D RAW I N G

FOR BE G I N N E R S

D O R O TH Y F UR N I SS

PUB L I S HE D BY
B RI D G MAN PUB L I S HER S
BY S P E C I A L
A R RAN G EM E N T
WI T H G EO RGE G .

H ARRAP { C O L TD
9
’
. .

LONDON

BR ID G M AN I
P U BL S H E R S
P ELH A M NEW YO R K
 MY F ATH ER

H A R RY F UR NI S S

A nd a ll t h e breez e f F a ncy blow s

o ,

A nd every dew -droppa int : a bo w ,

Th e w iz a rd I zgk t m ng: deeply glo w ,
'

A nd every t i muglx t br ea ks o u t a r o se

TE NN S .

Y ON
 F O R EWO R D
AVE you h d the reply given by a sm a ll boy to a
H
ea r

query How” do y d ,
ou ra w

I t h ink he id and then I d

, sa , ra w ro u nd my
t h ink
It is an excellent answer to a very diffi cult question
.

Many an artist could n t give as lucid a reply As far aso .

I can judge and I have been peculiarly fortunate in meeting

,

many artists the great artist would probably y sa

How do I draw Her —give me a paint brush —and

,

-
a

if he were inclined to be brutally frank don t ask me fool ’

questions ; watch—thi is how it is done And he would

s .

proceed with a f swift strokes to paint something at

ew ,

which you would gasp and feel no wiser than before It

would look perfect It would be perfect B ut h was it
.

. . ow

done He thought and then drew round his thought The

, .

great artist speaks with hi tools more often than not he iss

a man of few words .

We are told that when a Japanese a tist wishes to paint r

a flower he watches its growth from bud to blossom and

then to seed After a little time has elapsed he takes up his
brush and paints his remembrance f the flower Whether
.

o .

he could describe the manner in which he int nds to paint e

that flower is doubtful .

We must think with the brush and the pencil ; we must

think first and then draw round our think .
’

I hope that this book may help you to arrange your

thought s

It is but a helping hand on the broad highway that leads

.

to the great world f art o .

DF . .
 C O N TE N TS
T
CHAP E R P
AGE

I N TR D U C NO TI O : A F E W TE C HN C I A L HI NTS
I . H OW G N S M L S UB CTS
To BE I . I P E J E F OR

DR W NG A P NT N G
I AND AI I

D RA W NG I T YS OUR O

D RA W N G OU R S L S
I O TH R S E VE AND E

D RA W NG H ND S
I A

D RA W NG F T
I EE

D R A W N G H D F C F TU R S
I EA H R
,
A E, EA E , AND AI

DR A W NG P
I P L R G H T P R P RT N S
EO E IN I O O IO

DR A W N G IN N M T T H NGS
I A I A E I

D R W NGA P
I TH R AN M LS
O UR E TS AN D O E I A

C L UR
O O ,
F ND AN D H ow To I IT

M SUR N G
EA P RS P CT
I AND E E I VE

S K TCH N G O
E ID RS UT OF OO

H OW C TCH To L K N SS A A I E E

AC T N IO C P ST NAN D OM O I IO

L GHT
I S D AND HA E

C RR C T N G
O E D W NGI OU R RA I S

M T R LS
A E IA

IND EX
 I LL USTR A TI O N S I N H A L F TO N E -

A ND C O L O UR
PAGE

A PA K TCH B K
G E F RM
O A S E -
OO F ro nt isp iece

I V Y LE A F TH R AN D FEA E

M D L S LLU S TR T N G
O E R D SH P
I A I VA IE A E S A ND TE X TUR E S
VAR US T YS IO O

T OY RS HO LL E AND DO

KA THL N EE

J CKA

N D NT N G
LE F I H A ‘
P OI I

ND
L E F T HA R US S T N S IN VA IO PO I IO

HA ND L D UNGL D G OV E AND OV E

HA ND S WR S T S AND I

J CK S
A T ’
F OO

M RG RY S
A T E
’
F OO

BACK S D W AND T I E VI E OF FEE

EYS E

NO S S
E

MO UTH S
EA R S

HA I R
BA BY S ’
HE A D
MUYI I ‘
TH E CA T AND RO BN I TH E P UM A
 D ra w m
gf or Begzh fl ers
RD S R ST
BI AT A ND IN F L G HT
S"
E I

U RR L IRS E AND HO E S
DO GS
(a ) A N ART C L LK PPY S H ULD
IF I IA SI PO : H ow IT O AND

S H ULD
How P NT D ( ) T
IT L UR
O N OT B E AI E . b w o CO O

CH M S S RS T MPR SS NS B T H
E E AND FI I E IO OF O

T HEN W NG EW T LL RY I OF TH E TA E GA E

SK T CH NG L NT S H UMB N L ND S C P K T CH S
E I P A . T AI LA A E S E E

FE NC RH NG NG C K
E OV E A I A
”
RO

TR GR W N G
EE O CK I O UT O F A RO

A LH U TT
SI R S K T CH S U NS
O E E OF T EE . S E E OF R I

A PL ND S C P
SI M E LA A E

ON CH
TH E BE A

EX PR SS N E RTR T SIO IN PO AI

A CT N IO HYTHM ANDMP S T N R IN CO O I IO

T HEM D NN D LL A D O A E A SE IA

SIMPL OB CT S ART C L GHT

E J E IN IFI IA LI

SIMPL OB CT S E YL GHT JE IN DA I

LI G HT HD AND L UR D OB CTS
S A E ON CO O E J E

STUMP DR W NG - M NSA D I OF OL D A
’
HE A

1 2
 D R AW I N G F O R BE G I NN E R S

INTR OD UC T ION
A F e w Teeé m / Hint;
’

ea

L d P n il
D ra w ing w it h t h e ea e c

PE NC I Lhas many excellent qualities It is a clean .

tool and easy to handle It can be carried in the .

pocket and pressed into service W henever required .

B eyond sharpening it requires no attention

T sharpen a pencil y ou should pare the wood in small
.
,

shavings with a sharp knife When a small portion f the . o

lead is exposed place the lead on a piece f paper and whittle o

do n to a firm and not very thin point A very sharp point

w .

is a mistake With such a point we are inclined t dig into

. o

the paper and thus to add to

, difficulties when erasing o ur .

A thin point moreover snaps easily needs constant sharpen

, , ,

ing and therefore leads to much wasting f valuable lead

, o .

A word or two about the position f the pencil when o

drawing .

We hold it fcourse as we do the pen between the thumb

, o , ,

and the first two fingers and half way up the shaft ,
-
.

There is a modern fashion of holding the pen between the

second and third fingers and whatever may be said f this , or

position in writing nothing could be advanced in its favour

for drawing .

An overwhelming argu ent for holding the pencil between m

the th mb and the first two fingers i this the hand never
u s :

tires .

I have never heard an artist complain of a tired hand ,

though his work extended from early morning till late at

night ; the reason lies in the perfect balance of the tool in
hi hand
s .

Take the pencil between the first finger and the thumb
1 3
 D rawingfor Beginners
and hold it lightly I it not perfectly balanced D es
"
. s o

not the point respond to the slight st motion of the two e

fingers R aise the thumb I f you are holding the pencil .

correctly it remains resting against the two fingers and the

,

root of the first finger The little finger is the pivot of the .

hand The hand sweeps round in curves from the tip of the
.

finger with perfect freedom .

Practise various touches with your pencil F light . or

feathery gossamer lines hold the pencil lightly and half way
,

-
,

up the shaft ; for rich firm effects hold the pencil firmly and
lower n the shaft rubbing the lead to and fro W ithout
o ,

removing the point from the paper ; f minute or detailed or

drawing it will probably be desi able to hold the pencil r

low r still
e .

A mediu H B pencil is generally useful B or BB f

m . or

textures rough coated animals etc

,
-
, .

A fi surfaced paper such as cartridge is useful both for

rm -

pencil and water colour A polished card is not advisable -

.
,

neither is a paper with a rough toothed surface ; the latter

is apt to lend a tricky effect which is alluring but dangerous , .

It is wiser to employ straightforward methods Then you .

know exactly the various stages f your progress o .

D not
O patent pencils with metal holders or decorated
u se

tops The ordinary plain wooden pencil is the best tool

. .

D r a w ing w it h Bl a c k C h a lk
B lack chalk in the shape f a pencil is a pleasant mediu
, o , m ,

but it has n disadvantage it is very difficult to erase

o e , .

Therefore the f chalk necessitates a certain amount of

u se o

confidence and experience I n other word do not begin . s,

your studies with chalk in preference to lead but reserve it ,

for you later work r

Chalk gives a rich velvety tone and never a greasy shine

.

the drawback of blacklead It is delightful for quick sketches . ,

for materials f a coarse rough texture f the sketching

o or or

of ani als b uildings trees and landscapes

,

m , , ,
.

Chalk crumbles and breaks more easily than lead and it ,

1 45
white chalk gives the highest lights and the paper itself ,

forms the middle tone .

I know of nothing more interesting than sketching animals ,

dogs rabbits and goats with these three mediums

White chalk needs very little pointing It crumb les and
.
, ,

breaks with the slightest encouragement and the small pieces ,

are often useful f sharpening up the edges or touching in

or ,

the brightest light .

D ra w ing w it h C o l o u re d C h a lk s
Coloured chalk s are very simple mediums Often the baby .

begins with a box of coloured chalks as a step toward the

colour box -
.

C halk does n t trickle about the paper like water colour

o -
,

and is moreover a very direct medium

, , .

A red berry demands red chalk ; a blue bead demands

blue chalk a skein of mixed silk wool of blue green and or , ,

yellow demands blue green yell ow chalk or

B y placing yellow against blue blue against green

.
, ,

,
or , or

red against brown we obtain a degree f shading a mixing ,

o ,

o f tints which teaches us to blend our colours

,
Chalks .

should not be applied to the paper too heavily but laid on ,

with a lig nt touch There is no need to point the chalks

‘

B y rolling the chalk in the fingers we can usually find a sharp

. .

little edge R ub the chalk a piece f waste paper and

. on o , on

o ne side only ; that will give a flattened side for sharp and
decided drawing .

D ra w ing w it h t h e Bru s h
Drawing with the brush is more diffi cult than with the
pencil but y should accustom yourself to the use f b oth
, ou o .

It is far better to paint a picture from the very beginning

with a brush D rawing first with a pencil and then with
.

a brush necessitates changing one s tool and readjusting ’

,

one s mind We look at a model pencil in hand very

’
.
, ,

differently from the way we regard the same object when

holding a brush .

B 1 7
 D re w ingfo r Beginners
If you accustom yourself to the use f the brush you will o

soon find it an adaptable tool

The artist holds the b rush in the same way as he holds the
.

pen the pencil and he shifts the position according to the

or ,

demands f the subject o .

F instance if we are applying a broad wash f colour we

or , o

should hold the brush with freedom and fairly high the on

Shaft O ne with a fair point full and firm will be necessary

,

.
, ,

f drawing
or A long hairy point will give a feeble line and
.
,

o n t e short and blunt no line at all

oo .

A brush that is at its thickest the size f an ordinary o

lead pencil is a useful tool A very small brush will prove .

ineffi cient for in drawing with a brush a fairly bold drawing is

,

aimed at .

If y have made a mistake cleanse the br sh with fresh

ou u

water and while it is still full of this pass it over the

,

mistake Then complete the erasure by rubbing D not O

hard the surface f the paper will b e destroyed

. .

ru b t oo or o

and refuse t take colour other than a misty blur

o or

blot .

Clean blotting paper applied to a mistake—fi t lightly

-
rs

brushed with water— il l sometimes erase it w

S ketch in light tints n t dark

.

,
o .

I n order to get a fine point fill your brush with colour

wipe it n a cloth roll the tip round n a piece of blotting
, ,

o , or o

paper .

TO run a good deal f colour on your paper charge you o , r

brush with paint and put it with rapid touches on .

For the darkest shadows wait till your paper is drying ,

and the water sparingly

u se .

D ing it h C h
ra w l w a rc o a

C harcoal is by far the most fascinating as it is the most ,

difli lt medium therefore it will be wise to keep this f

cu ,
or

our most advanced studies

B ut we must bear in mind that no medium takes the place
.

o f charcoal If we Shirk its use and adhere obstinately to the

.

1 8
 I ntroduction
pencil we shall lose the freedom that i essential for the s

development f art o o ur .

You will require a small box of Vine charcoal and Michelet

paper ; if y intend to use sheets f paper instead f sketch
ou o o

book s—and this I strongly advise— you must have also a

drawing board which to pin the paper and an easel (O nly
-
on , .

by standing do we get perfect freedom for the handling Of

our large drawings ) .

Charcoal has several irritating qualities It snaps easily .

and crumbles and it rubs away despite spraying with fi

, x a

tive Nevertheless there is no medium more fascinating and

.

more satisfying It is equally useful for delicate e ffects and

.

for those f a bold and vigorous character

o .

Charcoal can be used at arm s length ; it is usually held ’

for quick sketching f big subjects— t the end and not at

o a

the middle of the shaft lik e the chalk lead pencil or .

It requires very little sharpening and never a point A .

flattened side answers the purpose

Rub the stick sanded paper or shave with a knife
.

on

shaving not toward the tip and bearing away b ut holding

,

the charcoal in the left hand and along the first finger Pare .

the charcoal inwardly ith the grain f the wood for as y

w o , , ou

probably know charcoal is burnt wood

, .

The pith fbread (worked into small pellets ) makes a better

o

eraser for charcoal than rubber though putty rubber is often ,

used .

When fi ing a charcoal study stand not t near the easel

x oo ,

but a pace two away so that the spray falls in a light even
or , ,

shower over your drawing When standing too near the .

liquid falls in blobs and blots the drawing .

1 9
 CHAPTER I
How to Begin S imp le . S néjeet s for
D rawing and Painting
O you like painting D oes drawing interest you
Have y a pencil a b ox of chalksou paint b ox
" or a -
"
B ecause if y have even n f these things you
, ,

,
ou o e o

can open the door to such jolly times

,

D you remember Alice finding in Wonderland the little

O

closed door and how she longed to open the door and walk
,

into the charming garden Well there s a garden just as ,

’

fascinating as the seen by Alice and the keys to it are

o ne ,

your pencil and brush

This garden lik e Alice s is full f wonderful surprises
.

’
, , o .

Y never know what is lying in wait what quaint curious

ou , , ,

and beautiful things are to be found Would y like to go ou

into it Then come with me Y have the k eys in your

.

. ou

hands
B ut first I will ask you a question Have y ever heard
.

. ou

o f the story f the shepherd boy of Vespignano

o -

O nce upon a time there lived in Italy a little shepherd boy -

who was so passionately fond f drawing that he would pick o

up a stick and draw with it on the dusty roads and sand y

rocks .

You might ask why he used such rough tools ; it was all
the material he could call his own Paper and parchment
were far beyond the reach f shepherd b oys B ut G iotto
.

o -
.
,

for that was his name drew quite happily with his pointed,

stick upon the ground and he had all the hillside from which
to choose his sub jects He drew the flowers the grass and
,

B est f all he liked to draw h i sheep and

.
, ,

t h pine trees
e -
. o ,
s ,

20
 Begin How to
these he drew with loving care A great artist called
Cimabue happened to pass day when G iotto was absorb ed
.

o ne

in his drawing His curiosity was awakened and dismount

.
,

ing from his horse he drew ne r T h i unbounded surprise a . o s

he sa w traced on the ground a number f beautiful little

, ,
o

sketches
He began to talk with G iotto and soon discovered that
.

the boy s whole soul was in his simple art A d being a

’
. n ,

wise and very generous man he determined to do all that lay

in his power to educate G iotto as an artist I n a very little
,

time the shepherd boy left Vespignano for Florence where

-

he entered the great man s studio B eing extraordinarily

,
’
.

gifted and more than usually industrious he made rapid ,

progress in his art He soon outstripped his m ster nd in

. a , a

course f time was acclaimed the foremost a tist f hi day

o r o s

And that is the story of G iotto who died ten years after
.

E dward III came to the E nglish throne .

Young people (and sometimes ld people are not much o

wiser ) are fond f excusing their laziness by saying I can t

o ,
’

draw this— I can t draw that I haven t g t the materi l

or
’
.
’
o a s,

or the pencil won t work Which la t excuse is about

’
. s as

reasonable as mounting a push bicycle and expecting it to -

carry y up a hill without your moving yo r legs

ou u .

The shepherd boy taught himself by drawing with a pointed

-

stick on a smooth piece fground S lack fmaterials is no

""
o . o o

excuse f lack f effort

or o

O ne f my young readers may cry D raw” Draw I

.

o ,

draw Why I cannot draw a straight line As a matter

, .

Of fact a p rfectly straight line is

,
e of the most difli lt o ne cu

things to draw There are many artists who cannot easily

draw a straight line If y study Natur —and h is
.

ou e s e our

safest guide—y will never an absolutely straight line

.

ou se e .

If y d
ou you may be sure that the hand fman h
o se e o ne , o as

helped to make it .

A very general excuse is that which pleads the i p i m o ss

b ilit y f drawing two sides f an object alike

o Have y o . ou

ever seen two sides alike in Nature— tree a flower or even a , ,

21
 D rawingfor Beginners
a single blade f grass inch by inch and tint by tint the
o ,

same Look round and judge for yourself

,

Only man makes things mathematically exact He is

.

forced to balance n side with the other side The cup the
o e .
,

vase the house will not stand and support itself Nature is
, , .

bound by no such rules and Nature is always an artist , .

Would you like t know the most difficult thing f all to o o

draw Without question a pe fect circle r

Strangely enough there was one artist whose fortune was

.
,

made through the drawing f a circle It was G iotto the o .

,

shepherd lad whose story we have just been discussing

-
.

When his name was beginning to be known the Pope sent to

learn more about him He wished to employ the cleverest .

artist to be found in all Italy to paint pictures on the walls f o

the great church f S t Peter at R ome o

And h do you think G iotto convinced the envoys f his

.

ow o

fitness for the work He took a large sheet f paper and o , ,

dipping his brush into red paint he drew a circle with one ,

sweep f his arm perfect and

o exact , .

Take that to the Pope he said

”
, .

And the Pope admitted that f all the paintings submitted o

by the artists not one equalled the perfection of G iotto s 0 ’

whence we have the proverb As round as G iotto s O ,

’
,

signifying perfection
We are not unfortunately all G iottos S traight lines
.

, , . ,

sy metrical sides perfect circles—perhaps when we are older

m ,

we shall be able to attack these problems without flin h ing c ,

but now away with them nd away with all excuses let us
,
— a

begin .

Take a sheet of paper open your sketch book pick up , or -

a pencil N what shall we draw ow

S ome children bubble with dd fancies men horses

.

o , ,

fairies dogs come tripping to their minds ; but you and I

,

are not sure We will choose something simple something

so . ,

interesting
What of a leaf an ivy leaf —for that we can easily find
.

whether we live in city or country

,

22
 Begin How to

sa
It is a quai nt shape when we come to observe it closely
Would you call it a long square or round shape I should
y that it resem b led a heart
,

.
, " .

Then we will draw a heart shape Next we see a large vein

-
.

running through the centre f the heart It extends from the

O .

very tip of the leaf to the stout little stalk which eventually
fastens itself on to the main branch
Now we had better mark the chief points f our leaf which
.

o ,

are three in number And also there are two three a trifle
. or

smaller These we also draw And we note that the large

central vein is met b y two smaller veins and that these
. .

, ,

with two more radiate from the stalk

, .

Turn the leaf and look at its back and see how wonderful ly
these veins converge to the stalk .

Put in some of the veins lightly and carefully choosing ,

the biggest and the most important .

Next we should note that the light comes from n side o e ,

and the side farthest from the light is in shadow We might .

shade the edges f the leaf with our pencil and sharpen and
o

shade the strongly curved stalk and any other part that ,

needs to be strengthened .

You may y that y live where there are no ivy leaves

sa ou .

Then take a maple leaf a sycamore or a chestnut any leaf

, ,

at hand I am n t laying down any hard and fast rules

. o - -
,

but merely trying to help you with something that you want
to do.

If you prefer it draw a shell a feather I suggest these

, or .

particular things because they are simple and easy to draw ,

and within the reach of most people .

A feather can be studied on the same lines as a leaf p re su m

ing that it is a well formed wing or tail feather— not too

,

- -
a

fluffy affair F irst observe its general shape E longated

. .

Oblong is it not Then draw in an oblong shape Next

, .

notice that it is broad at the bottom end and that it inclines ,

to a rounded point We will shape ff the side tips

. O .

Next we trace the main stalk stem from which the plume or

spreads O bserve the separating of the plume on

. side o ne ,

28
 D rawingfor Beginnery
the crisp firmness of the narrower vein the fl ffi at the , u ness
back f the thick stem and the solid firmness f the stem
o , o

itself .

We can work this with a pencil and trace the beautiful

marking on the feather we can produce paint box , or o ur -

and try to colour drawing It is an excellent plan to

our .

hide the model from sight and how much h little , se e , or ow ,

has penetrated brain o ur .

Afterward try drawing some simple flowers a snowdrop :

in a small vase a crocus—bul b stem and flower a daffodil , ,

with a few broad spear like leaves -

.

And if we find it difficult to interpret shapes with pencil o ur ,

and brain tires and

o ur fingers get weary choose some
, our ,

very different and Opposite shapes .

The mere task of choosing requires a little stimulating

reflection .

F instance contrast a flat squat shaped circular inkpot

or , ,
-
,

with a small na row upright tumbler ; a big spoon w ith a

, r

broad handled knife Compare a lemon with a tangerine ;

-

an egg with an apple ; a reel f cotton with a tu b e Of

.

water colour paint ; a matchb ox with an ash tray ; a tall

- -

slender vase and a dumpy bowl ; a large breakfast—cup and

a small cocoa tin ; a flat thin book and a sphere Shaped
-
,
-

paper weight -
.

Put some fthese objects n a table at a little distance from

o o ,

your desk and sketch them two by t and side by side

,
w o , .

Y could draw some with your pencil and some with your
ou ,

brush .

The lemon and the tangerine are excellent subjects f this or

test because you have contrast f both shape and colour

, o .

If y sketch them first with you brush choose a tint f

ou r o

which they are both compose d — y a very pale yellow

,

sa

D raw first the lemon the large elongated egg shaped

.
,

variety Notice the characteristic kno b lik e a nose at

, , ,

.
, ,
o ne

en d and compare this with the round tangerine and its

,

somewhat flattened t p You will find a furt her interest in o .

comparing colou s How rich is the orange tinge beside the

r .

2 4s
F ig 3
. . I VY LE A F AN D A T
F E H ER 24
 Begin How to
paler yellow 1 How deep the Shadow f the tangerine s o

appear when compared with those f the lighter hued lemon o -

F or the lemon we must seek t cool blues and pale ou our

golds ; f the tangerine warm crimson and even touches

or

fb ron z e and brown

, ,

o .

If we wish to handle pencils intelligently (t get from o ur o

our pencil many varied touches ) we should draw o b jects which ,

are variously composed In other words made of more than .

,

o n material
e And here again we must d n our thinking cap
. o -
.

We need not go very far A few homely domestic articles .

would furnish us with some useful models

Tak e a feather brush—that is a brush composed ffeathers
.

, o ,

leather and smooth polished wood ; hang this up at a level

with your e ye feathers downward and sketch it with your
,

, ,

pencil
D raw a long line to represent the handle and indicate the
.

rough fan shape f the lower part If the handle is grooved

-
o .

and turned do not worry because you cannot get both

,

sides exactly alike First sketch the largest shapes and

. re

member to keep the stick slender ; next the three cornered -

piece f leather which neatly hides and binds the ends f the
o o

feathers together ; lastly the feathers themselves spreading , ,

ou t in a loose plu y fan , m .

Having sketched these shapes darken the handle which , ,

is polished and black L eave the white paper to Show through

.

to provide the lights Try to represent the polish of the .

surface by drawing with firm sharp touches .

The leather being f a more pliable material and fa duller

, o o

su face needs a lighter treatment If it has a dull tint

r , .
,

give it a shaded tone ; if it has folds draw these folds in ,

shadow .

Next the feathers .

A feather is n of the lightest f all substances We say

o e o .

light as a feather when we wish to suggest something of

the airiest description
B ut although it is unsubstantial it is not feeble It
.

so , .

has a definite shape .

25
 D rawingfor Beginners
E ach feather has a spine from which it spreads in a definite
Shape S oft yes and delicate but with a curved spine and
a broad tip L ook at those nearest to you
.
, , ,

. and draw
their shapes delicately Hold your pencil lightly give a .
,

gentle feathery touch and as the feathers are bunched

, , ,

together and some will be in shadow put in the shadows

, ,

lightly but sharply Then pause and look at your drawing

,
. .

Have y handled the drawing f the wood and the

ou o

feathers differently D oes the leather look more sub stantial

t han the feathers
The work is t easy but practice will soon give a surer
no ,

t ouch Y are playing a scale with your pencil as one plays

ou

a scale on a piano D eep bass notes then the middl t i O g

.

’
n
'
e s

notes and lastly the soft delicate tre b le We must try to

.
,

.
,

make our pencil speak with a varied tongue

D rawing different textures might include a kettle and a
.

kettle holder (shiny metal—rough cloth velvet ) ; a small

-
or

piece Of fur coiled near over a hard cricket ball ; a cake , or ,

-

f soap and a loofah A woman s hat with a soft wide brim ’

o .

( not the pudding basin variety which is most difficult f ,

or

unpractised fingers ) trimmed with a cluster f ber ies or a

,
o r ,

twisted bow f ribbon gives us several different textures

o ,
.

We must hold the pencil delicately loosely and half way , ,

-

up the shaft if we wish to convey the delicacy f fur and o

fine hairs If we would Show the richness f velvet we must

. o ,

use our pencil with determination and shift our fingers for
a shorter and firmer grip .

All this will come with practice There is no need to wor y r

yourself with harassing doubts D o your best ; no one can

.

do more .

When we work alone we are very apt to get weary and ,

depressed with difficulties our .

We it before our little models and look so Often that we

s

se e less and less instead f more and more o .

It is very wise occasionally to cover up your model or at

,

, ,

any rate to turn your back upon it f a while

,
or .

This will often appear to increase your diffi culties but ‘

,
F ig
. 4 . MO D E LS I LLU S T R T N G
A I VA R ED
I SH P E
A S AN D T E TU RE S
X
26
 How to Begin
it will tend to quicken your Observation and this is worth
any extra trouble or discouragement that may b e entailed
,

There is a temptation to look continually at models and

.

our ,

in consequence we look at them more often than is necessary.

If after looking at the model we hide it from sight and

, ,

then proceed with our drawing obviously we must work from

,

memory The habit f working without models is soon

. o

developed and it adds enormously to

, o ur powers of taking
notice .
’

27
 CHAPT ER II
D ra w ing our Toys
HEN we are very small nothing seems too difficult
for our pencil If we wish to draw a tree a horse .
, ,

an engine we make no bones about the matter

or

we draw it Possibly the drawings may look rather quaint

, ,

in the eyes f other people but they satisfy ou selves

o , r .

And behind these quaint early d awings lies more often r ,

than not a sound and practical line f reasoning

, o .

Y know for instance how fond is B aby John of drawing

ou , ,

an engine in full steam .

My t ain he will say proudly pointing to a piece f

” ’
, , o

paper covered with whirligigs f pen il o c

He s right enough I dare y D id he not begin by draw

.

’
, sa .

ing a queer bit of Shed some odd looking wheels and perhaps ,
-
,

even a coconut thing with a few straight lines meant for the
engine driver s features And always he d ew the shape Of
"
’

"
-
r

a funnel An d then his fancy ran riot O ut f the

"
. o

funnel came smoke Lots and lots of smoke Wasn t the ’

train the puff puff f his infancy P fi p fi p fl came the

smoke It
in smoke
.

.
w as
-

glorious drawing E verything was covered

o

" u -
u -
u

He showed y his train and in all probabil ity you ou , , ,

laughed as I might have done in your place

, .

And yet he was doing what is a very difficult thing t do o ,

he was drawing t f his imagination as some people

‘
ou o ,
’
o r,

sa y drawing t f his head ou o

’

O nce and not a very long time ago I sitting alone and
.
,

, , w as

drawing in haste when ld Cary entered cu ious and inquir o r

ing S he looked round the empty room h looked at me

, ,

.
,
s e ,

and h looked at my paper

s e which several scenes were , on

28
 D rawing o nr Toys
shaping and then she said Ah I
your fancy
,
you draw t f : " se e ou o

I loved Cary s expression ’

t Of your fancy D on t ou .
’

y outhink it far more expressive than drawing t f one s ou o

’

head drawing from one s imagination

or
’

Few f us who are fond of drawing can resist when we

o ,

are young drawing t f fancy ou o our

’

L ittle girls fly to the enchanted regions of F airy and Flower

.
,

land as surely as little boys turn to scenes f breathless and

,
o

stirring adventure ships at and ships in the air soldiers se a

Red Indians camp fi hunting shooting and games f

, , ,

,
-
res, , , o

thrilling interest .

