours, and 
Indian ink. 
To pi oceed regularly and methodically, 
the learner must be provided with wove pa- 
per, in other words drawing paper, without 
wire marks, of different thicknesses and 
sizes, and middle tint paper brown or grey, 
equally calculated to shew the white and 
black chalks, or coloured, for which it is 
expressly intended. As paper, when wet, 
will present an uneven siuface, it becomes 
necessary to stretch it during the operation 
of colouring by means of drawing boards, 
one description of which is merely a strong 
and true square of deal secured from warp- 
ing, on which the paper may be fastened by 
wetting it with a sponge, tracing a bonier of 
paste or glue along the edges, and laying it 
smooth on the board, thus prevented from 
blistering, the drawing may be cut away 
from the bordei of paste when completed ; 
but the most convenient board is composed 
of a square frame, with a moveable pannel, 
on which the paper is laid wet, then pressed 
into the frame, and secured by wedges on 
the back when it will dry perfectly even, 
and become fit for use. 
Other instruments required, are, com- 
passes, for ascertaining distances between 
lines, forming circles, taking measurements 
by scale, &c. &c.; a steel pen, for drawing 
very fine clear lines ; a parallel ruler, formed 
of two pieces of hard black wood fastened 
together by brass bands, turning on pivots 
at the extremities so exactly, that when 
opened, lines drawn along the outward half, 
must be parallel wdth the half held firm on 
the paper ; and a T ruler, or square, so con- 
trived as to supersede the above on the 
drawing board, by applying the stock or 
Shortest end to the edge of the board, 
where it is slid backwards or forwards, and 
the long part used for tracing the line. 
The materials for drawing are, black-lead 
cut into long pieces, and inclosed in red 
cedar, the greatest care should be taken in 
the choice of black-lead pencils, as the infe- 
rior are nothing more than fragments of 
tliis mineral united by glue, which cannot 
be brought to a point by a knife, or made 
to produce a line for a minute together ; on 
the contrary the genuine black-lead cuts 
with ease, and yet has so much solidity 
that considerable pressure will not break a 
taper point. 
Indian- rubber, which is used for cleansing 
off erroneous lines made by the black-lead 
pencil, this singular substance imported 
principally from South America in the 
shape of small bottles, and the East Indies 
in other forms, is composed of the gum of a 
tree, which in hardening becomes elastic, 
and possesses a strong adhesive property, 
extremely useful for removing dirt from 
diawings, and prints. 
Indian-ink is another valuable material, 
brought from China, where the secret of 
making it still remains, the leal imported 
ink bears certain Chinese characters, breaks 
smooth and shining, is not gi itty, and when 
used appears of a clear brownish black. 
The English imitation may be known by 
the harshness of its component i)arts. 