Little girls push wide the enchanted gates of Fairyland .

Flowers emitting tiny elves gnomes dancing with toadstools ,

held aloft gorgeous ladies n prancing steeds in fl e

,
o or ow r

bedizened motor cars castle gates opening to the blast f a

-
, o

horn blown by a handsome prince .

An d as we grow older we cease to draw our magical dreams

—more s the pity for there will b e nothing as delightful in
’

all the sparkling realms f art o

When we b ecome more practical we get more mat ter

.

’
,

o f fact and we lose unfortunately

-
early confidence our

S ometimes see sawing between the things f fancy

.
, , ,

-
, o our

and the things that are simple facts we get disheartened , .

We are tempted then to throw away our pencils and paint

boxes in disgust to be discouraged by a smile to be utterly
, ,

disheartened by a laugh And yet between the beautiful

L and of Fancy and the strange approaching Land f F act
.

lies a simple bridge with a very familiar aspect no more ,

nor less than the companion f our babyhood—the toy o

cupboard .

The nursery is full f inviting little models models that o ,

we have handled for years and that are as patient as ever .

Here I will let you into a secret It is comparatively easy .

to draw the things with which we are familiar The boy who .

has made a footstool will probably draw it far better than the
boy who has never driven a nail And it is an excellent .

29
 D rawingfor Beginners
thing when we draw an object to take it up and examine it
whether it b e leaf feather footstool chair toys
, , ,

, , , , or .

If we draw toys n toy girl toy horse toy t l t we

our ow ree , a er

shall be ab le to draw real girl real horse and real tree con
, , ,

, ,

fi d t because we have a little knowledge to help us

en way on our

The toy tree is stiff and still but has the look f a tree
.

, o

Mr Noah is straight and long but Mr Noah is a man and he ,

has sheep cows pigs and birds ; though made fwood these
, , , o ,

have a queer resemblance to their originals .

F ora beginning let us take these little creatures and place

them in procession along the tab le the ark in front and , ,

then with
, sketch books n
our knees (some stiff bit f
-
o our o

board beneath it if it be a limp covered book ) it a l -

, s on ow

seat at the extreme right hand side of our models and with -

eyes a level with the table

,

our on .

As in the preceding chapter we experimented with the

different shapes of models we will begin by noting
o ur , so

that these little ark creatures vary in shape .

Having drawn them with pencil we could then take up ,

paint brush and paint them in gay colo rs making a

"
our -
u ,

long narrow shaped picture a kind f frieze border

-
,
o , or .

What could be easier to draw than Mr Noah himself

He is just a straight angular shape in several sections
The first and t p section mak es a queer little hat The
.

o .

second— oval shape— face The third section slopes

an a .

outward from his wooden neck to provide his body and then ,

slightly indenting at the waist continues in a straight robe to ,

his feet where we have the fourth section—wider than the

,

others—the stand upon which he is balanced .

After we have finished with Mr Noah we might proceed to

draw the animals A sheep has a long shaped b ody perched -

upon four straight little legs a thick tail and possibly two
.

, ,

erectly pricked ears The pig has a more drooping head a

.
,

thicker neck shorter legs

B ut I need t discuss the details f each
.
,

no The fore o o ne .

going suggestions will enable y to apply the same principles ou

to all .
 D rawing o a r ToyI
A toy tree might well bring up the rear f our procession o

And a t y tree is a very simple affair a thimb le shape the

.

o -
on

end Of a stick very lik e a large T with elongated lines drooping

,

o n either side .

L ooking at the tree as a whole mass we that the se e

branches extend more than half way down the stem Lightly -
.

we sketch the line of these branches Then we look at the .

trunk f the tree It is thick and solid for its height Then
O . .

thick and solid we will draw it Next we come to its little .

green stand like a slice f the

,
which supports Mr Noah
o o ne ,

and this stand is smaller than the circumference of the tree

at the widest part
B aby Tom s unbreakable B unny is surely the simplest f
.

’
o

all shapes— flat base from which rises a rounded hill

a ,

steeper on side than n the other The steeper more

o ne o .
,

massive end corresponds with the crouching hind legs (which -

we know to be the largest part f the rabbit and which help o

him to run so fl t ly across the warren )

ee

From the top of the head the ears lie flat along the body
.

Then mark the small eye the rounded soft nose and the
w e , ,

tiny forepaws We look for folds f leg paw and ear and o

we shade these with a light b ut firm touch B unny R abbit is

.
, , ,

white and therefore must not be shaded too strongly And .

if you wish to insist n his white coat look for shadows cast
o ,

by his rounded body on the ground backg ound or r .

The fi h f painted celluloid is interesting and by n means

s o o

difficult to draw although at first glance we may be slightly

,

puzzled where and how to begin .

A fish is long—one almost might term it domino shape -

B egin then as always by sketching out this general

.

, , ,

shape.

This done we trace from the wider and larger end of the
,

fish the long sloping line t the branching tail The forepart o .

slopes steeply down from the shoulders and finishes with a

rounded blunt nose Next we notice that fi h —unlike a
. our s

real fi
s h —has a flattened underside upon which he rests on

flat surfaces —and this we draw .

31
 D ra wing fer Beginners
After this we proceed to sketch the gills the curious ,

breathing apparatus f the fish placed on either side f his

-
o , o

head and behind his cheek .

Then we note the eye—circular in shape (not oblong like a

human eye )—and the queer scoop f a mouth with the lower o

jaw jutti g forward We then sketch the tail which is

n .
,

If we feel disposed we can sketch a few f the fish s

so o
’

scales they overlap beginning at the head and diminishing

in size with the diminishing size fthe t ail end fthe b ody
,

o -
o .

We may also build up a picture with a group f several o

fishes drawn from the single model .

Turn the fish round that the head comes nearest This
,
so .

will not be easy to draw because here we are confronted

so

with something that is n t a flat plane B ut do not let

,

o on .

this worry you When we are sketching something co ing

. m

toward us we draw first the part that is nearest then the

parts b ehind
,

If you draw two three or even four fishes y might add

or ou

a swirl f water and some reeds Then you will have com
o , .

p l
e et d a little picture
Ob erve real ponds and reeds at your next opportunity
.

and if a fi h darts b efore your eyes you will see that his fins
,

and tail agitate the water

B y ob serving and remembering— cannot always have
.

w e

a pencil in hand— build up pictures in minds

o ur we o ur

Teddy B ear might next pose as a model

.

He has a rounded head and a pointed snout These we .

sketch very roughly—something like the shape of a pear .

He has a round fat pillow shaped body to which are

, ,
-
,

attached his fat little thighs the backward sloping hind legs ,
- -
,

and his small but solid feet thrust sturdily forward TO the t p . o

of his head we must add his large soft round ears The front , , .

part of his forehead curves in a decided kink and his queer ,

little sn ut soars upward His nose is black and shiny and

o .
,

the noses of bears are three corner shape wide at the t p curl-
, o ,

ing round the nostrils and narrowing to the upper lip The .

32
F ig
. 5
. VA R US T YS
IO O 32
 Dra wi ng o a r Toys
lower jaw fTeddy B ear is small and retreating and his mouth
o ,

curves upward in a pleased little smile .

His upper arms are very thick and they scoop downward
and outward and end in rounded paws Teddy B ear might
,

carry study further In all probability he will wear a

o ur

coat tunic Then draw the little garment carefully D raw

.

or . .

the folds under the arms and the belt round the waist and the , ,

pattern about the edge f it o

Teddy B ear is different from the wooden creatures f the

.

ark or the velveteen f B unny R abbit He has a furry coat

o . .

Try to indicate with several strokes of the pencil the furry

shadows in his ears behind his ears in the b end Of his arms
, ,

and legs and the shaggy little fringe fhis paws and hind legs O -

Draw the furry lines lightly His coat is fa soft substance

.
,

Draw some f the thick curls with their queer little twists
. .

o ,

and the shadows on the curve of the ragged edges .

His eye is dark and bright It has a shiny light being of

a shiny substance D raw the dark shadow f the little eye
.
,

. o

with strong dark touches leaving the light untouched

, , .

There you see we have the fur f the coat the velvet of
, , o ,

the dress and the button f an eye Three different b

, o . su

stances requiring different handling fthe pencil o

D obbin who has carried us so many miles round the

.

nursery fl that all his tail and most of his mane has
-
o or

sprinkled the highway f our fancy D obbin after all is said o , ,

and done is a horse He has four legs a stout body an

, .
, ,

arched neck and a spirited eye and nostril

S ee how smooth and round is his body and how firmly
, .

the four legs are fastened to the corners and how squarely ,

the neck is placed His hoofs are stoutly fixed the ground on ,

the left fore leg and the right hind leg stepping forward
- -

First note the b arrel shape f his body and draw that
.

firmly placing the legs at each corner and simply marking

,

the angle from the top fthe leg to the hoof Then place the o

curved nec k the square shoulders and trace the long face
.

on

(The horse faced individual a rude nic k name we some

.

’
-
,

ti es hear suggests a man woman with a very long face )

m , or .

C 33
 D rawing for Beginners
You may n place the saddle n D obbin s back because (we
ow o
’
,

are now looking for more details ) the triangular shape f the o

saddle throws a shadow and marks the curve f his flank o

Compare the various thicknesses f D obbin s fore legs

.

’
o -

The width f the upper part the firm square swelling f the
.

o , o

knees the narrowing f the fetlock the curve and forward

, o ,

th ust Of the fetlock and neat little black hoofs The hind
r , .

legs have a very decided and firm sweep backward .

The bridle is useful The cheek strap marks the thickest.

-

part f the horse s head the frontal strap gives the width f
o
’
, o

the forehead the long straight side strap throws a shadow

,
-

under the funny little painted eye and down the cheek .

It n only remains to draw his long thin face and his

ow ,

rounded nostril and his mouth open to receive the bit which
,

has long since disappeared and his two ears pricked int lli , e

gently forward He has all the points f a good horse has o

D obbin
.
,

And surely among all calped darlings there will be n our s o e

fair lady to it for her portrait Primrose who never closes

s .
,

her blue orbs though h is rocked until her small mistress s

s e
’

arms ache with fatigue and D ahlia proud snub nosed and
,

-
, , , ,

long bodied Primrose has a real dolly face rosy cheeks

-
.
, ,

big round staring eyes arched eyebrows and pouting lips , , .

We might do worse than study Primrose Her eyes are .

glassy and stuck in Oblong sockets ; beyond that they have

no more than a general resemblance to human eyes B ut .

Primrose has not such an ill proportioned body as some f -

o

her little doll sisters though her legs are stiff and her arms are
-
, ,

absurdly small
Sketch first her large head then her long body the angles
.

Roughly ark the

, ,

of her plump legs and her tiny arms , . m

position f nose and eyes the shape f the bobbed locks cut
o ,
o .

squarely across the brow and at the level f the ear L ook o .

at the length f the tunic the skirt and the socks the edge
o , , ,

of the sleeve folds under the arm The feet being slightly .

upturned expose the tiniest slip fthe sole f the shoes o o .

When you have the head n paper then y can mark o , ou

34
F ig
. 6 . TO Y H O RS E AND DO LL 34
 D ra wing o a r Toys
t h features ; arched eyebrows tiny nose dimpled chin and
e , , ,

a bsurdly fat apple dumpling cheeks

-

Observe the large sockets fthe staring eyes the tiny pink
.

o ,

lips
Shade in the soft hair and note that it clings to the shape
.

of the head and the ends are fluffy

,
.

The velvet tunic sticks t at the hips and the fur edging
ou ,

on the skirt just covers the knees .

Mark that the upper edge f the sock follows the curve f
o o

the fat legs and notice also the curious dimpled fingers that
,

seem proper to the little girl doll

D on t trouble too much about detail D raw the chief
.

’
.

things and let the others slide And having proceeded step
.

by step from wooden toy to waxen doll we might next con

sider certain little people f more importance—ourselves
,

o .

35
 CHAPT E R I I I
D ra wing O urselves ana Ot n ers
’

HEN we first try draw each other it is best to

to choose fairly easy positions Put your small
brother into an exaggerated t t it d —
.

for example a u ch

rushing toward you with arms outspread his chin in the air
,

, .

Y will very soon get tired and discouraged worse still so

‘

ou

will he and the probabilities are that his first posing will be
,

his last .

S o choose an easy position Firstly for his sake secondly .

,

for yours It does n t pay to be t selfish about these things

"
. o oo

and posing after all is said and done is very monotonous

,

, ,

work ueer aches and pains develop in hands knees and

.
, ,

feet Extended arms holding banners grasping trusty

. or

swords are apt to get heavy as lead S o I offer it to y as . ou

an invaluable principle nsider the feelings f your model co o

B y an easy pose n that represents a simple position is

, .

o e

meant If we begin by trying to draw some

. with body o ne

huddled together legs crossed neck twisted and eyes gazing

, , ,

into ours w shall soon be very confused

e

S tand you brother upright with his arms to his side

.
,

r , or

put you sister on a chair with her hands in her lap and her
r

eyes looking before her plump the b aby down n a cushion or o

on the floor and draw him sideways (he won t stay there but ’
,

that is a detail ) Choose in a word easy positions

.
, , .

It i a very encouraging reflection that all people who

s

aspire to become artists are more less in the same boat or .

We land the same rocks reefs and shore we battle with

o n , , ,

the same currents tides and storms We should therefore

, ,
.
, ,

be ready with a helping hand whenever it is required by

others .

36
 D rawing O urselves ana Ot n ers
'

I will it to y if y will it to me my brothers would

s ou ou s ,

sa y A. there were two brothers

s and sister all fond f o ne , o

drawing we formed a Triple Alliance and posed to each other

, ,

in turn
S o we will b egin with simple poses
.

A hint here as to the size f our sketches may not come o

amiss D o not draw n t small a scale A sketch f a

. o oo . o

figure the height fyour thumb will n t teach you very mucho o .

Moreover is t apt to adopt a niggling worried style f

, o ne oo , o

drawing Take a good sized sheet f paper and try to make

.
-
o

you sketch as large as the length f your hand

r o

S hall we assu e that Kathleen has kindly agreed to it t

.

m s o

us for fifteen minutes L et us place her n a stool which o on

sh can it upright and in a steady suffused light— t too

e s no
near the window the fire the electric gas lamp light all , , , , or ,

of which tend to th ow confusing lights and shadows Then r

we give Kathl een a searching look—not too long—and we

.

ask ourselves what shape does Kathleen roughly speaking

present S he forms a triangular shape Yes S ee the line
, ,

. .

of the back the line f the upper leg the line f the leg from
, o , o

the knee to the foot and the upright supports of the stool
Having seen we record our impressions—lightly—f after
.
,

, or

all they are but first impressions and we don t want to make ,
’

harsh lines that can be erased only by much rubbing and

spoiling f paper o .

Next we consider the angles we have made and compare

with Kathle n We that the angles are softened into
e . se e

curves the forward thrust f the neck the curve f the spine
, o , o

and upper part f the leg We might note the position fthe
o . o

hands n the lap (they are not the extreme edge f the
o on o

knee ) and we could look again at the head and indicate

,

the roundness f the upper side the comparatively flat oval

o ,

fthe face and the hood lik e shape f Kathleen s short mane
’
o ,
-
o .

Now we are searching for more detail I know y are . ou

dying to give her a nose eye and mouth Well trace these
details lightly and do not labour the eyelashes— have
.
, , ,

we
something more important in hand .

37
 D rawingfor Beginners
Next we ight note the arm Turn up the sleeve if the
m .

elbow is hidden Hinges joints are very important and

. or ,

the more we see f them the better we shall understand the

o

working f the human frame Kathleen has a thin but

o .

shapely little arm the upper surface f which is gently

, o

rounded and the lower straighter and fi mer because f the r o

b nes beneath The thumb rises to a point and the fingers

o .
,

fall outward more or less in the shape f a fan The position o

of this hand is very simple B ut ten to one if the pose has

.

.
,

been left to Kathleen s choice h has clasped her fingers ’

, s e

tightly together for that is a very natu al thing to do with

, r

an unoccupied pair f hands And clasped hands are very o

difficult to draw O ne invariably makes them far t large

.

. oo .

It is not easy to fit four fingers and a thumb n that small o

thing called a palm until we have gained experience .

Having arrived at the arms and hands we continue with

the lower limbs tucking in the skirt (folds can be very mis
,

leading ) to Show the upper part f the thigh The square o .

angle resting upon the seat of the stool is sharply defined .

The knee is more less hidden but k Kathleen to touch

or , as

the knees where they bend hold the skirt tightly across , or

the kne s and mark it well in your mind

e , you paper , or on r ,

because from there we trace the lower part of the leg .

Now we follow the curve fthe leg noticing the flat surface o ,

of the front part compared with the calf Your Kathleen

may not have as much calf as my Kathl een G irls have very
.

often the thinnest of arms and legs and it is a common mistake ,

to give t much flesh Next we draw the feet The boat

oo . .

shape f the foot seen in profile (or sideways ) is broken up

o

with the strap which marks also the thickest part of the foot
, ,

the instep From that curve it descends steeply to the root

of the toes or the curve of the shoe proper S tout sensible
.

.
,

shoes has Kathleen and the sole and heel are easily traced
, ,

marked as they are with the shadows f the leather o .

Lastly note the most import ant shadows and folds ; also
,

the hair neckband cuffs or doubled back sleeves—just

, , ,
-
so

far as you interest carries you but no further

r , .

38
F ig
. 7 . K A TH LEE N 38
 Drawing ners
Onrse/ves a na Ot
’

And we have Kathleen down on paper S he deserves

"
so .

o ur thanks and if h laughs as she probably will and

s e ,

exclaims O h how queer I look in your drawing y can

, ,

ou

tell her that i f h will only it to us fairly often we will

, ,

s e s ,

BA L NC NG
A I or MO V NG F G URES
I I

improve and hope some day to make her as nice looking as -

sh would wish
e .

N what about J ack—do you think h would care to it

ow e s

for his picture

Jack being a gentleman full f frolic will probably like
to pose in more less spirited action Why not If he
or

wishes to peer aft across the good kitchen chair with his b ack
o

. . "
toward us we shall probably find it is no more difficult to
,

draw him thus than from a side view His energy may be .

a spur to ours .

39
 D ra wingfor Beginners
There is one fact about standing figures that y must ou

always bear in mind They must balance . .

Y will probably y w ith a smile y are quite certain

ou sa ou

o f that without any reminder B ut I am inclined to think .

that young artists are ve y unobservant or else uncom only r , m

careless often do we note a lack fbalance in their pictures

, so o .

And you can f you self artist no artist that if

se e or r , or ,

y outhrow yourself into an attitude and lose your balance , ,

y ouwill come with a crash to the ground .

Your heel t whatever happens to be your support

, or o e, o r ,

must come under the centre f you spinal column o r .

In Fig 8 are shown a couple fsilhouettes ffigures in action o o

to emphasi z e this principle S uppose y were hopping on n

.

. ou o e

leg dancing n yo toe standing upright with your

, or o ur , or

arms above your head and Michael Peter gave you a , or

push brothers sometimes do y would at once lose your

, as , ou

balance—and the figu e in your drawing will overbalance if r

you do t rightly plant him upon whatever is to support

no
him .

Therefore as soon as we have sketched in the angles f

, o

Jack draw a faint line dow the centre from the back half n or

centre f the neck and this should reach the b all f the right
o ,
o

foot (Jack is depending n the chair with his left leg and
. o ,

he could therefore lean backward forward without losing or

his balance ) .

First we glean a general idea f the big angles f the body o o ,

and the broad sweeping line f the spine the bending thigh
, o ,

and leg and the standing leg and foot (in my sketch drawn
,

on a smaller scale ) Then we follow the angles and find they

.
,

break into large si ple curves We trace the great curve of

m .

the body its backward thrust the width f shoulders and

, , o ,

the comparatively narrow width across the hips the thick ,

curve f the thigh and its narrowing line to where the knee
o

bends the chair the urve f the calf and the flatter line
on C o

f the k nee to the foot where it b ends downward in a great

, ,

Spoon shaped curve The right leg has far more delicate
-
.

cu ves The calf and upper thigh are drawn taut with the
r .

40
F ig
. 9
. J A CK 40
 D rawing Oa rse/ves a na Oi n ers
’

very upright position (If y stand in this position you can ou

feel the strain f the sinews at the b ack f the k nee and the
.

o o

ankle ) The ankle tapers and the toe of the foot is turned
.

outward and thus we both the back of the heel and the
,
se e

broad t turned away in shape something like the bow f a

oe o

boat .

Having noted the main forms and their relation to each

other we can next devote ourselves to detail The line f
, . o

the hair follows the upper part of the round bullet shaped -

head The ear is valuable coming as it does at the meeting

.
,

o f the jaw and skull and we note the tiny niche where the ,

neck rises above the collar

N we can mark down the big shadows—under the loose
.

ow

sleeve f the shirt at the waistbelt between the legs and the
o , ,

folds at the back f the knickerbockers at the knee and o , ,

beneath the heels We follow the grip f the hand the . o on

chair remembering that something solid and big flattens nd

, a

pushes t the palm The uplifted right arm is turned from

ou .

us We can —and it is all that we can —the small

. se e se e

apex f the bending arm the round edge f the elbow as it

o , o

bends upward and outward the folds the inner part f , on o

the sl ev and the tips Of t he fingers resting n the brow

e e, o .

After which y can carry with anything that holds your

ou on

interest B ut k eep your sketch a Sketch D o not worry after

. .

details Y will learn more at this stage from making

. ou

sketches f quick poses and getting a knowledge f general

o o

proportions than by delving after detail .

Also you could reverse the positions f Kathleen and Jack o

Kathleen might stand in the same pose as Jack and Jack

.

might sit the stool

,

on .

And it is very amusing to dress brother and sister in their

elders clothes ’

G ive Kathleen a shawl and a handkerchief folded three

.

corner wise and tied under her chin put a b asket at her
-
,

feet a closed umbrella in her hands and we have an Old

market woman O nly rememb er that we bend with age
, ,

our head droops arms g forward and toes very

,

, o ur sa , o ur

41
 D rawingfor Beginners
probably would turn in a little after long years f weary o

plodding .

It is amusing to play with one s fancy to bring t our ’

,
ou

colour box and make a fresh drawing tinting clothes hair

-
, ,

and face
,

Put the ld lady against a plain background a wall for

o , ,

instance and begin by sketching the whole figure (as we

,

sketched Kathleen as herself) That is the simple angles .

, ,

the big curves then the smaller shapes ,

Of head face arms hands shawl apron , , , , , ,

feet ; lastly the details f hair folds , o , ,

features fingers , .

If you decide to colour your picture f o

the market woman choose pleasing colours , ,

tints that will blend pleasantly .

An Old French peasant woman would

be dressed probably in greys and blues ,

whereas a gipsy woman would have a

highly colou ed handkerchief and shawl r .

Jack might dress up as a shepherd

T HE M R K E T W N
F ig .

(with a long
O MA
cloak or plaid across his
shoulder and a staff in his hand and
A

, ,

his knee n a rock ) scanning the rough pasture ground for

o

sheep that have strayed

B ut beware —draperies cloaks and plaids are very mis
.

l ading
, ,

e .

We are inclined to lose the drawing f a leg arm‘

o , , or

figure when we are trying to sketch draperies The folds .

deceive the eye The fall of a cloak may hide the position
.

o f a foot an arm If such is the case then remove the

or .
,

drapery make a note f the particular object about which

, o

you have doubts and replace

S hould y prefer t leave the folds untouched because
.
,

ou o

they are happily arranged take a walk round your model

and look at the hidden o b ject from the opposite side Never
,

hesitate to survey the thing that y are drawing from a ou

different angle It is a common fault to worry over a detail

. ,

42
 D rawing Oa rse/ves a na Oi n ers
’

to labour a diffi cult problem when a glance in another posi

,

tion would make everything perfectly plain .

T return to the shepherd

o .

The colouring f the Old shepherd s clothes should be more

o
’

or less decided b y his surroundings O ne would not for choice

.

give him a scarlet plaid and a Prussian blue kilt These .

colours would soon fly in the mists f early dawn the long

o ,

days of rain and storm A shepherd s clothes would prob

’

ably share the tints f the hills and f the heather—mauve

.

o o ,

green brown and fawn

, , .

43
 CHAPT ER IV

D ra wing Hana s ’

S are excellent things n which to practise draw o

Firstly because they are difficult ; secondly

, ,

ause having two we can always spare n and o e

draw that And we can draw hands early and late We

. .

shall never draw hands t Often study them too much oo no r .

It is often said that we can judge an artist s work by the ’

drawing f the hands If the hands are good the rest f the
o . o

work is good and if bad then is the rest

, , so .

It is not wise to make hard and fast rules ; still there is - -

a good deal of truth in the saying as we shall very soon ,

discover .

When first drawing hands we must apply the same broad

rules— f simplicity We must choose simple positions
o . .

F or instance that hand with finger pointing with which

, ,

we are so painfully fa iliar”; that ugly ill drawn hand m ,

-

This ”way to the Menagerie This way to”the Performing

B ears This way to the Cricket
,

, Pavilion This way to ,

the best Teashop in the Town ”

This way we ight add .
, m ,

to o urfirst drawing f a Hand o .

Having the Offer f left hand we can begin without

o o ur ,

delay Let us it squarely at a table resting

. s left elbow , o ur

on a book and pointing the index finger straight in front

of us
Observe the whole shape carefully ; block in the strong
.

square angles and proceed from the beginning f the wrist o

to the upper knuckle—then along the forefinger to the more

or less square block fthe inner finger and n to the sweeping
o , o

curve f the thumb

o .

N open your hand spreading t your fingers As you

ow , ou .

44
 D rawing Han a s ’

move each finger up the knuckles loosen and dimple the

skin ; as y clench them once more together the knuckles
ou

curve into clean sharp forms E ach finger is b ased in a .

good strong knuckle remember that Young artists are t

, . oo

fond of crowding knuckles together and if hands grew as ,

their drawings indicate they would have a poor chance f o

g ripping an a handle bar

o a r, even the useful
-
knife and
, or

fork.

Having noted that the biggest mass is composed f the o

doubled fi t and that the angles f thu b and forefinger

s ,
o m

bear away from each other we that the line f the w ist
,
se e o r

forms yet another angle

Of course it is quite probable that your hand may not
.

resemble mine but the general principles hold good My

thumb is large my fingers are long ; yours probably will be
.
,

shorter and the thumb more slender

,

L ook at the sweeping line as it proceeds from the back f o

the wrist to the knuckles and notice the swelling curve f o

the thumb b eneath and the manner in which it b ends back

,

We will n give ow attention to the forefinger H

o ur . ow

straight and determined it is pointing and almost speaking

,

its command how thick it is at the root and how it tapers

, ,

to the tip
We now begin to search for more details We draw the .

finger more carefully marking the w inkles n the upper

, r o

part and the corresponding curves the lower ; then we

, on

notice the way in which the loose flesh folds in springy curves ,

joining thumb to forefinger in a useful hinge .

We mark the clean sweep f the thumb and the wrinkles o

on the back cu ving knuckle also the shape of the nail a

-
r , ,

square cut important looking nail curving on the outer edge

- -

and following the curve f the thumb tip Then b ack we

, ,

o -
.

trace the thumb and note the wrinkles the largest swell on

ing cu ve ; back to the w ist we go until we meet its firm

r r

tendons
From thence we might jump to the knuckles once more
.

noting the deeply cleft wrinkles in the bend We should .

45
 D rawingfor Beginners
then be ready to draw in the dark shadow f the doubled o

fingers the upper nail (like a portion Of a tiny pink shell )

,

and the square shadowing of the thumbnail

,

B efore we leave the drawings f

.

left hand there o o ur o w n

are other poses to consider

left hand holding a small o b ject
.

F or instance your ,
ow n
such a coin a fl
as stem a reel f cotton The latter
o w e r- or o

being a light O b ject y would hold lightly between your

, , .
,

, ou

first finger and your thumb supported by the second and ,

third fingers
Sketch first the upright shape f the hand and wrist then
.

o ,

the first finger and the knuckle from which it springs the ,

upright thumb and the angle f the reel f cotton

, o o .

Here by the by let me y once more that y need not

, , sa ou

feel boun d to pose your left hand in exactly thi s position .

If y should prefer another pose with the palm more

ou ,

exposed (or less ) by all means adopt yours in preference

,

to mine These hints may then be used as a general

.

guide My positions are chosen because they present simple

.

problems .

And n let us return to the hand with the reel f cotton

ow o .

Having roughly sketched the forefinger the thumb and , ,

the general proportions of the wrist and hand we should ,

then pay a little more attention to the hand itself the

b ack f which lies like a flat upright line breaking into
,

small indications f the second third knuckle The first

o or .

knuckle is slightly indented and the root f the first finger , o

descends in a firm swelling cu ve to the folded muscle f r o

the thu b m .

The thumb presses inward against the reel and marking , ,

the angle fits nail we sketch the firm long line fthe knuckle
o ,
o

down the swelli g curve to the root f the thumb behind

n o ,

which we have the lower swelling cu ve f the pal r o m .

The first finger and the shape of it must be carefully noted .

My fingers though long are plump and yo rs may present u

sharp bone and knuckle I trust that they may for b ony
, , ,

.
,

substances are easier to draw Their shape is clean and .

46
 D rawing Ha na s ’

definite their angles more acute and therefore more quickly

,

noted .

We note here the tip fthis first finger and the apex coming o

at the front f the nail Next we draw the folds f each

o . O

fi g joint
n er -

From the second knuckle we can trace the second finger

.

hidden behind the first finger but seen in a tiny space

between the reel and first finger and the tip of it o btrudes
,

on the far side f the reel o .

The third finger rises from the third knuckle and is seen
in the space between the first finger and thumb and again
,

beyond the thu b behind which we know it supports the m ,

reel .

The little finger merely waves a graceful tip like the clown ,

in the circus doing nothing in particular This hand though

, .
,

simple can be carried to almost any length of study Note

, .

the Shadows of the thumb the shadows fthe knuckles fthe , o , o

first fi g tip and those cast by the reel The reel itself
n er- , .
,

being f black silky thread is (in my study ) the darkest tone

o ,

of all .

The left hand holding a fan suggests another variation

this time with the palm broadside and the fi g tips o n, n e r-
coming forward
Fi st note the pear shape of the pointed fingers bent
.

r ,

fingers and flattened palm meeting at a slender wrist

Observe the angle f the object that is held correctly
, , .

o ,

because from that position the fingers curl .

The fan is a fairly stout object composed of thin slats folded

together and so nicely adjusted that the touch f the tip f
, o o

a finger displaces them .

The thumb holds and supports the fan in a firm upright

position The thumb rises from a long swelling base flatly
side —
.
,

on o ne despite the faint indication f the bones—and o

in two long swelling curves the others meeting in a firmly on ,

rounded tip
B eyond and curled round the fan we have the first fi g
.

, , r er

then the second third and fourth fingers tightly grasping t h

, , e

47
 D ra wingfor Beginners
end f the fan These we block in as n mass marking the
o . o e ,

angles fthe outer joints the inner joints and the fi g tips
o , , n e r-
the palm flattens and bulges to the wrist .

Then we again revert to the thumb and the finer details ,

the pointed finger and the shadows the first second third , , , ,

and little finger (we have already sketched this in mass and
therefore shall have no great difficulty with details ) the ,

knuckles bending inward and the tips of the fingers closely

,

holding the fan Mark all the darkest shadows Under the
. .

F ig 1 3. . T H UM B S UPR G HT AN D F RE SH RT EN E D
I O O

first finger is the curve of the thumb and under the fan (the ,

lower part of the palm indented by the ring of the fan ) the
sharp firm shadows between the fingers .

More poses for the left hand might include

L eft hand beckoning or palm extended and back pre
sented ; hand clenched ; hand lying flat the tab le palm
,

on

downward ,
palm uppermost B oth are rather difficult
or .

studies
Rest your elbow on the table clench your fingers and
.

extend your thumb D raw only the thu b

, ,

. m .

Turn you hand toward yourself with the palm uncovered

r

and draw your thumb—bent .

Y should become well acquainted with all yo various

ou ur

fingers by drawing each separately —and many times

o ne

S uzanne Lenglen t h e great tennis player said that it took

.

-
, ,

her six months to learn a certain stroke It will take us .

48
 D rawing Han a s ’

certainly longer to learn how to draw all the fingers f our o

left hand .

Little children are very clever at painting and drawing

gloves S ometimes I have pinned a shab by old leather and
.

f
ur gauntlet to a board and the painting has been surpris ,

ingly good And yet had I suggested the drawing f a hand

. o ,

a wail f despair would have gone up A glove is a step

o .

toward the drawing f a hand o .

Have you drawn a hand gloved ,

If not I advise a trial Take for choice a glove o f a firm

, .

substance leather instead of wool and thick leather in prefer

, ,

ence to thin ; if it has a gauntlet f fur much the better o , so .

A k some kind friend to put his gloved hand on the t p of

s o

a stick or an um brella and make a careful study f it It , o .

will be simpler than the hand unclothed The palm will be .

more fa mass the seams will give the direction of the fingers
o

the wrinkles f the leather will give—more less—the base

, ,

o or

of the thumb the knuckles and the wrist, , .

Having made a study of the gloved hand ask your friend to

remove his glove and resume the position with the b are hand
,

If y can make the two drawings n the same sheet f

ou o o

paper you will find that your previous effort has helped y ou

considerably to draw the ungloved hand .

Tight gloves distort and contract the hands loose gloves

disguise the shape D o not let this worry y
,

Try to draw ou

what you — y
. .

it see as o u see .

Another time you might persuade some n to hold up a o e

hand palm toward you and fingers together (S ee No I

, . .
,

Fig
D o not begin with sprawled fingers spreading apart it is
.

bewildering for a start

B lock all the fingers together and draw an imaginary line
.

from the tip f the thumb to the fingers to check your pro
o

portions Close up your n thumb and note that it reaches

. ow

to the first joint f your forefinger Thumbs because f the

o .
, o

deceptive nature f a curve are Often deprived f strength

o , o ,

length and mus le Note the large surfaces o f muscle the

, c .
,

D 49
 D rawingfor Beginners
almost square shape f the palm O nce you have the larger o .

proportions f fingers and thumbs well fixed in your mind it

o

will t be difficult to observe each finger each knuckle each

no , ,

fi g tip separately
n e r- .

The rather listless fingers (N II Fig 1 6 ) can be indicated o .

, .

on the same lines the fingers though they are separated can
be first block ed in together
, ,

When drawing a hand holding

a ball be sure that the hand d o es

hold the ball I would emphasize .

the point that often very often , ,

young artists d aw a hand holding r

a ball a pen a hockey stick , or , or -

,

and absorbed do they become so

in drawing the fingers that they

neglect the object the fingers are
clasping with the result that it ,

reappears in a distorted form .

And the“ excuse offered gene

ally is I had to draw it in
uch and such a way the fingers or

would not have come right ”

.

Wh en drawing a hand grasping

Fig 1 5 DR W B E C T T H T an bj t draw fi t the P n
A TH E O J A
O ec rS e , or

W hatever the object may be and

. .

fl l N TH E
fi gagggaggg
18 l s
g
fit the fingers round it rubbing t
,
r E r-P
, ou

later the part which is hidden If the thing held is straight

or round o bviously it must be drawn straight or round
.

.
,

Have y seen an X ray photograph f a hand or held

ou -
o ,

your fingers up to a bright light and seen through the film

of pink flesh the dim shape f the bones Muscles tendons o , ,

veins flesh and dimples attract our attention The bones

, , .

we are inclined to neglect .

Indeed it is curious how fond we are f looking for things

, o

that matter not at all

"
.

For instance h often do we ,

a hand pleasantly but
ow see

feebly drawn We wonder vaguelywhat n b wrong T n ca e . e

50
 D rawing Hana s ’

chances to the artist has paid too much attention t minor

o ne o

things He has tried hard to give the nails the right shape ;
. so

but what attention has been paid to the knuckles to the base f o

the fingers and firm shapes b etween each joint to the joints
,

, ,

themselves all f which are a great deal more important

, o

The ring n the finger the watch o ,

on the wrist is eagerly depicted for

it is jolly interesting S o it is
, ,
‘ ’

B ut if the metal is beautifully and

. .

intelligently drawn and the finger

"
or the wrist looks fee ble and patchy
, ,

, ,

W hat then And the wrist is often

neglected It is the link between the
.

arm and the hand as the ankle is ,

the link between the leg and the

foot and both shapes are fascinating
,

studies for the artist .

We must try to get at the frame

work O nce we have the bony t
. s ru c

ture in minds we shall find the

our

outside shapes less baffling .

Not that I would advise you to

begin by drawing the skeleton B NE S
S tart drawing freely
.

F ig 1 7
. . O

O nly when you feel yourself becoming confused give a

.

thought to the bones ; they are a wholesome check S eek

, ,

D on t be satisfied with pretty curves and

.

t shapes
’
ou .

dimples cushioned palms and tallow candle fingers Move

,
-
.

the fingers to and fro Twist and turn the w ist Never be . r .

afraid f losing a position Y will gain something of far

o . ou

more value than that which y may lose ou .

The bones f the hand are small but fairly easy to under
o

stand They have n cup and ball or rotary movements like

. o

those f shoulder and forearm neither are they shrouded in

o

huge muscles like those f the rib s and back Moreover o .

,

they are plainly seen in the hands f the very old criss o ,

crossed with big blue veins .

51
 CHAPTER v

D rawing F eet
F we all walked about in sandals instead f boots and o

shoes the human foot would be much less diffi cult to

,

draw .

If centuries f cramping leather f high heels and pointed

o , o

toes had not Spoilt the shape of modern feet we should be

, ,

more interested in drawing the human f t divine oo .

’

Artists often declare that a pretty foot is the rarest f all o

rare things
B ut all start in life fairly well equipped in that respect
.

and therefore we may consider ourselves fortunate if we

have the opportunity f drawing Jack s bare foot B aby s
o
’
or
’

queer little curling toes

And this presents an idea Feet—that is bare feet—often
.

.
,

being impossible to procu e as models why should we not r ,

begin by drawing shoes and boots

B aby s bootikin absurd little shape though it is gives
’ ’

a rough idea f the foot as B aby s small fingerless glove

, ,
’
o ,

presents a rough impression fthe shape f a hand o o .

There is plenty to observe in a shoe a boot and it is or ,

rather a fascinating study if we choose n with a highly o e

polished surface Then again a bedroom slipper of quilted

.
, ,
-

satin and fur is a j y to paint o

Examine the bootikin D o we not get a crude shape f a

.

foot S tuff it ith paper and perch it n a table before you

.

w o

Make a sketch f it and then sketch B aby s foot in the same

.

’
o ,

position and n the same broad outline as the bootikin

, o ,

treating it first as two simple angles— the m ping angle of

the leg and the forward thrust fthe small plump foot The
,
o .

baby s ankle is cushioned with f t that it is diffi cult t

’
so a o

52
 D rawing Feet
discover the bone but that we must try to find because
, ,

fro the ankle bone we get the triangular shape f the he l

m
-
o e

and the flat tread fthe sole The fold of fat a b ove the ankle
o .

marks the deepest part of the foot and the highest line f the o

instep This line descends steeply to the root f the toes

. o ,

and expands in the bold curves f the five toes

o .

Now borrow your mother s shoe Place that before you

’
.

and on a level with your eye (If y begin by trying to

. ou

draw the shoe very much beneath you for the matter f
, o r, o

53
 D rawingfor Beginners
that very much above you you will have a more compli
, ,

t d problem )
ca e .

Try first to draw it in a simple position— side view a .

At first sight n is apt to think a high heeled shoe a rather

o e -

complicated shape but if y try to analyse it as a rough

, ou

block it is no more nor less than a wedge The high heel

, .

gives the greatest depth the t gives the narrowing point , oe ,

f —
the tread the foot heel and sole f the shoe— fi t line
o o a a .

Having marked this simple triangular shape we note the

large oval Opening the stumpy and rounded toe the beautiful
slick curve f the heel O f course we know that no part
, ,

o .

of the foot enters the high heel which is merely compressed ,

leather or wood ; and we should therefore trace the foot , ,

within the shoe in thoughts if not with

, pencil o ur o ur .

Then perhaps we shall catch Jack in a specially charitable

""
frame f mind ready t it bare footed
o ,

uick let us get pencil and paper and plant Jack n a

stool with his foot resting the floor and to give more
o s

on
-
.

,
o

action—and consequently more interest—to study we o ur

will raise his heel by propping it up n a fairly thick book o .

Next we it do n on a low seat or cushion on the floor

s w ,

as near as possible to the level f Jack s foot o

’
. .

Again we are all for simplicity A profile f Jack s foot . o

’
,

presenting an angle with the ankle and leg would be an ,

interesting study .

Having roughly drawn the triangular shape of the bending

foot we next proceed t note important facts The mass of
, o .

the heel the shape f the ankle the broad fine sweeping line
, o ,

of the instep (Jack has a particularly well shaped instep ) -

,

and the ball f the foot— the springy cushion upon which the
o

tread f the foot presses

o .

Afterward observe the masses of light and shade and , se e

how the light picks t the strong tendons about the ankle ou .

I find it helpful to shade as if I were chiselling t shapes ou

— method that may not appeal to you S o long as you
a .

shade intelligently not beginning a shadow and leaving it

,

off ithout reason but using the shadow to emphasize a

w ,

54
F ig
. 19
. J A CK S
’
FOO T 54
 D ra w zn g Feet
shape a swelling a curve a bone a tendon that is all
, , , , or ,

I ask .

Another time we might try a full—face or three quarter -

View f a foot And as this presents us with the pro blem of

o

foreshortening let me advise you to b egin by drawing the

.

foot in shoe and stocking ; afterward draw the foot in the

same position without the shoe and stocking for the very ,

same reason that we first drew the hand gloved and later ,

ungloved The covering simplifies matters Instead of the

. .

angle f the toes and toe nails we have the broad sweep f
o -
o

leather covering it all i a three cornered form n -

.

Y may prefer to draw the foot with the heel on the

ou

ground I have chosen to represent t h heel lifted F

. e . or

o nereason it gives action and life to the position and f , or

another presents a more acute and more interesting angle .

We have the leg representing one angle and the foot yet ,

another angle and the apex f this angle lies in the ankle
, o ,

which we know to be the end of two bones The ankles are .

the ends of the leg bones the wrists are the ends f the -
,
o

arm bones-
.

When we are very small we usually draw the feet as two

little spoon shaped o b jects something like a couple of feeble
-
,

golf clubs which is not very wrong in effect

-
, so .

Therefore when we draw a foot no matter what the

position may b e the two simple angles f foot and leg are
, ,

most important O nce they are settled we can devote

,

. our

selves to noting the tread f the foot and the heel the curve o ,

under the foot and the curve f the toes o

Margery has not a very b ig ankle ; the outside bone is

.
,

higher and clearly defined ; the inner is barely seen o ne .

Partly b y observing the folds f the stocking and partly o ,

by deduction (f we know the ank le bones are opposite each

or -

other ) and also because of a shallow depression we mark the

is a valuable fact
, ,

position f the bones That you

o .
, se e , .

Ankle bones settled we next mark the curve

-
f the heel
, o ,

w hich is slightly exaggerated by the thickness f leather ; o

t hen we note the curve f the foot as it treads n the ground o o ,

55
 D rawingfor Beginners
and compare the two sides f the foot a long sweeping o , o ne

line the other shorter (shorter because f the fullness f

, o o

the rising instep ) meeting at the t with an abr pt and

.

, oe u

slightly indenting curve .

The sharp shadow under the t lifts the foot from the oe

ground and a shadow defines the top f the instep The

, o .

curve f the strap f the Shoe provides another shadow and

o o ,

also emphasizes the depth f the foot from instep to arch o .

Margery s stocking being of lighter material than the shoe

’
, ,

adds to the variety f the surface f drawing As the o o our .

folds in a stocking indicate the position f the ankle will o , so

the bend of the leather in a boot shoe mark the tread f or o

the foot and the b ending joints f the toes o .

A highly polished leather is easier to draw than a soft dull

g l
ac é ed f
o r suit accentuates
e, light
or and shade The bright .

light the t the half moon f light n the side f the

on o e, -
o o o

foot the dull disc f light that indicates the ankle are f
, o , o

great value ; they show the position of the bones Keep .

these bright ; do not dim their surfaces .

Having now drawn Margery s foot in shoe and stocking ’

,

perhaps we shall persuade Margery t pose in the same o

position without her shoes and stockings as if h were n ,

s e o

her way to paddle in the se a .

Now y the bones more easily and having marked

ou see ,

the two large and simple angles f leg and foot as in the o ,

previous drawing we continue with the rest fthe foot The

,
o .

heel looks a trifle smaller ; the toes being unhampered with

leather spread and the big t asserts itself B lock fi st the
,

, , oe . r

toes as a large shape noting their tips and roots and working
, ,

from the tendons (seen between the ankles ) and the arching
muscles f the upper part f the instep and then divide and
o o ,

sketch the toes and thei r various angles .

The drawing f the foot clothed has I am sure helped y

o , ,
ou

with the drawing f the naked foot o

The sandal worn by the R omans with its half covering f

.

,
-
o

the toes and its straps and ribbons across the instep and
its thick sole—and n can roughly contrive a sandal with
, ,

o e

56
F ig
. 20
. MA R G ER Y S F
’
OO T 56
 D rawing Feet
cardboard and ribbons at home makes a most interesting -

subject to draw .

S andals by the interweaving f their straps draw

, o our

attention to the variety f shapes f the toes which we too

,

o o

often overlook The big t is an important member of the

,

. oe

foot ; indeed f the whole body When the foot is raised

, o .

it is the big toe that spreads and separates from the other
toes and helps to balance the foot The big t is char
, . oe as
t i t i as the thumb
a c er s c
(Indeed the monkeys the tree .

cli bing animals use the big t as we

,

thumbs
,

m , oe u se o ur
to grasp and hold the
,

branches ) It is usually
.

square tipped thick and

-
, ,

muscular The next t . oe

is slender and long the ,

second and third toes

graduate and the little
,

t oe is curved or doubled
up and is almost more
,

negligible in size and

a
pp ea ranc e t h n th e T HE S N D LL E D F T
a
F ig 21
l ttle finger
. . A A OO
i .

It is interesting to learn that by the use f the feet and o

the manipulation f the toes artists at all events crafts

o , , o r, ,

men have been helped in their work A famous craftsman

,
.

o f Cairo who works in

,
ood and produces beautiful lattices
w

f windows and doorways uses his left foot as a third hand

or ,

because f his skill in the use of this foot he i known to the

o s

city as the three handed man -

.
’

When the foot is seen from the back the heel i naturally s

the most prominent feature Also the ankles are more easily .

observed .

Having marked the angles f the leg and foot we should o

next notice the straight tendon that runs down b etween the
,

ankles and spreads into the firm swelling apex f the heel o .

O either side f the foot the ankles are clearly seen

n o Note .

the shapes well and note also the height f the upper part
, o

57
 D ra wingfor Beginners
of the foot (this is always the widest section ) and it sharp s

descent to the toes S een from the rear these toes present
,

a blunted and rather flattened curve Trace the flat under .

surface f the foot the tread and balance first afterward the
o , ,

curves f the heel and the space between the instep and the
o ,

ground remembering always the foot within the shoe

, , , .

The sole f the foot is a flattened surface the outside

o on

edge This you can for yourself in the two sketches see

which show b oth the inside and the outside f the foot
.

o .

Moreover if y take ff your shoe y can pass your finger

, ou o , ou

under the inner side f the foot but on the outer edge there o ,

i n space at all
s o

Walking kicking dancing stamping swimming—here we

.

have an immense variety of poses D ancing the foot rises at

, , , ,

a steep angle the heel clear fthe ground the b all f the foot
.
,

o o

and the toes resting lightly (I do t refer to b allet dancing

, ,

. no -
,

which is more or less fa gymnastic feat the shoes are heavily o

padded at the toes and n these pads the ballet girl rests ) o -

S tamping the foot comes down with an all over flat action
, .

-
, ,

heel and t held level Kicking the foot thrusts t toes

oe .
, ou ,

upraised The kicking position shows us the sole f the foot o

and the sole is a curious shape— n that we should not

.
,

o e

neglect S hould we draw n f brothers sitting b y the

. o e o o ur

fire leaning back in a chair it is highly probable that he will

cross his legs and put up his feet to warm S horn fheel and
,

. o

thick leather soles the sole f a foot is a flat elongated shape

, o .

The human foot has the padded soft flesh beneath the tread ,

with wrinkles on the inner side and a small firm smooth heel , ,

something like the outline f an elongated pear o .

The shape of the modern shoe worn by the small child gives
us as it claims to do the natural shape fthe sole
, ,
o .

Turn it over and observe it well .

The general shape f the five toes resembles the general o

shape f the four fingers When y doff your shoe and

o . ou

tocking look at your toes Then put up your hand and

o b serve the b ack and tips of the fingers F an shaped—are
.

-
.

they not S o are your toes .

58
F ig
. 22 . B A CK AND S I DE EW
VI OF F EE T 58
 D rawing Feet
There is as much character in the foot as in the hand The
tall slim long limb ed person has invariably a long slim hand
.

and a slim and narrow foot The plump short girl b oy

, ,

. or

has the plump hand and foot The long fi g d hand usually .
-
n ere
goes with the long thin toes
Fashion inflicts queer shapes n the foot At time it
.

o . o ne

insists that all our shoes shall be narrow and peaked another ,

time squat and round toed ; then heels must be worn like
-

stilts shaved down to the thinnest substance

, or .

In China we all know what a fetish was once made f the o

F ig 23 . . T HE I NS D E AND UT S D E OF A F T
I O I OO

tiny foot When swaddled and compressed the poor little

.
,

foot has no chance at all And there was a time in E nglish

.

history when the toes f the shoes were so long that they had
o

to be buckled back to the knees .

All of which indicates the absolute necessity fknowing the o

shape f the foot Fashion may deceive the many but the
o .
,

artist must know that it only tries to disguise the true form .

If we want to the foot un spoiled then we must go to

see

the countries where fashion and manners have not aff cted e

it where generation after generation has walked the earth n

, o

the bare foot with only the slight protection fa sandalled

, or o

sole Then we how finely it supports the body what a

se e

thing f strength and beauty it can b e l—fi he l arched

.
,

o rm e ,

instep springing muscles of the sole imprinting the ground

,

with it firm treads

59
 CHAPT ER V I
D ra wing Hea a Face Fea t a res ’
, , ,

ana ’
Hair
years g poring over an ld fashioned
R E ME MBE R , a o, o -

drawing book which contained—among many other things

-

-
diagrams that reduced head face and features to the , ,

very simplest f problems o .

The author began by comparing the head to an oval or

egg shaped substance

-
.

Full face presented a simple oval

S ideways ( profile ) presented a deeper oval with the
.

or ,

forepart flatter than the back which thickened a little at ,

the base .

On this egg shaped form were traced curving lines follow

-
,

ing of course the curves f the surface n central line and

, , o , o e ,

three transverse lines The central line marked the centre.

of the brow the angle and tip f the nose and ran through
, o ,

the upper and lower lips to the point fthe chin o .

The cross transverse lines marked the angle of the

, or ,

brow above the eyes then the angle fthe nostrils and lastly
, o ,

the angle of the mouth .

When the head tilted and sank forward the lines fthe face o

curved downward .

When the head was thrown up nd backward the lines f a o

the features curved in a like manner

S een in profile (or sideways ) the line fthe brow carried to
.

o ,

the back f the head with the line of the nostril gave the
o ,

position of the ear .

This is a valuable little key to the quick placing f the o

features In a word it helps with the perspective ffeatures

.
,
o .

60
 ’
Hea a , Face Fea tures, ,
Hair
The unpractised artist is very prone to devote too much
space to the face and too little to the head .

F ig 24
. . E D AND F C E
T HE H A A

We all know that babies have abnormally large heads

th at children s heads are large in comp arison with their
’

61
 D rawingfor Beginners
bodies that only the adult s head and body balance in nice ’

proportion—that is the head is neither too large n too ,

or

small for the body

B ut the face never occupies the entire space fthe head as
.

o ,

young artists often seem to imagine that it does .

Look at the size f the crown of the head at the back and
o ,

the sides thereof and do not spread the forehead right up to

,

the crest f the head o .

Note also the beautiful balance f the head on the neck o ,

the neck the shoulders on .

The indenting curve at the base f the skull is not level o

i th the jaw — but — it is a little

w se e

below the level f the ear and n a line o o

with the nostril .

The neck is full f interesting drawing o .

There is the full curve of the th oat r ,

and the shorter and stronger

13 s " curve from the b ase fthe back
a o
S W Ul l of the skull to the nape f the
l ° o

neck and the spine The large .

bones f the vertebr e which

NE C K
o a
HE D
,

F ig 25
: T HE
we can feel with the tips f
A A ND
o

o ur fingers resemble as the French word h in n has it the

, , c a o ,

links f a chaino .

T large muscles (mastoid ) often attract our attention

wo

when the head is twisted aside Extending from behind the .

ear to the forepart f the collar bone they are always more o -
,

strongly developed in a boy than in a girl and in a man than ,

in a woman These you can feel at the root f the neck and
. o

the forepart f the th oat by twisting your head right and

o r

left ; and they form a cup like depression when your head is -

straight .

The neck y will notice is strengthened with muscle

, ou ,
so

and bone that it rises like a small pillar from a very solid
base .

A girl s neck is slender a boy s equally thin but more

’
,
’
,

muscular A woman s neck is full f entrancing curves ; a

.
’
o

62
 Hea a , ’
Fa ce Fea tures , ,
Hair
man s neck very strong very muscular and consequently
’
, ,

rather thick .

As with all other parts f the human body necks exist in o

every variety—short necks long necks thick thin muscular

,

, , , , ,

strong feeble and fat ; but and the fact is worth noting the
, , , ,

base of the neck where it joins the body is always its thickest
part .

With this slight introduction to the general proportion and

shape f the head we can next turn attention to the face
o , our

and the featu es r

One hears many curious remarks from young artists ; for

.

instance I simply love drawing people but I can never

"
,

draw a face This is by no means an uncommon experience

. .

Another equally frank statement is often heard Faces

R tha er They are simply topping B ut I can t draw hands ’

and things
And there we are
A curious world it would be if young artists were confronted
with embodiments ftheir own drawings Imagine the shock
o

of meeting a gentleman in plus fours with no face but a turnip

like smudge a lovely languishing lady with exquisite
, or

shingled head and nothing more substantial than a few slight

lines indicating a body—and those quite w ong r

B elieve me it does n t do to run away with such ideas

,
o .

We may say things so often that in time they seem to weave

a spell .

A young and most promising artist friend f mine drew -

o

faces admirably and refused to draw anything else S he

, .

would not draw a hand a foot And in time it really or

seemed as if h could not—which f course was absu d

.

s e o r

Anyhow to this day h draws exquisite faces and the rest

.

s e

S
, ,

o f her drawings would shame the veriest beginner he is .

an artist—spoilt .

If we take subjects n by our and make progress o e o ne , our

step by step we may be slow but in due time we shall arrive

, ,
’

And an excellent aid t home studies let us

.

as o our o w n

provide ourselves with a hand glass small mirror This -

or .

63
 D ra wingfor Beginners
is an invaluable help indeed a necessity for the studying , , ,

and drawing f our features o own .

And at the outset I would utter a word f warning about o

the drawing f a face o .

It is surprising that young artists often draw the eyes and

mouth as if they were mere patterns stuck n the face a o ,

method that is evidently copied from fashion and poster

art ists who are very fond fthis effective but mask like effect
, o -
.

The eyes in their pictures are heavily outlined the lips are ,

thickly painted with purple crimson tints It is a wrong .

point f l and a very harmful one as you will soon

o v ew , ,

discover .

Look at the eye your eye anyone s eye What a lumi ’

"
.
, ,

nous expressive feature it is composed f most subtle and

, , o

exquisite parts
Look at the iris the ring f colour the velvety depths f
, o , o

the pupil the shining white surface f the sclerotic tissue o

surrounding the eye b all and the soft pink inner corners
,

Remember the ball f the eye is a large object covered by

.
,

lids which reveal only part f the whole Look at the curve o .

o fthe lid and its graceful fringe

B ut lashes though dark and sweeping are not as important
.

as pupil and lid D o n t draw the lower lid in a thick hard

, ,

. o

outline You will produce at once a mask n t a face If

.
, o .
,

for theatrical purposes y rub a stick f darkening stuff ,

ou o

beneath your eyes y then see your eye forced into a slit
, ou

like shape but only then The eye is the most expressive
,
.

feature Laugh and your eye must laugh I have seen

.
,
.

people smile with their lips when the eyes were not smiling ,

and what a futile smile it was

To picture the lips as two thick slabs of colou is just as r

great a crime .

Your mouth may be full and dimpled it may be small and ,

thin it may be wide and f no very definite shape B ut it o .

is not it can never be a moulded pattern stuck like a postage

,

, ,

stamp on your face

Draw down your mouth p out smile laugh—and note t h
.

, , , e

64
 Hea a , ’
Face Features ,
Hair
teeth revealed Roses filled with snow sang the Eliz a
.
,

bethan poet of his lady s pretty lips ’

.

Let us take up the hand glass in left hand and a pencil -

our

in our right and examine features

, o ur .

An eye is an oblong shape t inan oval cavity We se . se e

it in primitive drawings as a round black d t to which is o

added a pointed lo z enge shaped frame -

The iris being the coloured part f the eye will probabl y
.

,
o ,

first attract attention That we notice is a circular

o ur .
, ,

shape covered above and below by the upper lid and the
lower lid D raw the circular shape boldly We will assume
,

. .

that the upper lid is firmly and clearly seen not hidden ,

by the brow Having observed it closely and recorded

. o ur

impressions we pass to the lower lid which should be ,

dra n lightly for it is a tender delicate form

w , .

Next we examine the inner corner f the eye (nearest the o

nose ) where are the soft pink tear ducts which we touch in
,
-
,

lightly with the pencil .

The outer corner of the eye forms a sharper angle with ,

the upper lid curving downward to meet the flesh of the

lower lid and its corresponding upward curve .

Having sketched the shape of the eye as a whole we might ,

next return for a closer observation of the iris .

Is there anything in nature more lovely than the iris f o

the human eye The liquid tint of blue grey brown is , , or

like the luminous colouring of a strange flower And it is .

c olou Therefore it is a shade deeper many shades deeper

r .
, , ,

than the opaque whiteness of the eyeball Then shade it .

with your pencil .

Within the iris we have yet another shape the little black ,

pupil of the eye th ough which the light passes This is f

r . o

velvety richness but before shading carefully note the shape

,

o fthe bright light n the pupil and leave this light working
o ,
‘
,

the shadow round it

S uppose we ignore this light and shade it in with t h
.

, e

pupil ; at once the eye looks lifeless .

Having done all this might add a f of the long lashes,

we ew

E 65
 D ra wingfor Beginners
—not all We should no more draw every leaf on a tree
.

than draw every lash f the eye We choose the most o .

important
Finally we take a general s rvey deepen shadows add a
.

, u ,

few details and then notice that the eyebrows have been
,

neglected .

We should compare the eyebrows with the shape of the eye .

The hairs f the eyebrow are usually thicker at the base

o
—that is nearest the nose—than at the outer edge They
, .

begin full and thick and incline from the nose outward
framing the eye in a wide c rve
,

u .

E yebrows there are f every variety You may every o se e

day eyebrows thick thin b ushy soft fine and coarse ;

.

, , , , ,

eyebrows dark and eyebrows fair that they can hardly

, so

be detected except in a very bright light ; eyebrows traced

as delicately as if they were made fa single hair and shaggy o

overhanging eye b rows from under which the eyes gleam lik e
, ,

little pools Note the eye b rows and draw them carefully
. .

It would seem foolish having made a close study f , o o ne

eye t to draw both eyes with equal care

, no .

We might this time choose to draw eyes from another o ur

angle And as we are drawing a pair f eyes we have twice

. o ,

as much to bear in mind First we should roughly trace

the position fthe two eyes S ket ch the position fthe brow
.
,

o . o ,

and the angle of the two eyes and the size f the eye and , o

eyelids .

It is useful to remember as a general rule that the space

between two eyes is the length f an eye Then having o .
,

sketched the position general angle shape f eye and eye , , o

socket it would be wise to note the position of the iris and

,

pupil .

These we know must agree Unless we are very careful .

to sketch the iris f both eyes looking in the same direction

o ,

we shall certainly give our drawing a most horrible squint .

If the iris lies in the outer corner f the near eye it must o ,

lie in the inner corner of the far eye (If y wish to sketch . ou

a cross eyed person then you place both irises near the nose )
-
,
.

66
 H ea a ,
’
Face Features , ,
Hair
Lightly trace the iris and the pupil and the shape and posi ,

tion f the light on the pupil

o .

Next we note the shape f the upper lid f the near eye o o

(and its long curve ) the d epest and the narrowest part ; e

the shape f the inner and blunt end of the eye the sharper
,

o ,

curved angle of the outer part of the eye We look at the .

far eye and this curves slightly away from us the curve
,
on

o f the cheek The eyeball nears the blunt end and exposes
.
,

a large Space of white

L id pupil iris eyelash eye brow all follow in their turn
.

, , , , ,

add such shadows as you wish and you must certainly not ,

forget the shadow f the nose and the forehead The eye
o .

lies in a socket In ld people this is very noticeable The

. o .

shadow of the brow falls on the socket and gives a very sharp
and b old outline for drawing
Drawing eyes from the mirror has certain limitations so
.

let us ask some to it for us with an eye in profile

o ne s

B ear in mind an important point The eyeball is covered

.

by the lid Then obviously the lid must project b eyond the
.

eyeball Young artists often draw the eyelid and the eyeball
as if they are exactly the same level B ut anything that
.

on .

covers must be larger than the object covered .

You would not f instance draw a tea cosy smalleror -

or

even the same si z e as a teapot for y know very well it

, , ,

, ou

would not cover the pot Y would not draw a hat exactly . ou

the same size as the bare skull It must be larger Then

y b ll) the same si z e as
. .

why draw an eyelid (th t th a c o vers e e e a

the eye
Also you must allow f the thickness f the lid If y or o . ou

turn your head upward and look down at your reflection in ,

the glass the thickness fthe lid will be very apparent Y

, o . ou

will notice the inner edge resting against the eyeball and the ,

outer edge fringed with the lashes This can be seen even .

more plainly if you open your eyes wide as if in astonishment ,

or surprise .

The Open lid is t frequently seen as the small lid and

no so

sunken eye which fact worries the unpractised artist n t a

, o

67
 D ra wingfor Beginners
little The eyelid f course is there but the brow swell
. o , s

for ard and conceals part f the lid

w o .

When you draw eyes Of this description sketch the ball of

the eye and the lid and then sketch the brow
E yes of course there are in infinite variety S ome are
, , .

, , .

heavily lidded some are large and round some are lashed
, ,

with long silken hair There are the small piggy half or

closed eyes the eyes that pierce with sharp k een glances
.

There are the dreamy eyes the laughing twinkling eyes and
.

, , ,

the sharp suspicious eyes

There is nothing eas y about the drawing of an eye It
.
,

will always demand the closest care and attention .

Even when we are drawing the eye of a sleeping person ,

when the lids cover the eyeball there is the exquisite meet ,

ing of the lids the mingling of the lashes and the shadows
, ,

cast by the lashes on the cheek We must n t forget by . o ,

the way to indicate the roundness of the eyeball beneath

,

the lids
A nose presents more difficulties to the young student than
.

any other feature ; more especially the drawing f a nose o

in full view—when we as much f the left nostril as the se e o

right And the reason of this difficulty is n of perspective

. o e .

We are confronted with something which fills mind with o ur

perplexity something f which we shall often hear namely

, o , ,

foreshortening .
’

Yet a nose is not such a very alarming shape Certainly .

not as diffi cult to draw as a hand pointing straight t of ou

the picture It is merely two small cavities placed at an

equal distance from each other winged in flesh and protected
.

by a round tip and bridged to the face by bone and gristle .

When you draw the nose full face draw the shadow of the
bridge and the shadow under the tip f the nose and the o

shadow b eneath the nose boldly Think if y will of the

, ,

ou

keel of a ship f the corner of a box D on t be fearful of

, .
, ,
’
o

making the nose ugly Rather a big well shaped nose than
.
,

— —
. ,

one as we see often in our d awings timid feeble and

so r , ,

of little account .

68
 Heau , ’
Face Features , ,
Hair
Your nose will in all probability be smaller than the first
exa ple selected It is a bold nose It has a firm bridge
m . .
,

a rounded and full tip curved nostrils , .

Examine your own nose in a glass and try t sketch it as o

I have indicated in the first example B egin by drawing an

,

upright line then trace down each side f this line the bridge
,
o

o f the nose with the shadows—I hope you are sitting with
the light coming from one side—cast by it Notice the round
,

t ip and n each side the two little curved nostrils and round
, o ,

each nostril the wing f flesh These will probably be only o

B eneath
.

s ligh t ly fi fi d for these lines deepen with age

e ne , .

the tip f the nose a shadow will fall and also on the very
o ,

tip will be a fainter but decided little shadow The shape .

o f this shadow n the tip f your nose is very important

o O .

If your nose i slightly tip tilted then this shadow will be

s -
,

sharp and incline in a three cornered shape upward -

If your nose is Roman then this shadow will dip down in

.

a firm half moon shape -

Now incline y our head away at a slight angle and obse ve

.

, r

your nose .

Again you will notice the long straight line f the bridge o ,

and the firm tip and from the tip you get the decided tri
,

angular shape f the under part f the nose with the two
o o ,

nostrils inclining toward the centre The near nostril is more .

clearly seen than the far nostril It is round and full and .

narrows toward the tip and the wing f it curves in a very ,

o

decided line .

If you close your mouth and draw in a deep breath through

your nose you will notice that your nostrils will quiver and
expand and if you draw your upper lip down over your
,

teeth your nostrils will elongate These observations help

, .

us to understand the muscles and movement f the nose o .

The nostril f the far side is slightly hidden by the point

o

of the nose and presents a three cornered form the nostril

,
-
,

inclining toward the tip the wing f the nostril correspond , o

i gly shaped
n .

Again we notice the shadows n the tip f the nose the o o ,

69
 Drawingfor Begin
shadow the bridge the shadow f the indented lip where
on o

it falls in a dimple a b ove the upper lip

,

The line that extends from the nostril to the corner of the
lip may also attract your notice ; this is the curve which
deepens when we are moved to expressions Of mirth grief or .

Throw up your head .

Your nose rises boldly like a small peak yo r face the on u

nostrils wide at the b ase narrow to a point ; the wing f each

,

, o

enclosed nostril is also long and narrow .

Persuade your sister to bend her head downward

The nose rises from the broad brow pointing downward and
.

outward hiding the upper lip and possi bly part fthe mouth
, o

and chin In this position we get the tip of the nose very
.

well defined If . model be a child the idth f the

o ur , w o

delicate nostrils is very apparent .

The nose seen in profile with the head flung aside is sharply , ,

defined the bridge slender end slightly tilted nostril cu ved , ,

r ,

and the wing f the nostril well marked

o .

Now we know that a nose has two sides two nostrils ;

, ,

we know also that there is another eye another eyebrow ,

o the far side f the face We must never draw a profile

n o .

as if it were a flat surface ( we are sometimes inclined to do ) as ,

but suggest by the curve f the eyebrow the eye nose and o , , ,

mouth the side fthe face that we are n t drawing

o o

the head itself is a b all shaped Object as we must

.
,

F or -
,

never in any circumstances forget .

We should take every opportunity f studying noses in o

reproductions of pictures The O ld Masters never scamped .

difficult problems f drawing ; and you may also gain a

o

certain amount f knowledge by examining the photographs

o

in the daily papers O nce embarked n this fascinating

. o

study f features y will glean helpful ideas from all sorts

o , ou

o f unexpected sources .

Always try to simplify your objects and accept a wrinkle

from the O ld Masters who usually posed their models in
half lights—namely with the light coming from
,

-
,
side o ne

only .
 Hea a , ’
Face Fea t ures , ,
Hair
A nose seen between two lights is more difficult to draw
than a nose seen in light— and that from ab ove
o ne

And there is such an infinite variety f noses Y can

amuse yourself by noticing the different characteristics snub
o " .

ou

aquiline peaky pointed inquisitive Artists declare that a

, , , .

pretty nose is seldom seen but a pretty mouth I think is , , ,

almost as rare
O nly once do I remember to have seen the ideal mouth the
.

Cupid s bow with the pouting rather full under lip and the
’

upper lip rising into two sm ll dimpled curves B ut h

, , ,

a . ow

many ti es do we see long lips—the mouth that shuts with

"
m

a thin ugly straight line the loosely dra n under lip the
, , ,
w ,

pursed p discontented mouth

-
u ,

Hold up your glass and study your n mouth ow .

The mouth is sometimes depicted as a mere slit in the face

curved upward it represents mirth curved downward grief , or

distress
Try first sketching your lips closed D raw a single line
.

across your paper as a guide and finding the thickest part Of

.

the lips in the middle sketch the flattened py amid shape f

,
r o

the upper lip and the lower lip with long curve o ne .

Next you will notice that the upper lip is composed f o

two slightly indented curves The under lip pro b ably curves .

slightly in the centre .

Next we look for the shadows The upper lip protruding .

,

slightly asts a shadow does the lower lip in a lesser degree

C as

Ob serve wrinkles or folds the shape of the corners and the

.
, ,

, ,

soft indication above the upper lip and beneath the nose .

Then for a second example we might smile at

,
n , o ur o w

reflection and draw the parted lips revealing the teeth within
Here we have the curved line Draw the upper lip and lower
.
,

lip first and then the arc f teeth within re e b ering that
.

o m m

the lips hide the greater part and therefore not mak ing these
, ,

, , ,

few te th too many t big or too prominent

e , oo , .

The corners fthe lips will no doubt throw a deep shadow

o

and the lips curving round the teeth will also b e thrown into
, , ,

shadow ; shadows there will be on and under the lip The , , .

71
 D rawingfor Beginners
curve f the cheek will help to accentuate the smile and the
o ,

groove running downward from the nose to the mouth expands

over the teeth .

When drawing the mouth in profile we must f necessity o

as k some kind person to pose .

Try first drawing the mouth closed then open , .

Closed the mouth is a curious little triangle We at once

, .

notice that the upper lip extends slightly beyond the under
lip we notice too the depth f the upper lip and the more
, ,
‘

sharply decided line as compared with the rounded under lip .

We must look for shadows and mark the opening of the ,

mouth and anything that will help to explain the corners f

, o

the mouth f these are exceedingly expressive nd change

, or , a

with baffling quickness .

Now look in your glass once more .

Throw up your head and your mouth follows the curve of ,

you face forming a semicircle Y see under the under

r , . ou

lip do you not And the upper lip rises in a very distinct
,

and acute curve

"
.

Now ask your friend to bend the head downward

D o we n t get the position reversed The cu ve of the
.

o r

lips is now thrown down the centre points downward the , ,

corners curl upward .

And this we offer as a really sound piece f advice When o .

you wish to study faces do not draw a stolidly staring ,

bored countenance but ask the friend who is sitting ’

,

to scowl smile to look pleased

, or disgusted It is in
, , or .

finitely easier to study featu es in motion than when t firm r se

as if moulded in wax
Our little friends Mr S ad and Mr Glad whom we are so
.

fond f tracing the margin f books have a good deal

o on o o ur ,

t commend their honest countenances They have the lines

o .

o f laughing and crying faces crudely expressed With chin .

upraised and eyes twinkling cheeks pushed up in dimpling

—
curves and nostrils and lips curled upward behold Mr G lad
,

And when we cry do not our lips curve down in unutter

, ,

able woe dragging our cheeks in straight lines from

,
o ur

72
 '
Hea a , Face Features , ,
Hair
nostrils puckering eyes into d half moons—like Mr S ad
, o ur sa -

in very truth
While you are studying the features choose some interest ,

ing subject to enliven model and artist alike Though you

may not complete your original intention make a b eginning
.

on say the subject f a small child sniffi ng up a slightly di

, , o s
agreeable scent from a small bottle
S uch a conception may provoke such
.

hilarious amusement that your drawing

will bubble with laughter .

Art students often begin their studies

by painting the head f an Old man o or

o ld woman And the reason is that it

.

is far easier to draw age than youth ,

for the features become more marked

with age and therefore more distinct .

Compare for instance the nose f the

, , o

o ld man and the nose f the infant ; o

the tiny button f a baby s nose o

’
, as

against the big bold bridge the heavily ,

marked nostril As the saying goes .

,

n can hardly miss the drawing f ‘

o e o

an ld man s nose
o
’

Compare the mouth of a y oung girl

.

full and pouting parted over the ,

white teeth and the Old man s grim

,
1 55
” ’
, ,
F ig 29 . 31 3 AN D

straight and lined ; and the wide clear

,
13
11 8

gaze f the b y with the heavily lidded eye f age E ven the
o o o .

ear f the Old is loose in shape and wrinkled about the lobe
o .

Which brings us to those very important organs—the ea s r .

There is something peculiarly interesting in the drawing f o

an ear There i the soft texture the delicacy f its curves

. s ,
o ,

and the contrasting shapes f the large upper part and the o

slender lobe It is a feature f which the amateur too often o

falls foul F some inexplicable reason the ear in a weak

.

. or

drawing is Often its worst feature Invariably it is given a .

queer little waist at the central part .

73
 D rawingfor Beginners
Where several young artists are gathered together they
can easily draw each other s ars in turn F or ith all the ’
e .
,
w

goodwill in the world we cannot study this feature alone and

,

with a hand glass -

The ear is an O b long the upper part of hich is wide while

.

the lower part contracts toward the lobe It b ears a slight

, ,

resemblance to a huge interrogation mark The ear is com .

posed f any exquisite curves that it presents a somewhat

O so m

baffling subject to the pencil f timid young artists o .

Look at the ear as mass and do not at first trouble o ne

yourselves with its manifold hollows and curves S ketch

very lightly the Oblong shape B y slicing the corners of the
.

upper part and carving a considerable p ortion from the

,

lower part you have the angles f the ear

, o .

Then look at the large and beautiful curve f the outer o

rim and the flattened upper space which creeps from behind
the fold nearest the cheek and swells into a smooth surface
dipping down toward the lob e the orifice itself is a dark and
mysterious little cavern tucked beneath the coral pink pro -

jec t i
o n nearest
s the cheek .

Having marked and sketched the biggest shapes we should ,

turn our attention to the folds The ears Of young people .

are usually f a simple pattern In the example given there

o .
,

i only
s large fold curving round the upper rim There is
o ne .

also the deep curve dimple f the inner part and this weor o ,

can shade follo ing the shape with our pencil and gg t
, w ex a era

ing rather than losing the indentations within the outer rim
we have a deeper shadow while the orifice gives us darkest , o ur

tone We might l so suggest the shadows behind and under

. a

the ear .

The ear that you are trying to sketch may not resemble the
ear in this example b ut of course it is up t y to draw o ou

yours as faithfully as possi ble The ear y are sketching

,

. ou

may be wider it may have a more flattened appearance the

lo b e may t b e pointed
, ,

no
It is diffi cult to suggest any rules to help in the drawing of
an ear Th in thing to bear in mind is the
.
'

e m a f the ear u se o .

74
F ig
. 30
. EA RS 74
 Hea a ,
’
Face Features , ,
Hair
As an organ fhearing it rarely lies as flat against the head as
o

some young a tists depict it r

S een from the front it lies apparently very close to the

.

scalp but from the b ack the ear presents a very different
,

appearance When it is the ear f a small b y with h i hair

.
‘

o o s

cropped smooth it will Often project in a very singular fashion

, .

The ear rises from the head a flat trumpet shaped Opening ,
-

to catch sounds The projecting cup extends and rolls over

.

in a large fold curve hiding the upper part from View and
or , ,

revealing only a tiny portion fthe lobe The position f the o . o

ea r, the way in which it is moulded on the rounded recedi g n

curve fthe skull and the cheek and just above the juncture
o

Open and shut the mouth

,

of the jaw can be plainly seen , .

and feel the motion with your fi g tip under the lobe f the n e r- o

ear
S een from the front and almost full View we have an
.

, ,

elongated shape The upper part though flattened and .

,

receding with the receding side f the head still presents o ,

the fullest c rve and the lobe is as a drooping pendent

u , or

shape .

Mark the large folds first and then the inner curves and
the shadows b eneath and within the ear O ne fold tucks
, ,

behind the other fold resembling it often seems the petals , , so ,

of a pink rose .

Present these folds simply ; mark the shadows crisply

that i with quick bright touches f the pencil In the fore
s, , o .

short ened position a man s cheek swelling forward will hide a ’

portion f the ear with whiskers and with beard

o .

If you should happen to be of a group of young artists o ne

who have taken the Opportunity f alternately sketching and o

sitting you will find that it is helpful interesting and perhaps

p i i g to lay your sketches side b y side at the end of a
, , ,

ur r s n ,

sitting and compare the various shapes f the various ears o

S ome ears lie flat on the head oth rs stick out S ome ears
.

have long lob es ; in others the lo b e is small and pointed ;

.
,

others again have no lobe at all There is little chance f . o

being bored with a too uniform pattern -

.

75
 D rawing for Beginners
Hair is a fascinating theme for the artist whether it be the
bob bed and shingled hair fthe modern girl the floating locks
,

o ,

f the mermaid the small boy s cropped poll or the silvery

’
o , ,

ringlets of old age .

Hair is a strangely deceptive substance It expresses .

,

tho gh it veils the form from which it springs It may lie

u , .

thick as a cloak as lightly as the fluff of a feather it can

, or

be coiled as massively as gleaming metal crimped with or

strange outstanding puffs and bushes ; it may b e clipped

,

short as a beard trained in wisps of whiskers There is

or .

no end t the tricks played by (and upon ) the hairs f our

"
o o

head
S mall wonder that we find hair a difficult baffling subject
.

S ays Mary plaintively

,

My hair” —she is of course speaking fa drawing looks o

like a wig .

And mine like a doormat adds Madge even more , ,

plaintively .

The reason why the hair in our drawings resembles wigs

and doormats is that when drawing the substance f the hair o

itself we forget the shape beneath the hair Also that hair .
,

has very peculiar qualities f its n E very coil every o ow .

,

cluster f curls every curl has its n shape its

o , light
, ow , ow n
and shade It has a beginning and an ending Hair doesn t ’

rise stiff and stark from the face and head lik e a n brush
. .

ew ,

but in soft dow in short silky hairs merging into long locks
n, , .

False hair and false beards look false because they do not
grow gradually as hair grows from the skin .

Note the way in which the hair springs from the scalp the ,

thickness of the roots the silky tendrils f the temples the

, o ,

soft down at the nape f the neck Wh en we are young o . o ur

hair springs thick and long When we approach Old age the .

hairs thin t suddenly but gradually And the reason

,
no , .

that shi ngled hair has an artificial appearance when seen

from the back lies in the fact that the barbers shave the
smooth fine hairs the nape of the neck on

Look at Rosemary s little curls The hair clasps the little

.

’
.

76
 Hc a d, Face Fea tures , ,
Hair
head with the daintiest web of silk Note the curve of each .

curl the wave the kink and the final upward fluffy thrust
Diana s bob bed hair though stiff and prim has strong light
, , , .

’
, ,

and shadows If we shade it as one mass it will naturally

look mat like B ut D iana s dark hair covers the shape f
.
,
’
-
. o

the crown and the light strikes on the curve f the head and
, o

reveals its shape .

Take a single lock of hair and mark its shape as if it were ,

a single object instead of a mass ffine hairs falling together o

Draw first the general shape Trailing as it does without

, .

.
,

touching clinging to the shoulder we observe its curious

or

snake lik e appearance Then lightly draw that shape

,

Next we notice a twist in the lock D raw the twist ;

. .

within the twist a shadow is cast by the thick over hanging -

mass ; draw that shadow Another shadow we observe .

beneath the lower curve ; indicate that also likewise the ,

several broad shadows which will probably appear above the

thickest mass That being done we sit back and look at
.
,

o ur drawing critically Too solid we y and not suffi ciently .

, sa ,

hairy .

Hair unless very wet or thickly saturated with il has a

,
o ,

wayward disposition .

Within the lock you will probably note a parting f several o

hairs extending from the upper part to the lower kink or

,

curl Then note some of these separate hairs and indicate

.
,

with the lightest possible touch

D iana s bobbed hair stiffand pri has valuable lights and
.

’
, m ,

shadows
First sketch the shape of D iana s head next look for the
.

’
,

parting from which the dark masses f hair arise and fall o

ab out the ears brow and neck Draw the line of the parting
, , .
,

the dividing line f the hair -

o

O n one side you will notice a very sharp little shadow

.

defining the crown f the head ; sketch this lightly From o .

the crown the hair springs nd catches the light Cropped a .

firm and square the shadows beneath the lower edges must ,

of necessity be also firm and angular Across the light spaces .

77
 D rawingfor Beginners
y will
ou probably detect hairs D raw some of these hairs . .

They will break the light and give a hairy appearance to

what might other ise appear rather like metal woven silk
w or .

Hair that is frizzy and grows golliwog fashion from the ,

-

scalp must be drawn with the lightest touch Hair smooth

, .

an d silken and parted and worn close to the head can be

ore firmness B ut there is no general rule to
, ,

drawn with m .

b follo ed with safety

e w Hair is so diverse in tint and texture.

that only by constant practice can we make good with o ur

pencils .

When drawing hair we should keep a light but n t a feeble o

touch D raw with delicacy and look for stray hairs t break
. o

the firm masses

B abette s thick plait offers another variation Ask her to
.

turn her head aside and s k tch the back of the head nd hair
.

e a ,

the parting the smooth hair covering the crown and then
,

di iding and twisting into a silky plait If the drawing f

v o

the plait gives y trouble practise with some twisted skeins

.

ou

silk only recollect that in this case the

,

of coloured wool or

material will b e of equal thickness whereas the plait f hair

,

, o

graduates fro thick strong roots to W py tail

m IS .

The movements fthe body the action fwind and weather o , o ,

all affect the hair Of the head

Indeed t h little details f floating hair and flying beard
.

,
e o

are invaluable when we sketch figures in motion .

Young artists will draw people dashing through space ,

flying down upstairs chasing balls bowling hoops with

or , , ,

their hair as neat and smooth as if they were calm and motion
less whereas ruffled hair will give the effect of movement
,
.

In this age f tight and narrow garments when flowing robes

o

and cloak s and long veils are seldom seen hair is an asset we
,

dare not neglect .

78
F ig
. 32 . B A B Y S HE D
’
A 78
 CHAPTE R V I I
D rawing Peop le i n R ight Prop ortions
HE N first we draw human b eings we are very
much inclined to draw the child and the man in ’

the same proportions Indeed it is a mistake we .

,

invariably commit .

We draw a tall man with long legs and swinging arms and ,

we draw at hi side a little man with short striding legs and

s

swinging arms We label the tall man father and the

.
,
’

little man son ’

B ut they are not a man and a child they are merely a man
.

and a smaller man S ometimes we have an uncomfortable

,

feeling that children d not look very childish and we

our o ,

complain in discou agement I t make my little boy

r ca n
’

look lik a b y e o

I t would seem perfectly logical to draw children as little

people and yet if we pause to reflect is it really so
, , ,

As a kitten is different from a t a chick from a hen so ea , ,

must a child be different from a man

Have you ever remarked to yourself the huge S z e fB aby s
.

’
i o

head in comparison with his body

Though the head is large the features are almost negligible
the tiny neck is a mere roll f fat B aby has a large round
, ,

o .

eye a flat wide nostril a button f a nose and a half open o -

like mouth (S ee Fig

, , , ,

flo w e r-

The months and the years slowly pass B ab y s features

. .

’
,

form his head develops his body grows his li bs extend

, , ,
m .

Compare the photographs f Pamela at one year and o

Pamela at twelve years and look well at Pamela when h s e

t ips beside her aunt

r .

I f we draw Martin and his father sitting side by side n a o

79
 D ra wingfor Beginners
bench watching a football match in all probability we should -
,

draw a big man and at his side a little man less than half
,

his size Martin may inherit the square shape f his father s
. o
’

shoulders but they will be less than half in bulk The thick
, .

strong muscular neck f Martin s father is very different

,
’
, o

from Martin s thin weedy little one The head of the man is
’

well shaped and firmly balanced but the boy s will probably
.

’
,

look very large a trifle bumpy and big behind the ears The
, .

ears of Martin s father lie flat against his close cropped hair
’
-

whereas Martin s stick t from his thin jaws and neck lik e
,
’
ou

little handles n a big vase Martin s legs are thin and

o .
’

lacking in calf his feet consequently appear rather too large

,

for his height but his father s legs are finely shaped muscular ’
, ,

and well proportioned .

Now having considered these few points would you still ,

feel inclined to draw Martin and his father with the same
proportions
There are a few accepted rules that are useful to remember ,

though we must never blindly follow ny rules f we know a or

the human figure is capable f every variety of form S till

,

o .

as a check to an obse vation that cannot always b e correct

,

r ,

as a trifling guide when perplexing moments beset us these ,

facts are worth noting .

A grown man f good proportion when standing erect o ,

usually measures seven and a half heads high Remember

,

.
,

however that this is the proportion f a perfectly formed

,
o

man A very very tall man would not have an elongated

.
,

body but longer legs The bodi es f most men are the same
, . o

length A man when standing with his arms to his sides will
.

rest the tips of his fingers a little more than half way between -

his hips and knees .

A fig re when sitting roughly represents th ee lines f a

u r o

fairly equal length measuring from the nape of the neck to

,

the seat from the seat to the knee from the knee to the foot
, ,
.

An elbow usually rests in the hollow below the waist as ,

you can prove for yourself by clapping your arms to your side .

A hand measure the same length as the face Put the s .

80
F ig 33
. . P R P RT
O O IO NS or TH E H U N F G UR
MA I E
 D rawingfor Beginners
palm of your hand against your chin and spread your fingers
upward .

A nose is the same length as a thumb The ear the same

.

length as a nose .

And having gleaned these few ordinarily accepted rules you

will pro b ably find your next model will have arms t long
, ,

oo ,

legs too short and a nose disagreeing most profoundly with

,

the length f the thumb Nature is a law unto itself and I

o .
,

bring these f suggestions to you with some misgivings

ew .

If your eye insists that your model measures but five

heads high accept that as a fact Very few human beings
, .

are correctly proportioned .

 CHAPTER V III
D rawing [ na niina t e Things
O US E S hats motor cars chairs beds and b oats
, ,
-
, , ,

all these and many other inanimate things are fruit

ful f much worry for the young and inexperienced
o

artist .

Why is it we ask ourselves that the hat of the man

,
“
,

in my drawing does t look as if it would fit his head

no on

H ow can I make it right

And the reply comes M —measure the size
, of the e a sureu

hat against the size of the man s head ” ’

It may b e that the hat is held in the man s hand that

.

’
, or

it rests against hi chair in which case measure the size f

s , o

the hat with your pencil and put the measurement against the
man s head In all probability y have committed the very
’
. ou

usual mistake f making the h t t small f the head

o a oo or .

Hats are not as easy to draw some young artists seem as

to b elieve The depth and width f the hat can be the most
. o

deceiving and perplexing problem .

Personally I never hesitate to measure hats most carefully

against the heads f the owners o .

Tall hats are more than usually difficult and consequently ,

more often than not wrongly depicted The term tall is .

’
,

to begin with a misnomer In the ld days f rough high

, . O o

beavers and curled brims the words tall high were ’

or

quite appropriate B ut nowadays it is not as y can

. so , ou

prove for yourself by placing a tall hat against another

o b ject and checking its height ; for instance against the
Y will find that the hat b arely
, ,

l g f a dining room chair

e o -
. ou

reaches the first rail f the front leg Which brings under
o

o nside at ion ordinary chairs queer enough looking

.

o ur c r ,

83
 D ra wingfor Beginners
a ffa rs in our early drawings represented with very small
i ,

(and always unpadded ) seats perched n long crooked and , o , ,

stilt like legs

-
.

The seat of a chair is a little lower than an adult s knee ’

.

How uncomfortable it would be were it otherwise And the

back f the chair (I refer to the ordinary dining room chair )
o -

lies half way between the knee and the hip and level with the
-
,

outstretched hand f a grown person f average height Ask o o .

your mother father big brother to stand for a second by

, , or

a chair and check these proportions for yourself The height .

o f a dining room table is higher but only a little higher than

-
,

the height fa seated man s elbow An inexperienced artist is

o
’
.

inclined to draw the table far too high And a table either .

too high or too low would complicate matters pretty n co

sid bly for the diner

e ra .

A chair is an interesting subject to draw E ven the .

roughest and most primitive has good lines and a certain

grace First sketch the skeleton shape the seat and the
. ,

fou legs as you would a box by drawing lines from point

r , ,

to point This will enable y to get a clear idea f the

. ou o

perspective Then compare the curves f the back legs with

. o

those of the front carry the curve from the legs up to the ,

back and add the arms

, .

Chairs there are of every description lounge chairs and ,

-
,

chairs fashioned t f all kinds f materials When chairs ou o o .

are given for tests in drawing examinations they are usually

the simple wooden or Windsor chairs and if you should feel ,

inspired to try you hand in this direction add something f r , o

an outside interest a velvet silk cushion a fur stole or a , or ,

woollen scarf ; or better still persuade Pussy to lie c rled , ,

u

upon the seat Then you will have several kinds f textures
. o .

Couches settees and sofas are often under represented in

, ,
-
o ur

sketches They are really very large objects and made to

.
,

hold a grown person when lying full length

B eds too are commonly shorn f half their width and
.

, ,
o

length A bed even a small

. occupies a good deal fspace
,
o ne , o .

If we err over the length and W idth we are n t h othe , o e r

84
 T he m
T
he h e i gh t 5
03
a n a du I t lrne e
’
s

S t ed [8 a li t t le /

F ig 34
. . T HE P R P RT NS OF CH R S
O O IO AI ,
TA B LES ,
HA TS ,
B ED S
 D rawingfor Beginners
hand very prone to draw beds a great deal t high from the oo

ground The ld fashioned four poster with its curtains and

. o - -

plumes belongs to a bygone age The bed of to day is usually

"
-
.

low and lightly framed Would it not be extremely a kward

. w

if it were higher We should certainly require a ladder to

climb into the beds depicted in the drawings of many young
artists .

When drawing tables couches or beds make a point of first

, ,

dra ing the framework the long seats f the sofas the legs
w o

and then the backs and the arms Tables fall naturally into
, , ,

simple forms with the top first decided and then the angle of
the legs S uggest the length width and height of the bed
,

.
, , ,

adding afterward minor details of sheets blankets pillows , , ,

and counterpane
B oats we rarely draw large enough to hold the crew let
.

alone the passengers motor cars are usually depicted far too -

small f their owners

or .

Heads faces and shoulders emerge happily enough from

,

the tops f cars carriages and boats but it is often in the

o , , ,

nature f a conundrum to find accommodation for the f

o un or

t n t bodies and legs

u a e Therefore always draw these hidden
limb s for even if you make mistakes with shapes and pro
.
,

portions the mere fact f sketching bodies and legs will serve
, o

to remind you that a certain space is required and they can

be erased as you proceed with your drawings .

Another difficulty that besets us is the matter f Spacing o

the floors fthe houses the windows and doorways Tenants

o , , .

are often seen strolling about their front lawns and the ,

houses in the b ackground have windows closely presented so

that nothing larger than a well proportioned mouse could -

possibly move in the rooms Yet a room even a small .

,

room is a considerable height Your father does t knock

, . no

his head against the ceiling He stands erect and there is .

,

a ple space above his head Try to remember that the

m .

gentleman and lady require rooms large enough to This u se

atter f drawing inanimate things in proportion is chiefly

.

m o

a matter of common sense Leave s fficient space between . u

86
 D rawing [ na nini a t e Things
each indow that the floors are not cra d clo ly
w so m m e se

together and the windows are dra n fairly evenly R flect

w e

how uncomfortable it would b e to live b ehind windo s

.

sprinkled haphazard ab out the front of the house

If we apply a good deal f common sense and compare the
o ,

size and shape of thing with another we shall find the

o ne ,

difficulties f drawing inanimate things gradually fading

o

away.

87
 CHAPTE R IX

D rawing our Pets a na other Animals ’

I D GE TY—
PH I L WH O W OUL D N T S I T S T I L L has a
’
- - - -

very serious rival in feathered and four footed o ur -

friends .

We can reason with Fidg ty Phil but no power on earth e

can prevail if Timmy the cat or S pot the terrier wishes to

,

, ,

alter his pose It will signify nothing that we are in the

.

middle fa masterpiece and the fact that we and models

o o ur

a re well acquainted will not by any means ease the situation , ,

the reverse will probably be the case .

My dog Prince always t n my sketch book when he spied sa o -

on the face f his mistress a certain expression which con

o

ve y d to his mind that a sketch fhimself was about to begin

e o ,

instead f a sensible walk n the hills

o o

D ogs cats horses and birds especially birds no sooner

.

, , , , ,

spy a pencil and a piece of paper than up go their heads ,

away go hoofs wings paws tails , , , or .

I n the first place when we wish to draw our pets we must

invest in a very large— might almost y an inexhaustible
,

we
—
sa

store f patience ; in the second place if we are i se we

o ,
w

shall sketch our models when they are at rest ; in the third ,

we must a large sheet fpaper For our model will most

u se o .

assuredly move and if we are properly equipped with paper ,

we can mak e a fresh start without any erasing smudging

,

or .

We must also be thankful for small mercies We must .

sketch an ear if we can t see a head a fraction of a paw if the

’
,

body is hidden a comb beak if that is all that meets the

, or

eye .

We must in Short , take the current when it,

serves , or

lose our venture ”

.

88
 O ur Pets a nd other Animals
With a large sheet f paper and two pencils ready o o ne o r

pointed steal near to Mufti (the cat Fig

, sleepily coiled
a couch and begin
.
,

on , .

B y crouching beside Mufti we shall have a fairly close

observation Preferably choose a position a little below rather
.

than a little above It is usually better to look up to your .

model than do n w .

Possibly we may sigh at the diffi cult and b ffi ing shape a

presented by Mufti .

First however make , ,

rough note of the cu ious r ,

al ost circular shape and

m ,

then seek for any definite

bits .
’

Can we detect any f the o

big bone shapes any pro

"
,

j
ec t i n f the
o sp ine necko , ,

or shoulder Yes ; having

traced the half circle of the -

back we note that the far F FY F ig 35 LU F

shoulder pushes up and

. .

presents an angle (softened f course by the fur ) from , o , ,

which angle the loose skin slopes in a gradual curve to the

head
Notice t that the large p ointed ears lie opposite each
.

, oo ,

other and a line drawn from ear to ear will give the tilt
B etween the ears a curved line following the
,

of the head .
,

forehead downward will strike the centre of the face between

the closed eyes and extended downward and outward will
pass over the projection of the nose the muz zle and the
,

, ,

mouth .

Next we might pay attention to the width f the broad o

back and flanks .

The Spine can be traced by the light which strikes the on

fur the tail being as we know an extension fthe spine

, , ,
o .

The curious square mass of the doubled p thigh and the -

u

l g bene th is fair ly apparent

e a .
 D rawingfor Beginners
Look for the Opposite thigh and mark any projection for
that will give y the angle f both flanks
,

ou o

Sk tch the lower part of the face j t down the position of

.

e , o

the right leg upon which rests the head and get the angle f , o

the hind leg tucked up and meeting the chin

-

Next loo k for more detail The shape f the ears the
.

angle Of the eyes the position f the tiny pink nose —

.
,

, once o

those three things are settled we can study the marking on

the fur And here I must strike a note of warning The
. .

marking is very misleading as are the great lumps of loose ,

fur and the fluffy silky down

First get your —facts and here the word facts means the
.
, ,

big bone shapes the shape f the skull the shape f the
,

o , o

body the legs and the tail

, , .

Then we shall know we are clothing a frame f reasonable o

form .

Having arrived at this stage then comes the chance to ,

note the way in which the fur follows these big bone Shapes
First draw the direction f the fur as it curves over b one and
.

muscle —then the marks stripes dots and forth the , , , so ,

smooth Silky down that covers the ears the soft fl ffi n , u e ss

unde the limbs and about the muzzle and the thick pro
r ,

tecti length f the fur on the back

ve o .

The marking on the fine fur will be more delicate than the
markings on the thigh and back U your pencil with a . se

light firm touch

B y way Of a final observation if any valuable shadows
.

, see

have been omitted where the firm body presses the ground on

possi bly beneath the tail under the chin and paw
,

, or

A short coated pussy with black fur is easier to draw than

-

a striped and tab b y cat The fur being short and unmarked .

will n t conceal and confuse the structure to the same extent ;

o

moreover the light will strike on the glossy coat and define
the b ig b ony Shapes more sharply the flanks thigh shoulder
,

, , , ,

head and paws , .

Whether we sketch Pussy asleep or awake reclining on a ,

wall or playing with a leaf we cannot fail to notice his in i

, ,
var

90
 O ur Pets a na
’
other d nim a s l
able grace Never do you an awkward ungainly move se e or

ment Which fact alone should be an invaluab le training for

.

pencil From the tip f Pussy s whisk ers to the tip of his
.

’
o ur o

tail mark the long flowing line f the graceful li b s the

.

, o m ,

exquisite curves
The large open eye the large upright ear these are very
, ,

F ig 37
. . T I MMY

characteristic f the cat tribe Mark the width f the

o o

cheeks the short b lunted nose the receding under jaw

.

-
.
,

Note also the stretch f the cat s mouth when Open ; the
o

muzzle pulls up and reveals the gape at t h b ack fthe mouth e o ,

and the upper and lower jaw square with the other The o ne .

tiger the puma and all the cat tribe share these peculiar
, ,

characteristics
Robin the puma (sketched in the London Z t which
.

OO, o

he was presented by a friend of ours having outgrown his ,

91
 D ra wing fi
Beginners r

p teh d
oo) is a distant relative f Mufti s and for all I know to o
’
,

the contrary may be as familiar to you as Mufti .

Make a few comparisons between the household pet and

the American lion Robin is f course many si z es larger .
’
o ,

and f a stronger and more powerful breed His limbs are

o .

thick long and sinewy his head small compared with the
, , ,

muscular neck his ears rounded Note the great paw s

and note also the large extension of the jaw when R bin is
.
,

yawning
It is curious to re flect that for n study of a bird we shall
.

o e

see fifty of a cat and more curious when we consider that

,

with birds we have usually a fairly close association It is .

true that bi ds are difficult studies They are the most

r .

elusive models and it is impossible to glean more than quick

, ,

snap shot impressions and rough notes and in that we prob

-

ably fi d the real reason f neglect B irds are not easy but
,

n or .
,

they in t ensely interesting With all their wealth f

a re . o

beauty in form and colour they are a rich harvest f the or

pencil and the brush

,

Who for instance could be more attractive than the perky

, ,

little robin with his brown coat and scarlet waistcoat his ,

sleek neat plumage the cock f his bright eye and the flick
, ,
o ,

o f his pointed tail A most characteristic little gentleman

S earch your memory and try to sketch hi t fyo r head , m ou o u ,

and preferably with your brush .

Make a bold dash at catching his likeness Mark the long .

slope of his back the clean sharp swelling curve from the
, ,

bill downward the intersecting lines f the tail and wing the
, O ,

short bill curved above flattened beneath the eye close to , ,

the bill the slender strength of the tiny legs the perfect
, ,

balance the long talons on

B y contrast t we learn much and drive observation

.

, oo, ,

deeper .

Compare the singing canary his slim golden body and ,

dainty limbs with the rau ous tongued parrot his powerful
, c -
,

beak thick talons and muscular thighs Contrast the k y

, ,
. s

lark the exquisite lightness and buoyancy of hi movement

,
s

92
F ig
. 38 . B I RD S AT REST AN D IN F L GH T
I 92
 O ur Pets and other d nim a s l
and form with that clumsy soft noiseless bird f the night
, , , o
— the l An owl is a good introduction to the study f
ow o

invaluable asset—tracked to his lair by

.

birds ; he has o ne

day he can be O b served quite closely His is a simple and .

co paratively easy to observe shape as he sits huddled n

,

m - -
o

his perch blinking his eyes a quaint compact Oblong form

,

, , ,

from which depends a soft blunted tail ; with Shoulders

hu ped up to his neck head large and square and talons well
m

tuck ed under the soft breast feathers

, ,

Mark the large hood like Shape f the head the curious -
o ,

mask effect fthe face from which the tiny beak emerges and
o ,

the eyes large round and heavily lidded and encircled by

, , , ,

rays f softest feathers Mark the rich dark Shadows of the

o

eye beak and talon with a firm touch B ecause—and this

.

.
, ,

is an important fact when we are drawing birds—it is by

insistence upon such shadows the soft depth f the eye and , o ,

the strong curve of the beak and the lines of the tail and the ,

wings that we obtain our effects ”

,

When drawing birds try to keep your touch crisp firm and
light B irds suggest delicacy more than strength The bird
, ,

. .

on the wing has something of the buoyancy fthe air through o

which he flies .

Consider the bony framework f the bird The small head o .

and pointed beak with which it cleaves the air the long neck ,

(having twice the number f bones of a human being s ) the

’
o

o blong boat shape of the breast bone ribs and back the
,

- -
, , ,

length f the legs back curved and above all the large arm
o , , , ,

or wing bones somewhat resembling the zigzag shape f the

-
o

last letter f the alphabet— large Z o a .

When sketching birds take a broad observation E mbrace

the whole shape in a glance and sketch that Shape S ketch
.

, .

the slimness of its body ; if it is a bird such as the swallow ,

perching and at rest sketch the balance of its legs and feet , ,

the angle f its head ; notice the way in which the wings
o

fold across its back and the tail depends Then mark the .

position f the eye with regard t the beak the Shape Of the
o o

b ak itself the hort cu ve of the u pper bill compared with

,

e , s r

93
 D ra wingfor Beginners
the lower Look swiftly from the beak to the eye from the
.
,

e y e to the beak Notice the shape f the head

. Mark all o .

these positions lightly before settling down to the caref l u

drawing of each particular feature .

When draw the head f a girl a b y we draw first the

w e o or o

cranium then the face and lastly the features We check

, , .

o ne thing with another as we have discussed very fully in ,

an early chapter We must apply the sa e methods when . m

we are drawing pets animals bipeds o ur or

Compare (and f course with the pencil ) the beaks f b irds

.
,

o o

the beak Of the seagull with that f the swallow with that o or

In the last mentioned b ird the beak seems to

,

o f the parrot -

predominate and form the greater part f the skull S ketch

.

o .

the curious square shape f the parrot s upper and lower o

’

beak together with the wrinkled skin and the sharp cunning
, ,

little eye
B irds feet and legs exhibit astonishing variations f
.

’
o

form What for instance could be more dissi ilar than

"
.
, ,
m

a stork s leg and an owl s the duck s web and the swallow s
’ ’
,
’ ’

claw the eagle s talon and the sparrow s We are very

’ ’

much inclined to be careless ab out the drawing f b irds

,
’
o

feet H often do we see the leg drawn in n long line

. ow o e ,

from which fork three long strokes (purporting t be the o

claws ) and the talon behind the leg corresponding to the

heel f a human being forgotten— if not quite forgotten
, ,

o , o r, ,

almost negligible
Note also that when the bird with the taloned feet moves
, ,

along a flattened surface the feet rest n pads and the p , o , ro

j
ec t i f the
on o long talons pushes the feet in curves from the
ground
It is true that the we b bed foot f the wading bird lies flat
.

on the surface f the ground but never the foot with the
o ,

talons and claws .

Note the fl ffi f the feathers the thigh f the birds

u ne ss o on o ,

then the thick muscular skin f the leg itself ( inkled often o wr

on the forepart ) Try to sketch the joint the Spread Of each

the curved talon nd the p ointed nail with strength
.
,

t
o e, a , .

94
 O ur Pets ana other ’
1 4nim a s l
DO be fearful f exaggerating muscle Mark the grip f
no t o . o

the talon and the clutching strength f the tiny claw with o

equal decision .

The wing f a bird is sometimes likened to the

o wrist a rm , ,

and thumb of the human arm The joint f the leg which . o ,

has the appearance f the human knee (bent backward ) o

re embles the ankle f the human being for the knee joint f
,

s o -
o

a bird is higher and hidden b y the plumage

,

No doubt y have Often remarked that the neck of the

ou

bird resembles the letter S This is especially noticeab le in

the swan when proudly floating double with his neck
.

carried in beautiful curves ; the stork and the i b is elongate

their necks—the S is more drawn t while in the case f the ou , o

flamingo cassowary ,
and ostrich the neck more closely
,
em u ,

resembles an interrogation mark

B ut we must not linger t long over details We must
.

oo .

return to a more general survey and we have not yet touched

f the su b ject—b irds in flight
,

o n the most attractive aspect o .

H ere indeed i a fascinating subject for

, , s pencils o ur .

How entrancing are the impetuous rush f the tiny body o ,

the fluttering spread f the buoyant wings Yet no sooner o

do we whip t a pencil than the bird is gone beyond

ou

recall .

Think f the wonderful non resisting shape f the body

o -
o

that slips th ough the air as a fish glides through water the
"
r ,

rudder like shape f the transparent tail and the tremendous

-
o ,

span f the spread wings H often do we dra wings

o ow w

that would be f no real to birds The length f the

o u se o ur o

wing outspread is prodigious in comparison with the size f o

the b ody
Observe the seagull with wings folded to its side and the
.

way in which the wings are incorporated with the slender

,

length f the b ody Then look closely at a wing extended

o .

note the clean cut delicacy f the pointed quills the vigorous
,

-
o

muscle and the strength f the shoulder

,

When we draw the b ird in flight we Should first sketch the

.
,

an gle of the body then the angle of the wings

, .
 D rawingfor Beginners
Make a rough cross indicating these angles then having , ,

marked the tilt and swing f the bird define the shape f the o , o

body the wings and the tail

, , .

Whatever the position of the bird n the wing may be o ,

whether swooping toward y or flying away whether the ou ,

wing be upraised or down curving you must aim fi t at

, , rs

getting the angles of body and wings .

Have you ever seen a kestrel fall like a plummet from the
s ,

"
k y and marked the forward thrust of the head as it hangs
suspended Have y noticed the seagull whirling and
"
ou

circling dipping first n wing and then the other in the

, o e

fringe f the foam If so you will understand how n

o , e c es

sary it i to grasp the bird s position at a first glance

s
’
.

T ake up a place f observation in an Open field pencil in

"
o ,

hand and make jottings f your little feathered friends An o

exasperating task I know B ut your patience will be

, .

re

warded if you can sketch the fl uff f two little folded wings o ,

the tiny coiled p claw the perk of a glossy head the saucy
-
u , ,

round eye peering through the leaves minute but invaluable ,

fragments .

We need not go far afield the ordinary poultry yard will -

afford plenty of interesting study

F or choice I should pitch n a young cockerel to sketch
.

Of all restless creatures I would give him the palm B ut

.

wait until he sinks into a dusty corner and his jewel gold -

eye is closed The shapely body and the wondrous com

.

p l exit y f head beak

o comb and wattles
,
are something
, at ,

which to marvel ; it is only by the closest Observation by ,

utilizing the various suggestions we have already made that ,

we shall feel we are ready to cope with the problems they

present .

First sketch your sparrows robins owls swallows and , , , ,

tiny feathered friends later try the more difli lt subject

,
cu

and f all these sketches you might well take with you you
or r

brush and water colour box S ketch with your b rush

-
.
,

instead Of with your pencil for a bird without colour is most ,

strange and unnatural .

96
 D rawingfor Beginners
From birds the wing we might pass t the reptiles n
on o o

the ground and those homely little gentlemen the toad and
,

frog are t to be despised

no .

When drawing these small people you must get close to

their level Try to pose them n a bank raised s rface
. o or u .

There is something solidly square about the shape f a

so o

toad that it is not surprising that it lends its name to many

curiously shaped rocks .

The E uropean frog shown in Fig 39 f glistening eye and

, .
, o

Shi ing back is more elegant in shape than brother toad ;

n ,

his toes are slimmer his nose more pointed , .

Mark the upward tilt f the back the slant to the top f o , o

the head and nose and the long sweeping lines fthe curiously
, o

shaped hind legs Note the forward and outward thrust of

-
.

the strong little elbow and the bandy legged straddle of the
,
-

front limbs
Of all things a frog s mouth is the most curious Look at
.

’
.

the gape and the length Of it and the muscles which extend ,

from beyond the grin to the eye cavity and down again to -

the tiniest dot f a nostril piercing the b lunt nose

,

o .

And if y should wish to portray the frog in action y

ou , ou

will be surprised at the enormous stretch f his hind legs n o -

, o e

second folded in a close curve over the long taloned feet and -

the next Opening in a large sprawling S shape .

From the frog at the foot f the tree we might pass t the O o

sprightly squirrel n the branch above cracki g nuts and

o n
distrib uting shell s over the heads of the passers by
,

S quirrels are almost difficult to study as bird Th

.

as s . e

only stationary ones are stuffed and in museums and n o

matter how b eautiful and natural stuffed things may look

,

there is always present the fixed glassy appearance that we

invariably exaggerate when drawing Therefore draw in .

museums only when debarred from drawing straight from

Nature .

When y are drawing a squirrel do not let yourself be

ou

diverted by the magnific nce f his tail from more important e o

things (Is he not called S i

. S hadow tail c u ru s -

98
 O ur Pets a na
’
other Animals
B e in by sketching the definite shapes—the small mouse
g
shaped head the long curved back the small but strong
hind legs with which he shins up the trees like a fl ash
, ,

-
of

F ig 40
. . R BB T S
A I

lightning ; hi eye—the dark bright piercing eye t

s , , se

diamond shaped in his head ; the small pointed nose ; the

-

rounded curves f whiskers ; the shapely ever moving ears

o -
.

Note also the dainty feet and paws the delicate strength,

o f the claws and talons .

The squirrel together with the mouse and rabbit form

'
, ,

C
,
3S OI b 99
 D rawingfor Beginners
part of that large family known as rodents The word .

rodent means gnawing This is helpful to remember .

’

when we are drawing these animals for it explains at once ,

the characteristic shape of the teeth mouth and head , , .

Wh en we sketch mice or rats the long narrow pointed , ,

muzzle and long narrow overhanging teeth are very

, ,

noti eable ; once we have marked these and added t h

c , e

long sloping f rehead the small under jaw the wide p

o
,
-
, u

standing rounded ear and bright dark eye we have the main ,

characteristics
S quirrels and rabbits have shorter snouts and more blunted
.

mu zzles but the teeth are long and pointed ; this we must
,

carefully note in drawings o ur

Rabbits are endearing but diffi cult models for they seldom
.

stay long in one position and are easily startled by a sudden

noise Nevertheless if yo it by the hutch and keep very u s

still pencil and paper in hand Master B unny will eventually

.
,

, ,

creep from his straw .

Then note the th ee cornered shape of his head with the

r -
,

long ears closely placed on the very apex and the beautiful , ,

wide open eye with its long lashes The nose always twitch
-
.
,

ing is blunt and short and pink the nostril very small but
f a very decided shape and the mu z zle rounded and full
, ,

The hind legs are f an extraordinary si ze but gathered

, .

-
o ,

togeth er in a hunched position as B unny Sits in a hutch

nibbling morsel f food they are not so noticeable ; the spine
s o

rises from the head in a long steep cu ve from the neck to the -
r

top f the thighs

o .

There is nothing more soft and fluffy than the tail f a o

rabbit Cotton tail as he is called in America S o soft

-
,
’
.

is it that we must indicate it with the most delicate touches ,

noticing the way in which the hairs grow from the root fthe o

tail and spread outward and upward like the down of a

powder puff -

B y drawing our small friends rabbits squirrels frogs

.

, , , ,

bi ds and cats we shall be aided in attempting presently

r , , , ,

the more ambitious creatures dogs cows bulls and horses , , , , .

1 00
 O ur Pets and other Animals
Horses are f all animals the most difficult to draw To
o .

their exquisite proportions the wonderful delicacy of their ,

slender limbs the spirited grace f their beautiful bodies we o

feel despairingly that only a Rosa B onheur a Lucy Kemp

, ,

, , ,

Welch or an A J Munnings can do justice

, . . .

Let us study first the heavier breeds the big dray horses ,
-

with their kindly frank faces their great fetlocks their splendid , ,

massive bodies These will give fascinating subjects which

.

need not overwhelm us .

If you have no opportunities of sketching the cart horse in -

the farm yard y may possibly make a rapid sketch fr m a

-
, ou o

window track your subject down in a side lane as I have

, or -
,

done in this drawing .

The positions of my two cart horses are foreshortened -

.

The long bodies are hidden by the hind legs and the finished -

sketch is nothing more n less than a square from the upp er

,

or ,

part f which extends the neck and crest f the head

o o .

As I have said before when drawing things foreshortened , ,

sketch the nearest shapes first and the receding shapes later , .

If we mark the angle f the flank the angle fthe large bones o , o

ofthe back f the knee the shaggy fetlocks we shall perceive

o , ,

that the fore legs—having the length f body between—are

-
o

shorter than the hind legs The body t dwindles -

oo,

Drawing the horse approachi g toward us or as seen side

.
, .

n
ways we must run the eye from n point to another
,
o e .

Look at the angles fthe limbs the slew fthe haunches o , o

glance from knee cap to knee cap ; from the massive deep
- -

chests to the beautifully rounded hindquarters Note how .

the curves and muscles of the arched neck compare with the
muscles and curves f the thigh and the silky thick flow fo , o

the mane with the long wavy ripples of the tail and the shaggy
clustering f hair round the fetlocks
o .

Try to make separate studies f the separate parts f the o o

body head and legs When you are sketching the head in
, , .

profile remark the great length f it (the Skull f a horse is o o

an amazing size almost as long as the body fa human being)

, o ,

then mark the greatest depth from the eyebrow to the outline
1 01
 D rawingfor Beginners
o f the bones of the cheek trace the long nose the rounded , ,

nostril and the curve of the soft mouth the lips and the
, , ,

swelling curves beneath the under lip then reproduce the ,

softer portions until you reach the cheekbone again Mark

, .

the position f the beautifully shaped ears and drop a line

o ,

from the ear socket to the socket of the eye checking this
-

position with that of the brow and cheek G et the angle of

,

the eye the lid the shape f the beautiful eye itself ; then
, , o

give attention to the nostril which we are apt to inflate too

drawings Notice the softness f the muz zle
,

much in o ur . o

and the shape Of the nostril and the way in which the fore ,

part tucks behind the sides .

Having sketched the main features you can revel in the ,

drawing f the different textures the luminosity f the eyes

o , o ,

the soft delicacy f ear nostril mouth and muzzle the o , , , ,

muscles and veins seen beneath the skin the forelock and the , ,

rippling waves f the mane o .

Take a full brush of colour and wiping it to a point try , ,

to k t h a pony galloping a horse rearing over a fence or

s e c , ,

cantering across a grassy meadow You can do much interest

\
'

ing work by you remembrance of horses in action O bviously

.

r .

y ou cannot draw a horse in action from anything but clo e s

O b servation wedded to memory

S tudy too pictures f horses Look well at photographs
.

, ,
o .

in the newspapers and copy those with the brush remember

, ,

ing always the great handicap f the camera that the

o ne o ,

near things are di torted and made to appear too large s .

(This fact you have doubtless proved often for yourself when
photographed with your feet crossed and pointing at the
camera giving the astounding impression that y have the
"
,
ou

proportions f a well nourished giant )

"
-
o .

And behold we have travelled all this way with but a

passing glimpse at most favoured pet—the dog The our

study of dogs is a whole world in itself from the tiny shiver ,

ing black toy terrier to the magnificent E nglish mastiff

S ketches f dogs are inclined to be scrappy as indeed are
.

all the sketches of our active little friends B ut first we

,

1 02
F ig
. 42 . DO GS 1 02
 O ur Pets a na
’
other Animals
must decide in minds the chief characteristics f our
o ur o

models .

What with the d storted short legs and long body f the
i o ,

dachshund the length and grace f the deerhound the o

stocky sturdy build f the wire —

, ,

haired terrier the prodigious

o ,

muscle and width f the bulldog s body we have ample o

’
,

variety .

We must bear in mind the general build of the dog If .

n t we are apt to give the Cairn legs as long as the pug the
o , ,

schipperke ears as starkly pointed as those f the Alsatian o

wolfhound It is easier f course to draw the breeds that

.
, o ,

have short and Silky hair than those that are clothed in
long plumes Of f for then we can see the shape fu r, o

their limbs the symmetry f their bodies A bull terrier is

, o .
-

easier to draw than a k y terrier a greyhound easier than

‘

s -
,

a borzoi
Here we have the head fB enjamin (an ld E nglish terrier)
.

o o

with ear cocked and eye alert

Ob serve first the long barrel shape f the head then the
.

o ,

blunt muzzle and the rounded nostril Having marked the .

position and angle f the head we can next note the breadth
o ,

and Slope f the round forehead the angle f the eye the
o , o ,

position f the far eye (indicated and accentuated by an eye

o

lash ) and the curve f the muzzle

,
o .

The mouth is partially hidden by the soft white hair (and

there is nothing softer in Natu e than the mouth fan animal ) r o .

—
Look carefully at the receding Slightly receding— nose and
jaw The protruding under jaw gives at once the suggestion
.
-

f the bulldog strain

o The massive protuberant under jaw
.
,
-

is characteristic f that breed o

B en has a full eloquent eye The overhanging triangular

.

flap fthe ear lends a sharp and useful accent to the rounded
o

shape behind the eye and b ehind that we can perceive the,

full lobe and root of the ear

S amb o (Fig mystified by—a frog is yapping away in a
.

crouching but vigorous position i which y may b e sure

.
,

n ou

he did t remain very long ; hence the absence f the other

no o

1 03
 D ra wingfor Beginners
two legs (B ut this is the way I wish you to tackle your
doggie friends D ash at any position even if it is fleeting )
.

S ambo s body is somewhat contracted and is his neck

.
, .

’
so

Roughly he represents a triangular shape shown The

.
,

, , as .

big muscles have fair play ; the thin flank f the hind leg
and the shoulder bone of the fore —
o -

leg are very noticeable

-
.

Also the shadows behind the upper part of the front leg and
back leg force the rounded Shape of the ribs
Next comes beautiful B racken ( named because f her
.

"
so o

glorious golden brown and red coat ) Her back is curved

-

and her fore legs coiled ; n these rest her mu z zle now alas
.

-
o

growing grey The position suggests a perfect curve— t f

, ,

. ou o

which trails the long tail and left leg Aim first at sketching .

the large coil f the big body then the flat angle f the hind
o , o

leg and the fullness f the trunk The extended leg pushes
,
o .

up the position f the left shoulder blade ; also we can

o -
se e

the inner line f the neck B etween these two shapes trace
o .

the curve f the neck itself and the triangular Shape f

o o

the head and the soft flat line f the chest against the
,
o

ground .

We should now examine the curious curve f the hind leg o -

and the way in which the muscles and sinews draw back also ,

the shape f the bone as it touches n the gro nd and the

o o u ,

great paw as it comes forward and lies limply at rest

"
How different is B racken s ear from B en s—long soft
.

’ ’
, ,

pendulous And the brow is more benevolent and more

deeply indented between the soft brown eyes .

A word Of warning about muscular creatures at rest .

When muscles are lax and sinews free from strain we are
inclined (in drawings ) to forget them altogether and a
our ,

finely built dog sleeping will look if we are not careful far , ,

too limp and flabby a creature We must always remember .

the muscles ; note and d aw them carefully they will keep r ,

our drawings up to pitch

D ogs leaping and jumping dogs running—the jog—trot of
.

-
,

the terrier and the easy gallop f the deerhound here are
,
o

interesting subjects for your pencil and brush .

1 04
 O ur Pets and other Animals
We might take up a brush fairly full of paint and sketch
a little fresco f dogs in action I y advisedly brush
o . sa .
’

We can t stipple with a full brush We must make up

’
. o ur

minds and draw without hesitation the thin plu p body

, , , or m ,

the long thick legs the short pointed nose the flowing
or , or ,

or stunted tail The fresco may n t be very true t Nature

. o o ,

but it will certainly teach us a good deal .

1 05
 CHAPTE R X

Colour ana how to Fina it

,
’ ’

is the most deceptive thing under the sun

OL OUR .

N two people see colour in exactly the same way

0

no two people reproduce— paint —olour with ex

,

o r c

ac t ly the same blending f tints o .

If a colour group is placed before several young artists

-

with paint boxes in their hands we Shall not fi d—providing

-
n
f course that they are not copying each other—the artists
, ,

o ,

choosing the same tints wherewith to paint the same objects

In all prob ability every painting would be quite different
.

Which proves that colour appeals t all fus in varied degrees o o .

Painting is t a mere matching of tints or placing n

no , o e

tint against another tint .

We might begin picture with a conscientious desire to

o ur

match every colour exactly and yet produce something

horribly wrong B ecause we began with a wrong idea in our
.

head We started from an entirely false basis

. .

We must not begin by asking ourselves Is that an orange , ,

blue green tint but What is the colour that pervades

, or ,

and envelops the whole

Have you ever walked in the meadows or down a street in
a city and remarked to yourself how different everything
looked when last you were there
Perhaps it was then a brilliantly sunny day and on the ,

day which you made the remark the same street was
on

dripping and shi ing from recent rain storms It would

n -
.

indeed be different Th the filled every hink and

. en su n C

shadow with golden warmth It played on the fronts f the . o

houses it sparkled the window frames it picked t the

,
on -
, ou

red flush f the bricks it spied the orange peel in the gutter
o , ,

1 06
 Colour ,
a na
’
how to Fin a it ’

the jewels f a lady w lking along the street It was a gay

o a .

scene beneath sunny blue Skies dashed with warm clouds

, .

And the charm of the country scene would be even more

intensified by the brilliancy f the clear air and bright o su n ,

which emphasizes the lich n the cottage roof and walls e on -

,

the yellow in the ld fl g t the gleaming f the ricks

o a s o nes, o ,

the rich Shadows flung by the soft green foliage Of the tall
trees .

Then—the next time

Heavy rains swept the streets drenched the meadows or ,

clouds hung dark and threatening pavements gleamed ,

coldly t h muddy lanes were glittering heavy foliage drip

,
e ,

ping thick soft mists arising all was wet grey and cold
There were dull shadows where the people walk ed the streets
, , , , .

the tops f the houses were shrouded in murky fog and in

o ,

the country lanes the cows moved between the heavy hedges
wrapped in a moist cold air
D o you realize that there must always be n general hue
.

o e

that envelops and blends and harmonizes , ,

Have not you sometimes said f a painting I don t know o ,

’

what is the matter with that picture but I don t like it ’

Y have a very definite reason b ut you cannot put it in

ou ,

words Y don t like it and if you lived to be a hundred

ou
’

you feel you would never li k e it more hate it less In

.
,

or .

other words you feel there is something that jars upon you
, .

If we tried to analyse your feelings about that picture we

should prob ably discover that a crash f discords upon the
,

piano bore a strong resemblance to the jarring colours of the

picture .

The man who painted the picture did not try to discover
the general colour that ran through his picture and blend ,

it harmoniously together ; but like a simultaneous crash f , o

all the notes on the piano he banged every tint thick and fast ,

upon his canvas

On certain islands in the S outh S eas the native mothers fill
.

hollowed t trunk s f trees with water and in this water

-
ou o

boldl y place their infants and the babies swim , .

 D rawingfor Beginners
From this example some people argue that all babies will
swim naturally as they will later walk and talk
as

O n that particular point I am n t prepared to give an

.

opinion but this I do know for it has been Often proved if

, , :

we put a box f chalks into the hands f a small child of four

o o

or five the child will as often as t

, the colours rightly no u se

and natu ally I have seen paintings by tiny children as good

r

as any done by practised artists G ive the child a string

.

o f beads a coloured ball a bunch f cherries a twisted o or

morsel f coloured th ead and B aby will chalk these colou s

, , ,

o r , r

with astonishing ease The shape may be funny but the .

,

colour will be pure fresh and sweet Which proves that the, , .

sense f colour is a natural sense

o .

It is a very stimulating thought that we are born with this

delightful gift whi ch only needs a natu al development
, r .

A we grow Older and more diffi d nt f ourselves we seek

s e o

out rules and hamper ou selves with stupid regulations B ut

, ,

r .

if we merely k o selves a few simple guiding questions

as ur ,

such as What is the g n l colour f the thing that I wish

, e era o

to paint and keep mind focused n that n thing our o o e ,

o ur troubles will melt away .

E ach colour depends to a great extent its surroundings on .

There s Timmy the tabby cat for instance What colour

’
, , .

would you call his coat and eyes A buff fur striped with
sharp black lines and yellow eyes you would most probably
, ,

reply
B ut look at Timmy lying n the summer grass His buff
.

o .

and white fur reflects the green f the grass his glossy black o

stripes fade in the n like ld silver and deepen in shadow su o ,

like the rich dark colour of the tree bark ; his eyes most -
,

cu ious f all empty into roun d pools f colou less light

r o , o r .

Thinking f Timmy s colo ing suggests another subject n

o
’
ur o

which we have not time to dwell—the protective nature f o

colour It also reminds us that colour is influenced by other

.

surrounding colou s r .

What is colour cries the young artist .

We y that black is black and white i white that snow is

sa s ,

1 08
 Colour and how to Fina it ,
’

white the clean linen handkerchief is white the ermine fur

that you wear round your neck is white D rop your hand
, ,

kerchief upon the snow lay your ermine n its unbroken , o

surface the ,
will look murky and grey and the other
o ne

yellow
B lack is just black you y B ut is it O bjects are black
.

,
sa .

because they come in contrast with other colours

S earch ab out for black things in the room You will
.

. see

that there are as many shades in black as there are in other

tints according to the light in which the black object is
,

placed and also according to the colours with which it is

,

surrounded .

Look at the black coat of a man in a subdued light when , ,

for instance he is sitting in a room ; and look at the same

,

black coat when the man is walking out in the street under s

the b lue k y s

The black coat under a subdued quiet light is deep and rich
.

and warm but in the open air the light strikes on the shoulders
, ,

the arms and the skirts fthe coat and if a cold blue light is
,
o ,

reflected from the sky then the black coat will reflect that
colour and tint Obviously being a dark material it will
,

.
, ,

absorb ; but light and shade there must be and the black ,

will mingle with the general colouring of the street .

A sense f colour in the mind f an artist is simply the

o o

faculty f choosing tints

o

O ne artist may revel in exquisite golds reds and blues

.

, ,

another may prefer Silvery greys and blues warm fawn and
dull reds B ut it is not true to y that the latter has n t
, ,

. sa o

as much sense of colour as the former His choice of tints is .

different He sees Nature in more subdued hues That is

. .

all His theme of colouring is quieter more subtle

.
, .

If your taste inclines to more delicate shades do not be ,

discouraged because by that choice y are told you haven t ou

’

much sense of colour That you know in your heart of .

hearts is t true The beauty of twilight or the delicacy

no
the somb reness f the grey ld
.
,

of a misty landscape , or o o

woman in her dark frock have fully as much colour as ’

1 09
 D rawingfor Beginners
the gorgeous sunset or the meadows rioting with gold and
crimson b lossoms
,

It is worse than useless to plaster your picture with brilliant

reds yellows and blues because y think by so doing y
, , ou ou

display a fine sense f colou o r .

It is perfectly true that we must use the colours as fully

as we feel justified B ut we t feel justified . m us .

The great colourists f Old used their crimsons and golds o

and blues and purples lavishly they revelled in rich Silks

, ,

, ,

and brocades in brilliant Skies ; in short in the dazzling

mixture f many tints O ut f these gay scenes f streets
, ,

o . o o ,

piazzas palaces and market squares floated the brilliant -

colou s blended and made harmonious by the da zzling light

, ,

r ,

of the n su .

Nature always har onizes and blends tints unerringly m , .

When we with miserable little colour boxes would our -

paint crude tints Nat e takes us by the hand and shows

, ur

where we go wrong
"
.

Imagine a subject composed fnothing but clashing colours o

Could anything we k ourselves right that wrong

.

as

Once I saw a girl standing in a field n t far outside the city

, ,

of Mad id S he wore a purple handkerchief n her head a

r o

crimson and pu ple skirt looped over her petticoat S he h d

.
,

r . a

in her arms a huge sheath of blue fl and h stood c o rn o w ers s e

knee deep in scarlet poppies N t n red agreed with

-
. o o e

another red the pu ples were vivid and the blue was crude
, r , .

Yet the whole scene was pleasing because it bathed in a w as

brilliantly clear air The purity f the atmosphere made all . o

the crude tints harmonize .

Painting does n t mean placing all the paints upon a sheet

o

of paper That any foolish person can do

B ut painting is selecting the right tints and playing
. .

,
o ur

tunes with those tints harmoniously

S uppose we take a simple Object a small Flanders poppy
.

, ,

scarlet hued with folded petals f Silk and look at that with
,
o ,

a View to painting it .

Then we will ask ourselves Wh at is the colour that flows ,

1 10
F ig 4
H ULD AN A R T P C TL D PPY
I FI IA PO : Ho w
CH E ES
I T S H UUL H A \ D H o w

(6) Tw o C O L OU I : S
.

RS B TH
‘
1 1 S O N O T BE AI N E . M ,
A ND F I R S T I MP E S I ON S O F O I I O
 Colo ur ’
how to Fincl it
"
,
a na

th ough the poppy blossom stem and leaf

r The poppy
-
, ,
”

is composed f red and green tints and yellow there is in

o ,

both red and green Therefore if we wish to paint the .

,

poppy and we are f course drawing with the brush and with
,
o

colour we could safely decide to sketch it in a pale yellow

,

tint
O n painting the carlet petal the yellow will melt and
.

become with the red and again n painting the stem nd

o ne , o a

leaf the green will absorb the yellow .

If we had not taken the precaution to k ourselves that as

quest ion and had simply sketched the poppy in any tint y , sa

Prussian blue then the result would have been a dirty cold
,

blue creeping into the purity f the scarlet and destroying o

t h vivid glow
e

Or if we had Waited for the blue to dry before applying

.

the red we should not have improved m atters O ur poppy

,

.
,

would have had a harsh blue outline and who ever

- a , sa w

poppy decorated except n a china plate or on an ld tin

so ,
o
'

mug
Possibly y u might argue that the subject is a simple one
o

for the brush that the problem will be very different when
more complicated subjects are attempted
,

G ather together several colour groups and test the problem

.

of colour for yourself —stick f asparagus a leaf frhubarb a o , o ,

apple s n a dull painted platter a Sprig fhonesty a spray

o , o , or

o f d
re yellow (single ) hrysanthemums in a copper coloured
or C -

vase a colou ed straw hat decorated with a prettily Shaded

, r

scarf a Japanese lantern lighted and a few objects placed

,
’

, ,

around it And having settled upon n f these subjects

.
, o e o ,

ask yourself the same question What is t he general colour

of the subject
'

—Is it cold I it warm D oes a yellow S

tinge prevail or a cool grey b lue Has it a flush f red

,
-
o , or

is it suffused with pale pearly tints

When y are painting groups it is just as well to place
ou

them before a plain background a wall space an angle ,

-
,
or

formed f two plain boards f wood joined together thus

o o ,

concentrating light and shade and preventing your attention

1 1 1
 D rawingfor Beginners
from being distracted by movement in the background
B ackgrounds should be plainly tinted S ome neutral tint
.

(neutral meaning neither in the sense that it belongs to no

very definite colour ) fawn buff or grey Then your colour
, , , .

group will have every chance of asserting itself .

When using water colo always work from light to dark

-
ur .

That is sketch your painting with a light colou If y

, r. ou

sketch it with a dark tint then that tint will either run and , ,

spoil your delicate tints else it will outline the edges with
, or

a harsh dark tint like the edges f clouds in a stormy sky o

Also avoid body colour — flake white White paint

.

or

is thick and opaque O nce white paint enters

.

. painting our ,

there it must continue We cannot make dabs fwhite paint

. o

without a patchy effect White gives a different texture .

,

and being thick takes away all clearness and sparkle all
, , ,

richness and depth .

A common fault into which young artists often fall is to

paint the white clouds in a landscape with white paint B ut .

the delicate colouring of the clouds should be sketched with

the faintest tint (the prevailing tint of the landscape ) and the ,

white paper left to give the effect of the white clouds .

Never be afraid f using pure colo r To enrich or deepen

o u .

Shadows to sharpen high lights to lend sparkle or brightness

, , ,

place the pure tint straight on the paper without mixing or

putting it first on the palette .

To soften and blend your tints take a full brush and flood
the water n the paper and let the colours mingle on the
o

paper
S hould you have an unpleasingly harsh effect do not
.

tinker at your painting Let it dry When it is quite hard. .

and bone dry take a brushful of clear water and pass it over
-

your drawing and work n the d awing when it is moist o r

S mall children find it amusing and instructive to map

.
,

ou t discs squares and fill these spaces with colours B y

or .

blending mixing and playing with a few tints y realize ou

the immense variations that can be obtained b y judicious

, ,

handling .

1 1 2
 Colour ,
a na
’
how to Fina it ’

A few petals plucked from a brilliantly coloured flower (a

geranium say ) will give one s colour b a great stimulus ’
-
ox

Try to paint the petal paint a num b er f petals and notice

.
,

o ,

their dazzling tints .

For purity depth richness f tint the breast feathers of

, ,
o ,

a brilliantly coloured bird (parrot macaw parakeet ) are , , or

perhaps unrivalled Lay n down a small sheet f white o e on o

paper— envelope —
.

an and try to paint the shape and tint .

Try also to mix the tint and lay it on the paper with the
burst ffreshness that is the chief charm of the feather Fill
o .

you brush generously full and apply it quickly lightly but

r , ,

firmly When it is d ying define ( draw ) with a few sharp

. r or

shadows and strokes the tiny stem the fluff about the stem , ,

the broad vane .

Leaves too lend a delightful variety leaves with their

gorgeous autu n raiment S mall children revel in painting
, , ,

m .

their varied tints and shapes Nature is very lavish with her .

bright colours and She uses the widest range of tints .

Again I must insist at the risk of appearing wearisome

bear always in mind the g n l colour f the Ob ject Which
,

e era o .

rule applies with equal force to a lemon a landscape or

O f course you will make mistakes We all do that Y

.

. . ou

may begin your drawing as a cold scheme f colour when it o

should be warm i It is quite possible that you

, o r v ce versa .

may veer round and find you self finishing in direct opposition r

to your starting point ; in which case your picture will be

-

far from successful .

If you are painting from Nature and t of doors y may ou ou

be betrayed b y Nature herself for the weather has a habit

,

of changing suddenly and complicating matters so

B ut provided y do make up your mind and nothing

.

ou

prevents y from persevering in your choice y will have

ou ou

accomplished something pleasing b ecause you will have

,

achieved a p e harmony in colour

ur .

1 13
 CHAPTER XI

Measuring a na Persp ective ’

is no general way f doing things says a

HE R E o ,

great writer on art No recipe can be given for .

doing as much as the drawing of a bunch f grapes ”

o .

If there are no known recipes f drawing things success or

fully there are nevertheless several methods by which the

, , ,

young artist is helped t f difficulties and started on the ou o

right path .

The application f a few rules f perspective the use f

o o , o

plu b and parallel lines the measurement and comparison

m ,

of part f a drawing with another part—all these things

o ne o

contribute toward the training of the eye and the quickening

of the brain .

Provided that you honestly desire advice there i nothing , s

to be ascertained but the direction in which that advice

should be followed
"
.

In Short what do you wish to know What is the special

diffi culty that perplexes you mind D oes you drawing
"
,

r r

look t f proportion I it t bulky for its height too

ou o S oo ,

short too thin or too tall

, ,

Then we will measure n part against another part o e

Perhaps it seems to you that the object o bjects in your

.

or

drawing are falli g forward inclining backward

n or .

Then we will apply a plumb line -

If you have embarked an ambitious subject such as the

.

on

d awing f a house a street ”and y cannot make it

r o , or , ou

look right It won t go back or (equally possible ) It

’ ’

wo t come forward —then we must delve into the mysteries

,

’
n
o f perspective and apply common sense and plain argument .

Perspective i sometimes lled the grammar f t bec use

s ca o ar a

114
 Measuring a na Perspective ’

it assists to draw orrectly as the grammar of a language

us c ,

helps us to speak and write correctly .

In the first place let us consider proportions .

If y are sitting at your work lean back in your chair and

ou ,

face the object that you are drawing and hold a pencil or ruler
,

up at arm s length and level with your eyes Close n eye

’
. o e

and measure from end of the ruler or pencil to the thu b

then swing the hand—still at arm s length—and compare
o ne , , m ,
’

the measu ement with another portion f the same object

r o .

Look at your drawing .

Compare the same propo tions in you dra ing The pro
r r w .

portions must agree .

Let us pres e that y are drawing a simple sub ject such

um ou

as a small basket and y are in doubt as to whether the

ou

d p th f your drawin g f the b asket is t great for its width

e o o oo .

115
 D rawingfor Beginners
Hold your pencil at arm s length and mark the depth with ’

your thumb S wivel your wrist keeping your thumb in the

.
,

same position n the pencil and place it in mid air n the

o ,
-
o

outside”edge of the basket measuring the width and counting ,

once then shifting twice again shifting thrice

,
”
, , ,

(probably not quite three times )

Drop your arm and look at your drawing
.

Meas re the depth of the basket itself with your finger

u

and thumb on your pencil and place the measurement against

the width .

In that manner y can prove for yourself whether the ou

proportions f your drawing are right wrong

o or .

Th reason why we close

e eye and extend the arm is o ne
this B y closing one eye we concentrate
. Vision We o ur .

se e on object minus ll its distracting su roundings

e ,
When
a r .

the elbow is straight the arm is extended at its greatest

l ngth Without t king this precaution we might cheat
e . a

o selves and unconsciously alter the position f the hand

ur o ,

and confuse measurements .

B y straightening the elbow we keep the hand at the same

distance for all meas ements ur

D o not make a fetish of measuring U it merely as a

.

. se

check as a corrective Draw first measure afterward The

, .
, .

obnoxious habit f measuring first and ticking ff the

o , O

meas rement on the paper is a trick unworthy f an artist

u , o .

Moreover it is a trap The more we measure the less we

, .

prove It is quite possible to measure until we stupefy

. o ur

selves
—
.

If you in doubt measure

a re .

Ask yourself Have I made the nose too short

,
Take
a measurement of the nose and compare it ith the length Of
"
w

the face Have I drawn the house t tall in comparison”

. oo

with the poplar tree the fence t high for the barn
-
, or oo

Me sure the house against the tree the height f the fence
a or o

against the height f the b arn

,

o .

Possibly the proportions of the house tree fence barn , , , or

are fairly satisfactory but you are not q ite satisfied ith
,
u w

1 1 6
 Measuring and Persp ective
the lines that run parallel with your eyes the top f the roof
, O ,

the top of the wall

.

Then put up your pencil or ruler holding it at n end and

, o e

parallel with your eye and at arm s length Close n eye

’
o e

Raise lower it until the roof wall is almost but n t quite

.
, .

or or o

covered The pencil or ruler h a smooth unbroken edge and

. as ,

every divergence from the straight line will be apparent .

1 1 7
 D rawingfor Beginners
Parallel lines f roof wall box o house can thus be or

easily corrected B ut what f the upright lines—t h

, , ,

"
. o e

lintel f the door the frame f a window the sides of a

o , o ,

wall How shall we prove whether we have drawn these

correctly
Take a piece of thick silk or cotton preferably f a dark , o

tint and weighted with a lump of lead ( some similar

, or

heavy substance ) and you have n fman s Oldest tools the

, o e o
’
,

plumb line -
.

Hold this at arm s length and between the finger and thumb
’

and before the object Of your d awing r .

The plumb line will prove whether the door window is

-
or

perfectly upright (or perpendicular ) Pull your drawing .

block or drawing boa d forward and let the plumb line hang
,
-
r ,
-

before the doubtful l ine f your Sketch The plumb line o .

-

always finds the true perpendicular .

When however you are drawing complicated subjects such

, ,

as a large box pieces of furniture a portion f a room house

, , o , ,

or a street y are faced with greater difficulties

, ou .

How are things in a drawing made to go back is a

question that requires a little more elucidation .

Probably as a small child you began to appreciate that as

objects retire recede so must they become apparently
or

smaller— first rule of perspective

,

D id y not sometimes play at the game of hiding from

.

ou

your sight a house or a tree by putting your finger even a , or

single hair close to your eye

,

Y must have noticed that the boat becomes smaller and

ou

smaller as it nears the h orizon ; that a man climbing a distant

hill or mountain is reduced eventually to a mere speck that
a huge aeroplan looks no larger than a tiny fly among the
e

clouds
Therefore you have fully convinced yourself that objects
must become smaller as they recede .

In other words bj t ti , f th f
as o th y
ec s re re , o r a re ar er ro m e e e,

t h ey o c cupy less sp a c e up o n t h e fi e ld of visio n .

The Objects in the nearest part of you pict re—that is

r u

1 18
F ig 4 6
. . B ECT S B E C E S
O J OM MAL LER TH EY R EC ED E
As
 D rawingfor Beginners
to y in the foreground—are largest ; the things in the
sa ,

middle middle distance are smaller ; and the things

, or ,

in the far distance background are smallest And to

, or , .

explain these apparently simple facts we must exercise our

wits .

Y know that when you stand n the seashore and look

ou o

seaward the extent f your vision is bounded by the meeting o

o f the and k y which boundary is called the horizon

se a s , .

The horizon is the line that follows the line f your eyes the o

boundary line The word is derived from the Greek h

,

oro s,

a li it b oundary
.

m or .

When you stand n the beach and look at the youro se a

position is low and your hori z on is l because it is n a level

, ow ,
o

with your eyes

B ut climb the cliffs and turn seaward ; the horizon is the
.

level f your eyes

o .

Ascend to the very top of the cliffs Now y are high ou

indeed Look again toward the hori z on ; it has extended ;

.

again it is the height f your eyes o .

The line f the horizon is not always visible because f

o o

intervening objects but as the horizon is the height f the

,
o

artist s eye it position must be clearly understood and in

’
s ,

di t —
d f
ca e a time at least
or — i yo drawings n ur .

It i possible that you are still unconvinced Perhaps y

s ou

live in a city where roofs and houses block a distant hori z on

.

from View Then we may apply another illustration and

.

explain matters differently

S uppose you descend to the street in a lift and look up
.

at the buildings What do you E very window every

. see ,

cornice and roof coming down to the level of your eye

"
.
,

Now take the lift to the top story f your tall buil ding o .

What do y then Everything reversed The eaves

ou se e .

o f each lower building the roofs and cornices rising to meet , ,

the level f your eye o .

And the level of your eye is the height f your horizon o .

I the thing below the lev l f my eye

s is it above the e o , or

level of my eye is the inevitable question .

1 20
 Measuring a na
’
Perspective
You it in a chair and look at the cornice the beading the
s , ,

to p line fothe picture frames the mirror over

, the fi p l re a ce

F ig 47
. . A B VE
O TH E E YE -
LEVE L
are they n t above the eye level and do they not come down
o -

to the level of the eye

Cast your eye downward still sitting n the same chair
, o .

1 21
 D rawingfor Beginners
What do y See
ouThe outer edge of the carpet the rug , ,

F ig 48
. . BE LW
O TH E E YE -
LEV EL
the wainscot fender the rail before the fi pl —all rise to
, , re a ce

the level f your eye

o .

You stand a railway bridge and look at the long level

on

1 22
 Measuring a na
’
Persp ective
stretch of the lines and you note that the rails— wide as they
are below your feet—seem to narrow down to a point in the

says A ll ti ing lin h re

on

ni hing p int
r
"
far distance the horizon That point is called (what else
could it b e called ) the Vanishing Point And perspective
es a ve va
.

s o
.

s .

Have you not observed the long straight street and its
rows f lamp posts electric light standards and noted that
o -
or -

they diminish in si z e as they reced though y know f a e, ou or

fact that they are all uniform in si z e

A the lamps lessen in height
s does the pavement narrow , so ,

and the houses each side f the street dimini sh F ll

on o . or a

lines t h a t lie p a ra lle l disappea r t o t h e sa m e po in t o n th e h o riz o n

-
t h e va nishing p o int .

The lines f the long esplanade by the

o f the long se a , o

buildings f the long passage tunnel all recede and if con

, o or , ,

tinned in imagination meet at the level of the eye which

o ur ,

is the horizon F th ni hing p int i th t p i t n t h

. or e va s o s a o n o e

f
su r ace f
o t h e pict u re w here ret iring lines if co ntinu ed w o u ld

m eet .

A large picture in a frame is perhaps the easiest example f o

parallel lines diminishing .

You are well aware that the sides of the picture are parallel .

They are equal Measure with an inch meas re if you have

. u

any doubts on that point .

Now hang the picture on a wall ; stand aside and at n o e

end several paces away and make a quick sketch f it in its o

frame D oes not the near end f the frame appear larger
, ,

. o

than the far end In other words the pictu e frame appears , r -

smaller as it recedes .

Measure the farthest end against the nearest by holding

the pencil at arm s length Continue the diminishing lines
’
.

until they meet Again we get the vanishing point resting

.

on the (imaginary ) line f the horizon at the height f o O o ur

eye .

Let us procure a cardboard box and placing it n a table -

, o ,

three quarter view and about the height f the eye take up
-
, o ,

o urpencils and proceed to sketch it .

 D rawingfor Beginners
In all probability y will”say I can t tell whether the ou ,
’

lines are running up down or .

Can you see the top of the box If you Sit about the same
height as” myself y will y Y I can a little bit of, ou sa , e s, se e

the t po .

If we even a small portion f the t p the eye is above

se e o o ,

the t p and if the eye i above the box what must the lines
o , s ,

do but rise to the level fthe eye O

The top f the box is nearest to the level f the eye and
o o ,

F ig 4 9 . . CA N YOU S EE TH E TOP OF TH E Bo x "

the lower part f the b is farther away (the depth of the
o ox

box is between ) Therefore the top lines f the box rise

. o a

little but the bottom lines rise a great deal

,
.

If we have two lines which go gently n n at a Slight o , o e

angle and n at a stiff angle what must be the final result

o e ,

They will meet at the height f your eye at your horizon o , or .

The higher y it your chair the more you can ou s on ,

se e

of the top f the box The lower you it the less you
o . s ,

can se e

Place the same box n the fl oor it on a chair and make a

.

o , s ,

drawing f it o .

Then place the box at a height y on the top f a cup

— sa o

board about 6 feet high—and draw it again

1
2
=
.

In the first drawing up come the lines to meet the level f ,

o

your eye In the second sketch down come the lines to the
same level In other words your horiz on in the first drawing
.
,

.
,

1 24
 Mea suring a na ’
P erspect i c c
is higher than your object in the second drawing it is lower
than your o b ject
,

S ome things have more than one vanishing point—for

.

instance this same

cardb oard b ox A box H Y
,

h gh l f e i o e e
y O l Z C N o r
-
.

is an angular Object .

I t has two sides which

J h
run parallel and two g ,
anl s m

ends which also run

parallel one with an

other .

Place the box that so

two sides can be b O

served and sketch it

,

lightly and without

meas uri ng R oughly .

sketch its position and ,

decide whether the eye

is above or below the
top f the box i
o , . e .
,

whether the horizon is

low high Then draw
or .

the line f the horizon o

right across the paper ,

because b th ni hi g o va s n

po ints m u st be on the
sa m e leve l —a t t he sa m e

h o riz o n .

Young artists find it T HE R S NG L N E S F ig 50 I I I

difficult to accept thi s

. .

fact They are exceedingly prone t provide a different

. o

horizon f each different angle

or .

The horizon at runs straight across the line f vision ;

se a o

as you know it runs level with the eyes Then why try to
, .

reach several horizons in the same picture

In o t h er w o rds , it is no t reaso na ble to assu m e t w o h o riz o ns in
dra w ing o ne j
o b ect .

1 25
 D rawingfor Beginners
If more of side f the box is seen than the other then
o ne o ,

the side f which we have the broader View will have its
o

vanishing point farther away The side f the box presenting

. o

a more acute angle will have its vanishing point nearer .

O YLL O N

f
Va nishin flint
g
F ig 51
. . THE F A LL NG L N ES
I I

The va nish ing p o int s w i ll be nea r or fa r apa rt a cc o rding to

th e gles
an

The farther the vanishing points are apart the farther we

.

are from the Object ; and the nearer we are to the object ,

the nearer together are the vanishing points .

We may now feel justified in drawing something a little

more ambitious and a little more interesting than a box If .

we select something the shape f which bears a general reo

semb lance to that of box and p lace it in the same p osition

a ,

1 26
F i g 52
. . V ANI SHI NG N LS
P OI T C O E To S PE C T A T OR
 Mea suring a na Persp ective ’

we shall have the same perspective A toy house standing .

on a little platform will serve our purpose excellently The .

parallel lines f the projecting chimney p t the upper line f

o -
o , o

the roof the lower line of the roof the lower line of the roof
, ,

on the far side f the house the near line of the platform
o

and the far line of the platform—these all run parallel and
, ,

meet on the hori z on the eye level the left f the diagram ; ,
-
on o

while the front angles the two overhanging points of the eaves , ,

the base of the house the front base of the platform t h e

windows shutters and doorways all lie parallel and disapp ear
, ,

, , , ,

at the other vanishing point n the right of the diagram o .

When you are Sketching houses boxes other Objects that , , or

demand clear perspective do not begin by drawing a mere

plan f the lines Remember you are trying to be an artist
,

Sketch your house first then puzzle t your perspective

. .

, ou .

Check the d awing by the perspective never the perspective

r ,

by the drawing Y will find as time goes on that you

. ou , ,

will rightly register the perspective with more and more ease
Rules for perspective might be cited without end but a
.

few diagrams well studied will obviate many questions .

R ding lin
ece th t n t p ll l t t h
es th says a per
a a re o a ra e o e ea r ,

sp ti
ec rule d n t t n th h i n b t ith b
ve , o o m ee o e or z o , u e er a o ve o r

belo w .

The Sloping lid f a box the Sloping flap of a cellar ando , ,

the sloping roof f a house do not lie parallel with the earth
o .

This rule is clearly demonstrated in the diagrams Shown n o

pp 1 30 and 1 31
. .

The student often meets in examination papers the state

ment The drawing of a direct” front View or a full side ,

view will disqualify a candidate

, .

Why is this students invariably ask .

Think for a minute .

A box a table a wall that faces your vision exactly has

, , ,

lines that lie parallel and never meet They cannot meet , .

because th y d n t d f y e o o rece e ro m ou .

A full front View or a full side view has no vanishing point

,

right or left
,

I 1 29
 D ra wing for Beginners
Therefore it must be crystal clear that such views offer no -

test f accurate perspective drawing

o .

Then we have this rule

P a ra llel lines th a t do no t recede never h a ve the appea ra nce o
f
m eeting a nyw h ere .

Look at the diagram fa village street o .

The natu e f the ground prevents the building f a long

r o o

straight street and the houses are dotted about Although

, .

they present a diminishing effect (they are receding from the

vision ) yet the y diminish to the hori z on at four different
,

points Observe this well it will demonstrate that

.

I f th ere a re t en retiring lines a nd a ll pa ra llel, t here w ill be

o nly o ne va nishing p o int fo r a ll ; bu t fa m
i o ng t h e t en t h ere a re

no t t w o pa ra llel lines, t here w ill be t en va nishing p o ints .

Perspective comes to our aid when we are perplexed with

c ves f arches bridges and doorways—beautiful objects
ur o , ,

that tempt the pencil and deceive the eye .

First sketch the arch window marking the direction f or , o

the base the thickness f the wall ; then if you are in doubt
,
o ,

about the rightful position f the curve and the highest o ,

point of the arch enclose the base lines in a square drop a line
, ,

from each corner and at the intersection (or meeting place )

,
-

draw an upright line that should find the centre fthe arch o .

In other words n l d h p in t ng l
, eh p c o se cu rve s a es rec a u ar s a es .

Al though a Single arch even a couple f arches might , or o ,

be sketched fairly correctly without such aid a cluster of ,

arches presents a more complicated problem and we shoul d ,

feel justified in using this method f checking perspective o .

Circles we know are exceedi ngly difficult to draw correctly

, , .

An artist f course should draw circles without resorting to

, o ,

mechanical means but a beginner n occasion may wish t , , o , o

check his drawing f a circle by enclosing it in a square
o .

In Fig 57 we have an upright circle in a square also a

.
,

circle enclosed in a square and in perspective receding

from the spectator
S trictly speaking many perspective problems belong to
.

geometry and n t to art and provided that we understand a

o ,

1 32
 Mea suring and Persp ective
few simple rules we need not worry ourselves with intricate
pro blems
,

B ut there is one deduction t which we must pay attention

.

o .

F ig 56 T
. . HE F R E S H RT E N
O O IN G or CURV E S AN D RC HE S
A

E very receding line or f

su r a ce m ust necessa rily be fo re
sh o rt ened
.

Wh at is foreshortening
A coin seen upright and straight in front is a perfect circle
a coin seen lying down is a coin diminished and a coin fore
shortened In the first example the circle is complete In
. .

1 33
 D rawing for Beginners
the second example the surface f the coin is receding and the o

coin appears to b e thicker in the part nearest the spectator .

It does not appear to be a perfect circle .

Every Object thing that advances toward the spectator

or

is foreshortened For instance some. points a finger , o ne

di ectly at the artist What does the artist see He sees
r .

the tip of the finger the tip of the thu b the width f bent
, m , o

fingers knuckles palm and arm but the planes su faces or r

that recede—such the shaft f the finger itself the fore

, , , ,

as o ,

F ig 57
. . A C OI N U PR GHT A N D A C
I OI N F R E S H RT E N E D
O O

arm and the upper arm—all these are seen in a foreshortened

,

state .

Put up your own hand and clench your fingers but with ,

the thumb erect Now lower the upper pa t of the thumb

. r ,

inclining it away from your vision Your thumb is now fore .

shortened the upper part is receding

, .

The human figure being a rounded object must always

, ,

present some parts foreshortened .

In the head the width f the shoulder the width of the

, o ,

hips the smooth rounded limbs the curves f foot and hand o
—
, ,

nowhere do we find an absolutely flat su face r .

If you wish to find the human figure depicted without any

foreshortening you must refer to the drawings and carvings
,

of the ancient E gyptians In Fig 58 we have a copy from a

. .

carving produced about the year 1 490 (For the laws f B C . . o

1 34
 Measuring a nd Perspective
perspective were all but unknown until the fifteenth century )
And what do y find
.

ou

The head in profile the shoulders squarely and flatly pre ,

sented (front Vie ) the legs apparently tacked on to a flat

w ,

surface instead f a rounded body f they do t recede

o or no
e behind the other b ut present knee against knee joint
,

on ,
-

ankle against ankle and foot against

,

foot And to add to the peculiarities

.

o f arly E gyptian art the front view f

e , o

the eye is inserted along the profile view

of the forehead nose mouth and chin
D oes this t bring home that unless
.
, , ,

no
absorb a few laws f perspective
"
y ou o ,

proportions and foreshortening you will

, ,

find yourself heavily handicapped

Y can provide yourself ith a good
ou w

deal famusement and useful instruction

o

by searching f perspective not only in or ,

yo n paintings and drawings but in

ur o w ,

the work f other people o

S tudy pictures in books and magazines

.

and photographs in the daily papers

G YP T N
,

and y will find endless examples of

ou
F G U RE
F ig 58 E IA

perspect ve i
I

B y tracing parallel lines and finding vanishing points f

.

planes and surfaces much that bewildered you in the past

,

will become clear and reasonable .

Planes horizontal planes and perpendicular pl nes are

,
a ,

terms c nstantly used with regard to perspective

o .

A h o riz o nt a l p la ne is p la ne pa ra llel w it h th e ea rt h
a a per
p endicu la r p a ne is
l The top of
o ne p erpendicu la r t o t h e ea rth .

a table and the ceiling of a room are horizontal plan s the e

walls f the room are perpendicular planes

o

It might very reasonab ly be concluded that in using the

.

, ,

words tracing parallel lines I intended to convey that

lines should be d awn across the pictures B ut that certainly
r

not my intention There is no necessity t commit the

.

W as . o

1 35
 D rawingfor Beginners
crime f scribbling with pencil or ink on the print d pages
o e .

A thread f white or black silk or cotton laid upon the

o sur

face will serve your purpose .

To explain more clearly Lay a thread f cotton n . o o o ne

o f the perspective diagrams hold one end n the vanishing , o

point and from that angle swivel the th ead on to the

, r

various parallel lines Remove the thread to each vanishing

.

point .

Test any fthe perspective examples in this way by merely

o

laying the thread on the paper holding the right thumb on ,

the thread at the vanishi g point An ld reel with a small n . o

q antity f cotton is perhaps easiest to handle then the

u o , , ,

thread does t slip t fthe left hand no ou o .

U black th ead if the drawing is lightly sketched n

se r o

white paper and white thread if the picture is in a dark

,

tone .

Let me presume that you wish to analyse the perspective

o f the accompanying photograph of a picture gallery which -
,

is a very simple example .

Lay the thread first against the lowest line f the left wall o ,

and find the inclination f the floor ; then lay it n the top o o

line near the ceiling You will easily discover the point .

where these two lines meet Hold the thread on that place .

and test the right hand side f the picture by laying the
-
o

thread first against the base and then against the summit f o

the pillars
B y careful adjustment y will soon fix the actual position
.

ou

of the vanishing point which lies does it not between the , , ,

t w odark frames n the facing (far) wall and the light frames
o

o f the two adjoining pictures .

All h pictures on the left hand wall lie parallel with the
t e -

wall and diminish as they recede All the pillars on the right .

side di ini sh both in height and bulk Is n t the nearer

m . o

p illar a great deal larger in girth than the next and the ,

second pillar larger than the third

Although the pictures are grouped at different heights from
the ground yet the y all diminish to the same vanishing
,

1 36
 Mea suring a na Perspective ’

point—the vanishing point which lies n the horizon this o ,

being the height f the camera lens o .

The pictures the far wall exactly face the spectator

on ,

therefore they do not diminish .

Y were told to lay the thread first n the floor then

ou o ,
on

the ceiling This is always the wisest plan If you find the
. .

boundary lines correctly then all within those lines falls into ,

place .

When y are drawing from Nature always check the t

ou ou

sid lines
e If sketching the whole of the house find the top
.
,

line f the roof and the base f the walls ; then the rest f
o ,
o o

the roof the windows doorways lintel and porch will all
, , , ,

fall into place and save you an enormous amount of needless

bother If the outside lines are correct then it stands to
.
,

reason that everyt hing within those lines will agree .

It matters n t whether it is only a box a house a barn

o or

a chair a boat or a book—always l y check the extreme

,

or , , a wa s

limit
B y the very Simple aid of a th ead y can discover many
.

r ou

things Y can trace the low horizon fpict es that p

. ou o ur re re

sent the l lying ground Y will also discover that the

ow -
ou

low hori zon gives ample space for the k y and that clouds
.

s ,

also conform to the laws fperspective and disappear as they o

recede .

Pictures f interiors f houses are extremely interesting

o o .

There you note that the walls floor and ceiling ( rafters , , or

o f the roof ) diminish to the same vanis hi ng point (because

they lie parallel n to another ) but that the chairs and o e ,

tables unless they are arranged parallel with the walls

, ,

have each a separate vanishing point though each vanish

ing point must fnecessity meet on the same hori zon (S ee
,

, o , .

Fig
B y making a friend f perspective and interesting
.

o o ur

selves in its various little prob lems looking t only for , no

the perspective in n drawings but for the per o ur ow ,

sp t
ec i in others
ve we shall soon acqui e a useful amount
, f r o

knowledge .

1 37
 gf BD eginner s
ra w zn or

Shadows and reflections both bow to the law fperspective o

Reflections in water we are told are geometrical but not

.

pictorial O bjects are repeated in water geometrically

, ,

. .

A ll re flections of lines p a ra lle l w it h t he f

su r a ce o f the w a ter
va nish o n t h e h o riz o n at th e sa m e po int .

For example we sketch two upright posts supporting a

,

beam f woodo .

The beam diminishes as it inclines toward the horizon ;

carry these diminishing lines till they meet
on the on

hori z on .

The lines in the beam f wood reflected in the water are o

parallel with those in the actual beam ab ove ; these too must
incline to the same vanishing point .

If a bridge is sketched with the cu ve f its arch reflected r o

in the water the reflection must incline toward the same

,

horizon and the same vanishing point .

It is quite possible that y are a keen observer and that ou ,

your quick eye has already noticed these facts Nevertheless .

there is no harm in impressing them upon y Water is ou .

exceedingly deceptive The rippling play f the winds n . o o

the surface and the break f the waves are apt to lead the o

eye astray Wh ich point was realized by many f the O ld

. o

Masters who safeguarded themselves by omitting reflections

,

and painting Sky and water with the same colour and the
same brush .

Now for a final Observation perhaps y have n t noticed ou o

that the reflection f the and moon the stars and the o su n ,

clouds are the same distance below the horizon as the

,

originals are above .

It is by no means uncommon to find a young student

neglecting shapes and proportions f shadows ; and here o

perspective holds t a helping hand ou .

Th e ex t ent o f t h e sh a do w is ru led by t he po sit io n o f th e so u rc e

of light .

When the n i high in the heavens the Shadows are com

su s

p t i ly short
a ra ve When the is sinking the rays longate
. su n e .

That is a matter f pure observation E ven a baby will o .

1 38
flo w z o m

"
H 1 1 Ye
t
"
ines pa ra lle l w i t h t he
l
"h
e c orus

o
f ,

t he W a t err
f
s u r ac e o
f
i
Va n s h o n t h e h o riz o n
.
.

50 The:
“
sa ne om
p t

F ig 60
. . R E FLE C T N S
IO
 D rawing fbr Beginners
sometimes notice the long shadows cast by a stone the ,

flickering ribbon f shade thrown across it path when the

o s

sun is l the horizon

ow on

B y comparing diagrams f sun and shade you can make

.

your deductions
ow n .

Th e su n is so fa r rem o ved rom

f t he
’
f
ea rt h s su r a ce t h a t it s ra ys

a re p a ra llel. Bu t t h e ra ys f
la m p rom or ca ndle ra dia t e o n a ll

sides a nd ca nno t be c onsidered pa ra lle l .

1 40
 CHAPTE R XI I
S het ching O ut of D oors
the keen enthusiastic young artist there is nothing
0 ,

more fascinating more enth alling than sketching , r ,

t f doors
ou o .

A walk abroad among foreign scenes and strange people

or a walk at home among one s own familiar haunts can be ’

equally fruitful .

There are two points which need explaining and

o ne or ,

o ne o rtwo pitfalls fwhich the novice might be warned

o .

F orthe ardent young sketcher frequently digs a pit for

his n feet He begins a sketch but he pursues it into
ow .
,
’

a finished study .

A Sketch it must be remembered should b a Sketch and

"
, , e

nothing more It is a”trifle an impression

.
, .

How unfinished remarks some n looking over the o e,

young artist s shoulder D o not let the remark influence y

’
. ou

against your better judgment

D id you begin the sketch as an impression of a particular
.

thing—the wind swaying a spray of flowers a branch a , , or

tree a cloud passing over a distant hill and blurring its con
,

tou a scrap of rugged masonry a sunny portion fa terrace

r, , o ,

a garden seat a toy flung the grass a fragment f a

,
on , o

flower over whi ch a bird butterfly hovers Then do not or

t y to finish it
r All the spirit f the sketch will vanish if
. o

you finish
‘
one tiny
’
portion at the expense f another o

part .

Experience that hard taskmaster and experience only

, ,

will teach y how far to carry your sketch

,

ou .

B ut the main thing to remember is this If you wish to .

sketch— k t h Leave the finished study for other times

s e c . .

1 41
 D rawingfor Beginners
And never never tinker with your sketch when you take it
,

home
Now having given fair warning let us proceed to details
.

.
, ,

The secret of successful sketching is to arrive at your

chosen place fresh and eager for work .

If y burden yourself with a lot fsketching paraphernalia

ou o ,

y will arrive with ou

achi ng arms hot and ,

tired and possibly cross , .

Travel light when

sketching is a good
motto Take with y . ou

only essential sketching

materials A block a . or

book and if the book , ,

has limp covers a piece ,

f board stiff card o or

board on which to rest

it a p encil in dia , ,

rubb er p aint b ox ,
-
,

brushes and a bottle ,

f water are necessities o .

An easel a camp stool ,

-
,

a sketching umbrella ,

PRE SS N personally I should re

F ig 6 1. .

gard as superfluous
AN I M IO

It is usually possible to hold your book in such a way that

.

your paper is shaded by your shoulder your hat or the , ,

opposite page .

A stile fence stone stump bank more often than not

, , , , or

offers a convenient resting place and saves y the trouble -

ou

of carrying a camp stool -

.

If the weather is damp an ordinary newspaper carried ,

under your Sketch book and folded and used as a cushion is

-

a good precaution against catching colds should the weather

be very h t the same paper folded and held fan wise shields
o ,
-
,

the page from the glare fthe o su n .

1 42
 S het ching O ut of D oors
A great point is gained by starting in a business like frame -

of mind It is a mistaken idea that an artist drifts into

painting a picture as a cloud drifts across the sk y To
.

Obtain practical results y must start with practical i t ou n en

tions Y must b e firm with yo self Y must choose
. ou ur . ou

your subject quickly and settle down determinedly and y , ou

m us t t b tno bit i e Young people balk their e fforts

oo am ou s .

by attempting subjects that are ambitious that they might so

well make a practised artist hesitate .

I Should love to paint a field of corn with poppies and ,

convolvuluses and perhaps a little dip f the sea o

and a glimpse fthe village church beyond n will exclaim

o
”
, o e .

And another will say

L et s go n the beach and sketch the harbour and the
’
o ,

boats and the cliffs It would be simply topping

, .

I admit the attractiveness of such subjects The very

suggestion quickens one s pulses B ut the difficulties
.

Once upon a time there was a man fmost eloquent tongue

.

who wrote about art and more especially about pictures , .

He advised artists to take a stone and study that There s .

’

something very interesting in the drawing of an ld lichened O

stone though it is far from easy A wise principle f selec

, . o
—
tion however is choose n simple subject rather than a o e

do z en complicated ones
, ,

From the field f corn choose a blade of wheat with per

.

haps the tendril f a convolvulus creeping up its stalk ; a

o

cluster f poppies a tall grass If a butterfly flutters near

o , .
,

watch intently the angle of hi wings the exquisite poise f s , o

his body the clutching delicate strength f the tiny legs

, , o ,

and draw your remembrance f him o .

In a meadow land of gold and Silver

-
where cows are forty
feeding lik e one choose a spray f buttercups a Single fine
,
”
, o ,

marguerite take cow under your observation ; make a

o ne
sketch of a portion f a tree a gnarled branch some
o or

twisted roots with an o er curling plume f a fern S ketch

, ,

-
v o .

the stile or the fragment f a paling round which a spray f

, o o

ivy is climbing .

1 43
 D ra wing for Beginners
S hould you wish to sketch a cottage be careful not to it s

too near I f you do your perspective will be very violent

,

.
,

F ig 62
. .E N S K E T CH NG A C TT G E D O
WH I O A NE R N OT S I T To o A

and look exaggerated S it half a meadow away rather than

.

at the front gate .

And if the cottage is complicated (that is filled with detail, ,

the thatch deep and overhanging the creepers thick and

,

concealing the Shape fthe wall and the little lattice windows
o -

nearly hidden from view ) draw a portion f the cottage—

,

, o a

1 44
 S het ching O ut of D oors
corner of the eaves and n window a portion f the roof
o e ,
o

and the queer ld chimney the porch with its potted plants
O ,

and window seat the well head with its dripping rope and
-
, or -

Co m
p "
te a t ed

F ig 63
.

shining pail And a word of advice about a garden There .

is nothing more difficult than garden scenes The subjects

.

are many the lights are often broken the shadows are n , co

fused Content yourself with a woodshed portion f a

,

, or o

summer house a few mossy steps a garden roller a corner f

.

-
, , o

the terrace a wheelbarrow a cluster f pots and a trowel

,

,
or o .

At the outset ask yourself whether the Object y intend

,

ou

to draw will best fit an oblong upright Sheet Of paper or .

K
 D ra wingfor Beginners
If y wish t draw a tall sub ject such as a tree a narrow
ou o , ,

building an upright flower figure hold your sketch book or ,

-

in an upright position If you intend drawing a long shaped

,

subject a reclining figure f a person animal a wide

.

o or ,

spreading building a
,

stretch f low lying o -

ground hold the book ,

Open at the full width

f the page o

B eginners are prone

.

to dash at a subject ,

and finding they have ,

drawn it on a smaller
sc a le t h a n t h e yint e nde d,

add other details until

the page is filled
B ut why fill the whole
"
.

page An arti st s ’

sketch book is a book -

f scraps He seldom o .

carries his sketches up

to the margin f his o

paper O ne page may .

,

and often does carry

an amaz ing variety f
,

subjects .

T HE W E LL H E D
If you decide to do
F i g 64
. .

a small sketch keep to

- A

that intention S hould you fe l unhappy because a wide

. e

margin surrounds your small Sketch frame the sketch with ,

a lightly drawn pencil line .

It is astonishing how important are the e apparently trivial s

matters how much they influence the sketch f good ill or or .

We will presume that you have arrived at your destination

,

and a resitting in a Shady place faced with a bewildering ,

number Of beautiful things After fixing and fi i g your un x n

mind many times you at length decide to d aw something
.

1 46
F L WER NG R USHE S
O I
 D ra w ingfo r Beginners
that is close at hand— tiny clump of white flowers with a

feathery foliage golden dis k s and Silvery petals growing

, ,

humbly near the shorn stubble f the cornfield It is a wise o

selection B eing f a lowly habit the flowers will not be

.

. o ,

tossed and stirred by the wind and so worry you at the very ,

outset f your task Moreover the flowers have simple

o .
,

forms They resemble tiny umbrellas with long handles

Draw first the Shape and curve f the slender stem then the
. .

o ,

circular gold centre then the mass Shape f the petals , o ,

dividing up each petal later noting their wayward manner ,

o f growing .

After this your eye probably will be attracted by the

gorgeous berries f the woody nightshade twisting its jewels
o

round the ash stump and fence

Draw the post and paling before the ent ining tendrils and
.

stalks Wide fl g circles and rampant growth such as

-
un

these lead the eye astray B ut if the upright post and the
.

cross piece are once fixed n paper then we have two Simple
-
o ,

and solid shap s lending contrast t the delicacy f the

e o o

twining stem If y began by drawing the stem f the

. ou o

plant yo r eye might be misled by its strength and sinews

, u .

The foliage is vigorous There is no feeble indecision in the

sweeping curves and twisted heart shaped leaves S ketch
.

-
.

the looping curves Of the stem then place the leaves drawing , ,

from tip to tip n the outside edges The berries gem the
o .

post in fanciful clusters hanging from thread like stems ,

-
.

Make the post firm and strong and shade it broadly The .

richest tone however is reserved f the berries and the

, , or ,

leaves have a high polish .

It is undoubtedly a tempting subject for the brush Mix .

your colours clearly The berries will probably attract your.

first attention Try t get the rich tints glowing and bright
. o ,

then the colour f the leaves allowing for their transparency

o ,

by laying the paint freshly nd broadly and when dry a

adding some f the deep greens and browns f the b ack

, , ,

o o

ground
In all probability you will be disappointed with your first
.

1 48
F ig
. 66 . S KE TCH N G L NTS
I P A . TH U B N L L N D S C P E S KE T CH E S
M AI A A
1 48
 S het ching O ut oy D oors ’

efforts The open air is

. of the most exacting f con o ne o

dit i The pure clear at osphere reveals every blot and

o ns m

ble ish Your model challenges your poor atte pts with its
.

m m

inco parab le b auty

.

m e .

N vertheless do not be discouraged for you have this great

e , ,

encouragement that if the painting drawing looks at all or

passable out f doors it will look infinitely better within

,

doors .

A clump f brilliantly coloured fungi is a delicious subject

o

for pencil brush and that is Often found in the wood

or ,
o ne
lands a sum er s day What could be more Simple in
on
’

"
m .

form than a t d t l it h its curved top and ridged surface

oa s oo w

beneath and the b ulb ous shaped stalk B eing a rounded

, _

-
,

surface part ill be lighter than another Try to place

o ne w

the shading correctly The edge f the fungus may b e

.
,

broken chipped Splotched stained D t neglect any

.

or O no
Of these happy accidents D ame Nature springs the most
.
, , ,

extraordinary surprises upon those bent discovering her on

secrets and if we are lax in small matters we shall miss the

b eauties in larger Ob jects later n
,

A trailing spray f black b erry is a charming subject for

.

brush and pencil alike Sketch the direction f the spray . o ,

then the mass f each spray then the direction of each leaf
o ,

in the spray .

When the is high in the heavens and the colours are

su n

faint and sickly your pencil instead f a brush

, u se o .

A bit of a fence overhanging a piece f rock sandstone o or

a f nce topping a grassy b ank a stile dividing two fields

,

or e or

are equally interesting subjects f a sketch

, ,

or .

And here I must repeat myself at the risk f appearing o

wearisome In no case do I wish you to choose necessarily

the sub ject that I have discussed My examples are chosen
.

first b ecause they are simple and direct ; secondly because

.
,

, ,

th y are within reach f the majority f young artists and

e o o

thirdly b ecause they represent variations f themes found

,

,
o

over a broad area

Draw the nearest upright post get the direction f the
.

,
o

1 49
 D rawingfor Beginners
farther ones and the bars that link the three If y are in
, . ou

doubt about the angle of the bars hold your pencil at arm s ’

length and then you will note their direction If you desire .

to check the perspective lay yo r book the ground and

, u on

seek for a long piece of slender grass Hold one end f the . o

grass on the right f your drawing and above the top bar
o

F ig 67 . . ECT S
CH O O S E S M PL E S
I UBJ

for that is the height of the eye in this little sketch (Fig .

The palings are cu ved and bent and overhang the rock The
r , .

rock is a thick crumbling substance its rounded edge pro ,

j t and its flat surface is slightly cleft and ca t into shadow

e c s, s .

Always draw the largest and most important parts first ,

such as the fence and the rock then add the grass tufting
the summit and the b ramble swinging down into space An
, ,

.
,

oak tree stands close by

-
I t roots have become welded into
. s

crevices f the rock and it rears a twisted and graceful trunk

o ,

bending slightly backward in its efforts to reach the n su

The rock and tree have characteristics in common S ketch

.

the mass of the projecting boulder then the root of the tree , ,

1 50
 F ig 70. . A TOY T REE

F ig 7 1
. . TH E T
P
P O L AR
WG AI or
F i g 72
. . A PO P R TREE
LA -
 D rawing for Beginners
mark the girth f the trunk and draw the tree building up
o , ,

with big curves and noting the snake like twist f the
,
-
o

slender branches Mark the richest and deepest shadows

.
,

how the shadows break into shadow shapes f twigs leaves o , ,

and grass .

Trees are diffi lt —that much is admitted even by Ian

cu ,

who is devoted to h i pencil s

Oh—yes said Ian I can draw horses and men and

.

”
, , , , ,

houses but trees and he paused thoughtfully .

To draw a tree from life we must aim at the main structure

, .

First draw the trunk then the biggest branches lastly the
, ,

leaves .

There is a curious fact about trees that is worth recording ,

for it is often helpful when we are faced with the diffi culties
o f grasping such a b ig subject A branch f a tree will have . o

all the characteristics f the tree itself o

Examine a small branch f an k tree—just a spray f

.

-
o oa o

leaves Are they n t sturdy stout fellows D oes t each

. o , no
twig strike t in an independent fashion—spreading
"
ou

strongly And is t the branch from which the twig is

no
broken gnarled and twi ted stubborn and strong Walk s ,

some distance away from the oak tree then turn and observe -
,

it carefully .

Has not the tree the same characteristics as the branch as ,

the twig
Compare a twig of the poplar tree with the tree itself Is -
.

not the twig the same py amid shape as the parent tree r

It is a good idea to draw some twigs of a tree before trying

to draw the tree itself And this is an excellent subject when
G ather some
.

the weather is t ld to stand

o o co t of doors
'

ou .

bare twigs and carry them home and make careful drawings
Of the twigs When Spring is approaching y will find ou

delightful little subjects in the swinging green and red catkins

.

and the soft down f the pussy willows and autumn provides
o ,

us with a wealth of clustering nuts Which studies will help .

you with your drawing f the tree o .

When drawing the branch of tree look from one side to a

1 52
 S het ching oors O ut
’
f
j D O

anoth r side from one angle to another angle B uild up the

e , .

tree if it were growing under your pencil with its rough

,
as

ness nodules and irregularities D o not d aw it too smoothly

,

, , . r ,

73 . T W GS
I IN EA RLY SPR NG I

like the polished leg f a table but try to give it a natural

o ,

sturdy gro th w .

Trees f a striking peculiarity are easiest to draw as are

o

people with strongly marked features S uch are S cotch fi

,

. r

F ig 74
. . W GS
REE S W TH UT L E V E S
T I or T I O A

trees with spiky needles bony branches and spiked trunks

, ,

thorn trees small and twisted with the winds ; k trees

-
, oa -

that have braved many a storm with lopped branches and ,

thin foliage .

Y will find it interesting to sketch clumps of trees with

ou

the brush either in black or white colour— few tall elm

,
or a

trees in a distant meadow a fringe f fi trees against , or o r-

1 53
 D rawingfor
the sky This teaches .

y to Observeoutrees
as a whole and also ,

impresses upon you

the varied silhouette
of each type f tree o

B efore we embark
.

n the subject of
o

landscape —for our

horizon is broadening
rapidly — might w e

spend a few moments

discussing the sk etch
ing f ruined castles o

and ld houses which o ,

Often form an ex
so

cuse for an excursion

a picnic and f
or , o

which we usually
desire to carry home
some little memento
in the Shape f a o

sketch
D o not attempt
.

complicated subjects .

If the ruin is large

—and there are many
turrets many towers
1

, ,

flights of steps and ,

long passages choose ,

a modest fragment .

An angle of a wall
T R EE D R W N W T H A G against which twist
.

D PP E D IN
F i g 75
. A
I TH E
A

NKP T
I
I
O
TWI

the bony stems f o

ivy little window framing a patch f blue k y a morsel

o ne o s

of broken masonry or a few steps—any of th ese will give

, ,

you the materials you need .

1 54
F ig
. 76
. A S H
I L U E TT E
O OF T REE S . S KE TCHE S OF R U NS
I 1 54
 S het ching O ut of D oors
A ruin invariably presents a crumbling and softened and , ,

somewhat elusive outline

Rough in the whole mass the general structure Look
.

.
,

for the highest point compare the position f each thing , o

with that point then having settled the principal forms

, , on ,

look for the darkest dark and brightest light Try to give an
impression of the roughened surface D raw the near shapes
.

with care If you sketch the masonry in the foreground with

.

accuracy then the parts that lie farther away can be more
slightly drawn The little bit f knowledge acquired by
,

. o

Sk tching something with care has a very solid value Young

e .

sketchers faced with picturesque ruins are often tempted to

try a tricky way of drawing .

We have all seen ruins touched in with sharp and telling

bits f light and shade (apparently with ease and quickness )
o

and we are fired with a desire to d likewise

,

B elieve me when I say that this is yet another pitfall f the

.

or

unwary The tricky methods of drawing never advance us n

. o e

step We must sketch only what we and that with care

. se e , .

Look also f the perspective (another thing that is often

or

ignored when sketching t f doors ) check the t p angle ou o , o ,

and the base f the arch also the fragment f carving

o , o ,

and the window in the wall with the near and projecting
masonry
Once we are fairly embarked on the subject f ruined
.

buildings and trees we feel more capable of trying real

,

landscapes a larger scale on .

As an introduction to this more ambitious task try your

hand at thumbnail Sketches B y thumbnail I mean tiny
,

impressions f fairly large things small houses small trees

o , , ,

and the broadest indication Of the curve f the ground f o , o

fields hills and hedges N t scribbles but honest though

, , . o ,

minute sketches marking the chief characteristics the lie :

of the ground the position f the houses the shape f roof

, o ,
o

(whether pointed flat ) the comparative size of the trees

or ,

or shrubs the tint tone of trees grass roof and wallsor .

(S ee the examples in Fig

, , , ,

1 55
 D ra wingfor Beginners
Needless to y distance d lend enchantment to the
sa , o es

view in these thumbnail impressions and they are far easier ,

to draw when seen from a long distance They are useful .

,

t
oo, for the few minutes wait at a railway station the ’
-
, or

short space f time spent at places when motoring We can

o .

seize n a few of the salient chief characteristics f the

o or o

landscape and j t down tiny little pictures f houses d

o o an

trees hills and valleys cliff end and

,
The concentra ,
-
se a .

tion necessary for these sketches will help us to grasp the

chief characteristics f larger sketches o .

A barn the top f a sloping field with a horse cropping

on o ,

the turf and a morsel of a fence is as si ple and direct a m

could find B egin by Sketching the slope f

,

subject as o ne . o

the ground which erect the shape f the barn with its
, on O ,

pointed oof then the upright palings and Short bushes the
r , ,

horse with bent ne k and the barrel shape f its rounded c o

body .

Then as to the colour A soft yellow light pervades k y . s ,

barn grass and horse and this float the rounded misty
, , , on

shapes f the grey clouds The golden brown roof is touched

o .
-

with cooler grey Shadows n the near side and the grass o ,

mingles with the reddish soil something the same tint as the ,

barn The hedge is Olive deepening to brown and the flank

.
,

and neck f the horse is a richer brown and olive sharpened

o

with darker tints .

Light and shade t f doors is Often most bewildering toou o

the young student The light is suffused the air is clean

.
,

and penetrating shadows flicker and change

B efore beginning a sketch try to decide the most de
.
,

on

finite bits f light and shade Make a thumbnail sketch in

O

the corner f your b ook if y will in pencil or charcoal

.

o ou

S ay to yourself The” sun was t the rays shone from

.
,

ou

that particular angle S hould y find the shadows and

, ,

. ou

rays vanishing before the approach f large clouds wait o ,

till the clouds pass If instead f passing more clouds .

, o ,

appear then begin another sketch f those clouds change or

the whole effect of the landscape And how much the y

, ,

1 56
F ig 77
. . A SI M P L E L \N D S C . \P E 1 56
 S het ching O ut of D oors
change it can be proved by referring to your thumbnail
S k tch
e

Sketching the seashore raises a fresh crop f difli lt i

.

on o cu es

and delights
B oats are not easy things to draw when lying the
.

on

F ig 78
. . ON TH E S E AS H ORE
beach And that is the reason Audrey explains
.
, ,

I prefer t draw them in the water

o .

Audrey is wily but h doesn t alto gether avoid her diffi

,
s e
’

cult i If we are spared drawing the curve of the keel seen

es .

F ig 79 . . T HE S H A P E T H T IS H DD E N
A I BY TH E WA VES
when the boat is exposed n the pebbles there is all the o ,

rigging to lead us astray when the boat is in the water

Moreover we must know something about the shape that
.

is hidden b y the waves As it is necessary to know the

,

shape f the limbs covered by the clothes and the branches

o ,

covered with the leaves is it essential that we should

, so

know something f the build f the boat

o o

S hould artistic eye be attracted b y the rich tints f

.

o ur o

1 57
 D rawingfor Beginners
the sails f fishing smacks long shore boats we must be
o or -

careful t to neglect the rigging and shape f the sails

,

no o

I have a distinct remembrance f five drawings by five

.

little ladies f a fishing smack with sails exactly the same

o

shape fore and aft Compare sail with another sail o ne

B egin by drawing the long sweeping curves f the hull and

.
.

then the angle f the mast With these two facts carefully
,

o .

noted y won t go quite so far astray

ou
’
.

A beach however has a lot to Offer besides the boats

, ,

There are the capstans and the high black houses W here
.

Fig 8 0
. . ST UD Y OF A B OA T

the fishermen store their nets and tackle and the lobster ,

pots and the heaps f coiled ropes There are the rocks
,
o .

with their brown and mossy sides reflected in li pid pools ; m

crabs ; shells f all descriptions ; t fi h most Obligingly

o s ar s es

lazy and quiet ; sprays f deliciously coloured seaweed o

sand castles wooden Spades and scarlet buckets

, , .

The beach is full of interesting little colour subjects The .

air is clear and the water reflects the light bright caps and
,

frocks sails and seaweed and the striped tents and scarlet
, ,

buckets are all most attractive .

All for er discussions

our m thumbnail sketches pencil ,
o ur ,

and chalk studies and small landscapes in colour will render

sketching b y the seashore easier
,

If we wish to sketch p eo ple sitting on the beach childr n

.

,
or e

1 58
 S het ching O ut of D oors
playing we shall have to be very rapid It is wisest to sketch
,
.

the stationary things first If we desire to sketch Mollie or

Rosemary by their tent climbing the breakwater rocks

.

or or

do not let us waste time waiting S ketch a bit of the tent

,

Rosemary
.
,

the breakwater rock then when Mollie

or , or

appears you will be prepared Also and I speak feelingly .

,

on the subject they may dart away before y have painted

, ou

the colour f their Shoes belt even dress—if write the

o , , or so ,

colour tint in the margin

B ut with the distant promontory and the glossy procession
.

of rocks stretching into the you will happily find some

se a ,

thing t rest O nly remember this never begin a sketch

a .
, ,

in the morning and finish the same at night The light will
be wholly different S ketch a morning scene by morning a
.

.
,

noonday scene at noonday If you have not done all you.

desired to do during those periods f time put the sketch o ,

away until those hou s recur It is highly improbable that

r .

y will
ou see the same effect again f that is at once the or
—
,

bane and delight f sketching its never ending variety

o -
.

1 59
 CHAPTER XIII
How to Ca tch a L iheness
HE word portraiture has an awe inspiring sound -
.

Portraiture is something that we may possibly

attain in the far ffdays when we are g own up
-
O r

Granted that the art f portraiture may be t amb itious

.

o oo

for our humble pencil yet there is every reason why we should
,

train eye hand and brain in the devious ways fcatching

our o

a lik eness It will be a big help to the portrait painting of

, ,

-
.

the future .

The gift f catching a likeness of transposing a recog

o ,

ni b l drawing
za e f a face to paper is a very wayward gift
o , .

It does t follow that because we are artistic we shall have

no
a fl i for portraitu e
a r r .

There are some p l f from artistic—who can catch a

eo ar

likeness .

There are many amateurs (by which I mean those artists

who do not take the artistic profession seriously) who have
a wonderful facility for drawing a likeness ; also there are
very clever artists to whom the gift f portraiture is denied o .

All f which demonstrates that this peculiar gift lies apart

o

from other branches f art o .

Whether we have this gift or whether we have merely a ,

feeling that we sho l d like to try our hand at Sketching a

u

likeness it is , plain duty to make a few efforts for it

our ,

stimulates th ee very valuable qualities it promotes care

r :

fulness accu acy and reasoning

r

Now we might consider a few methods by which we may

.
, ,

become proficient in this very elusive art .

Possibly at some time f your life you have amused your

o

self with sketching the Shadows f your friends You placed o .

1 60
 How to Catch a L iheness
a candle or some other light at such an angle that the shadow
Of the profile was thrown a sheet of paper pinned a on on
W 1 1 ; then by tracing the outline f the Shadow with a soft
3 o
pencil or piece f , o

charcoal you secured ,

an outline sketch .

The size f the pic o

ture is its di d nt sa va

age Who wants a

.

life sized outline f

-
o

even thei dearest r

and their best

B ut in a sizable ,

careful little outline

drawing f a friend s
’
o

featu es filled with

r

black ink paint or

we have an ld o

fashioned method of
portraitu e—the il r s

h o u et t e
S ilhouette drawing
.

is not such a diffi cult

art as it might at
first appear It is .
,

moreover an excel ,

lent stepping stone to -

the b d highway ff
ro a
L G H T S K E T C H A N D A S LH U E TT E
( 82 A I

portraitu e And t
. I O
r . I

has t very popular advantages it is quickly done and it

w o :

is pleasing when done

,

A med with a smooth card or a fi surfaced paper a

r rm -

pencil a fine brush or pen ivory black paint black drawing

,

, , or

ink we have all that is necessary

, .

A k yo r model to move his head aside till he presents hi

s u s

profile then tak e up your pencil and lightly Sketch head

,

face features neck and hair

,

, , , .

L 1 61
 D ra wingfor Beginners
Look critically at the proportions f your drawing C o . om

pare your sketch with your model Is the face the right
"
size D oes the forehead creep too high to the crest of the
.

head Examine the curve from the brow to the bridge f

the nose Is it sufficiently indented Carefully note the
o
.

length f the nose the shape and projection f the upper and
" o
o

lower lip the curve of the chin and the moulding b eneath
,

, ,

the jaw
D o not make the neck t thick You can add bulk to
.

oo .

your silhouette but you can t take it away Carefully note

,
’
.

the Shape of the head .

There are various methods f finishing the neck F o . or

our first essay the neck may be finished in a sloping curve

beginning at the nape f the neck and sloping thence in a
o

sharp curve downward to the forepart of the throat .

Always sketch the shape and position f the eye also the o ,

nostril ear jaw and corner f the mouth This will help
, , , o .

to check proportions and keep the features in place .

Having drawn the general shape f the coiled floating o , , or

clipped locks the stubby moustache or beard we shall find

, ,

it easy to indicate the shape and character by the fine hairs

projecting beyond the outline .

Wh en the outline is ready to be filled with ink paint or

(and supposing that paint will be you most likely medium ) r

mix a good quantity f ivory black sepia the palette

o or on ,

and lay it smoothly and evenly

on .

The silhouette filled and the outline firm and clear you ,

will note any projection f hair frills collar lace and o

ribbons D raw these with a delicately fine line

, , , ,

A word about the si z e f your silhouette D not make

. .

o . O

the drawing too large but the other hand do not aim at
, , on ,

making it minute If you sketch it no larger than a postage

.

stamp you will find it diffi cult to correct in the early stages
and if y draw it very large y will lose the dainty effect
ou ou

that is the chief charm f the silhouette O ne and a half

o .

inches high is a fairly reasonable Size .

If you are not satisfied with your first attempts at a

1 62
 How to Catch a L iheness
silhouette do not despair try again Make another start
,

s ketch a fresh model D

, .

t expect to succeed without O no

practice f remem b er y are up against a diffi cult problem

.

, or ou

You are not merely trying to depict a nose a face a

.

’ ’

head b ut a very special nose face and head

, ,

, ,

Moreover there is another excellent reason for many

.

attempts There is no satisfactory

.

method of correcting a silhouette .

If we make a false step and give

too long a nose t thick lips t , oo , oo

square a jaw we cannot afterward ,

amend mistake It is fcourse

o ur o

possi ble to take a brushful of thick

.

white paint and fine down our

outline We can also use a scraper

.

( a very sharp knife ) and scrape

at the su face f the paper B ut
r o .

neither method will be satisfactory .

The pure hard sharp outline is

, ,

the hall mark of a good silhouette

-

The one unforgivab le in is the

.

ragged edge .

It is a thrilling moment when

we can trace a likeness between
our model and silhouette And
I can truthfully y that given
our
S PR Y OF
IN S LH U E TT E
sa
L E V E S ,
.

A A

a little patience and intelligent

I O

application there is no reason against and every reason for

, , ,

that happy result .

The drawing f likenesses in silhouette (for there are many

o

other subjects to which we can apply this fascinating little

art—sprays of leaves birds fluffy animals grotesque and , , or ,

quaint figu es landscapes f fantastic description to quote

r , o ,

but a few ) has this advantage It hides defects

The double chin the dragged lines f eye mouth and
. .

o ,

nostril the wrinkles f forehead and face the untidy head

, ,

, o ,

o f hair—all are softened and veiled with the kindly brush .

1 63
 D ra wingfor Beginners
O nce your nterest is aroused in portraiture the art f the
I o

silhouette will not wholly satisfy your cravings It is a .

charming but it must be admitted a limited art

, , .

N ow we are prepared to pass to more ambitious sub on

j t and here I must offer a word f advice for I do not

ec s, o ,

want to make this diffi cult business f portraiture n o un eces

ily more difficult We must go warily The fascinating

"
sa r . .

t ask of drawing lik enesses is sometimes apt t give offence

"
o

That— y portrait said an Old lady ruefully regard

.

”
m ,

ing a drawing of mine Ah well — following up with a .

,

s i gh I was considered rather nice looking in my day ” -

.

The d result was that the Old lady refused to pose again
sa ,

and the rest of the holiday was wasted far as further , so

endeavours at sketching a likeness were concerned .

It is just as well to bear in mind what was written f o

S ir Joshua Reynolds the great portrait painter f the ,

-
o

eighteenth century
H is p st iki g sistl ss d g d
e nc i l w as r n re e an ra n

s g tl pl yi g d bl d
, ,

Hi s m a n ne r w e re en e, c o m n an an

S till b i p yp t
,

o rn i to m ro v e u s n e ve r ar

Hi p sil f s hi
e nc our h tace , s m a nne r o u r
,

ear .

Compare beloved S ir Joshua with the Chinese painter

o ur

who like most Chinese artists was excellent at copying a

, ,

likeness defect and blemish complete and to whom

, f , o ne o

his sitters objected that he had n t made hi handsome o m

enough The painter replied blandly but firmly

.
,

N hab g t handsome face how can hab handsome

O o ,

picture
S upposing that it is your intention to sketch the likeness
o f a person who has what is sometimes called an f un or

t t profile you Should n t pitch n the particular position

u na e , o o

o f a profile f choice or .

The pencil says that my model has a small eye snub nose , ,

receding chin and it records these facts remorselessly It

may t mean to be unk ind B ut the outline is such and
.
,

no .

down it goes .

1 64
 W
.

II
0“ o n/
I
1

F ig . 84 . EX P RE SS N
IO IN PO RTR T S
AI 1 64
 How to Catch a L iheness
In such a case a three quarter View or even a full face -

would b e wiser—and kinder

,

S o e people run away with the idea that portraiture is

.

merely seeking t defects and exaggerations—but that is ou

caricature .

We should look for the pleasing characteristics We do .

not it is true wish to draw the pretty pretty face —the

, ,

chocolate box style of beauty— but there is no reason against

-

recording pleasant rather than unpleasant facts It tak es a

very big man to rise above facial defects and an O liver
.

Cromwell to wish to be painted warts and all .

’

We will presume that a group f girls and boys are waiting o

primed ready to sketch portraits And one has been selected

very good naturedly volunteers to sit as a model S ome one
.
,

"
or -
, .

remarks not very politely and a little despairingly There s ’

absolutely nothing in Rachel that isn t just ordinary

, ,
” ’

Ordinary ; what is ordinary Common customary , ,

’

says the dictionary (among other things )

Is R achel ordinary compared with the rest
.

Look swiftly from Rachel s lips to those of Patricia ’

Rachel s upper lip is ever so short compared

.

’
with Patricia s ’

rather pouting mouth ; and her eye— h has a fi lidded s e ne -

eye with clear open pupil John s eye is slightly hidden by
, , .
’

hi brow and his i is is dark

s And compare the three pai s r r

Rachel s extend thickly from the nose to the

.
,

f eyebrows
’
o .

outer edge fthe eye Patricia s are thin and Silky and John s
o ,
’
,
’

are queer little dabs f hair n f which gives a humorous o , o e o

twist and expression to his face .

Expression ah now we are getting t the root f thi

,
-
o o s

portrait business .

Let break fffor a moment

us o .

When we have seen a portrait by a famous artist— the or

reproduction f —what lingers most clearly in minds

o o ne o ur

D oes not the expression hau t memories n o ur

To quote a few f the g eatest portraits in the world o r

Think f the gentle austerity f Titian s D t the h y

o o
’
o c or, s

grace of V l q B by P in e as the demu e questioning

u ez s
’
a r c ess, r

1 65
 D rawingfor Beginners
of Reynolds S t b y Gi l and the tragic dignity f
’
ra w err r o

Rembrandt s Old W n
,
’
om a .

I doubt if you could give the faintest description f the o

featu es of of these portraits

r o ne

And now let us look at portrait of R achel Margery

.

our or .

That may be Margery s eye nose mouth chi n hair and ’

, , , , ,

ear but if we have missed Margery s mischievous look the

,
’
,

w icked twinkle in h bright eye the twitching curve f her er , o

lips and the jaunty tilt f her glossy head ; in short if we

, o ,

h ave t captured her i n Margery s portrait is no

’
no p ex ress o ,

portrait at all .

When we draw likenesses we must not labour first with

one feature and then with another but try to grasp every ,

thing together .

We begin by noting any peculiarity such as the poise f , o

the head n the shoulders afterward roughing t the angles

o , ou

o f the features or the arrangement f large masses such as

, o

a woman s hair a man s beard ; then we confine ourselves

’
or
’

to the drawing f the featu es o r .

There is no sense in racing along if by nat re you are a u

plodder We must all gang our ain gait

. .
’

Personally however I have a feeling or rather a con

, , ,

i ti
v c that if I cannot capture something of the likeness
o n,

in the earliest stages it will always elude me .

From the very first attack the angle f the head the o ,

placing of the neck n the Shoulders the cock of the eye o , ,

the droop fthe lip o

There is another point to bear in mind D o n t get too

.

easily discouraged D on t be depressed if your efforts do

.

’
.

no t gain immediate success You must try many times .

before you can hope to be proficient

After all y do not expect to play a sonata of B eethoven s
.

’
, ou ,

or to write a thesis an abstruse subject to compose an on , or

exquisite lyric—without practice .

And remember too that you are in search f the o u n ex

p t d
ec e It is
. your business to find and record facts usu l ly a

u nnoticed by persons who are not a tists r .

1 66
F ig 85
. . L K E N E SS E S
I
 D rawingfor Beginners
Naturally some people are more easy t draw than others o .

Those with marked characteristics are the easiest f all If o .

y ouhave any choice in the matter choose some n with ,

o e

striking features the drawing f which you cannot miss o .

Take your subtle and

,

more delicate studies

later .

When I was a child

I was very fond f o

copying photographs
f celebrities from o

papers and magazines

—not such a ba d
method f training o

the eye and hand in

the c ious ways of ur

catching a likeness .

And I remember copy

ing a charming profile
f a certain little o

princess (her daughter

is now as ld as the o

picture to which I
refer) and her R oyal ,

Highness s ear was f ’

o

a prodigious size If .

.P E N P RT R T
F ig 8 6 .
-
O AI
some
or
one looked
L S M L C TT the drawing without
OUI A .
atA O

recognizing the subject I would y indig antly O h but

y oumust who it is by the ear
se e
”
That I knew to be
right I was quite annoyed when a friend said with an air
sa

" n , ,

B ut I have never noticed

.

f surprise the Princess s ear was ’

o ,

so large ; surely y are mistaken ”

ou .

Y must be prepared f that sort of criticism If you

ou or .

make it your business to Observe things that are out of the

way y are certain to meet with such remarks
, ou .

It i not only with eyes nose ears mouth expression that

s , , , ,

1 68
 How to Catch a L iheness
we must be observant but we must note a d compare the ,
n
little unobtrusive characteristics and traits which distinguish
individuals
One Sits erect another lolls in a languid manner another
.

slouches into awkward attitudes S ome perk up their chins

, ,

.
,

or incline their heads slightly to one side All f which are . o

valuable helps to the getting of a good likeness .

It will lessen your difficulties if you remember to leave a

space between yourself and your model It is a sheer i . m

possibility to such a large Object as a human being in

see

proportion unless we remove o rselves a good many paces u

away .

If you place yourself close to your model as young artists ,

Often do you will , the t p f the head the t p of the

se e o o , o

shoulder the upper part f the body and the feet You will
, o .

have the curves of the features very much accentuated and

,

it will be exceedingly difficult to get the whole picture C

In

drawing .
’

Artists when painting full length portraits invariably pose -

their m dels a good distance away from their easels and

o ,

sometimes the models are placed on a low platform We can .

dispense with platforms but we cannot dispense with distance

,
.

Naturally when drawing the head you can it near your s

model with safety B ut when the Object is large then you

,

must move away until you get a good and comprehensive

V l eW .

I would not discourage you from drawing people who

happen to be near if y feel a strong desire to attempt it ou .

D O not resist the impulse to sketch some n who is bending o e

over the same table as yourself for example but bear in , ,

mind that y are close to your model and make allowances

ou .

It may be that y are not able to procur many sitters

ou e ,

that you live where there are very few people and your ,

opportunities of Observation are therefore very restricted .

That need not prevent you from drawing portraits Y . ou

must study the few E ven the greatest artists have contented
.

themselves at times with a moderate range of subjects And .

1 69
 D rawing fb r Beginners
some f the finest portraits are the portraits f the artist s
o o
’

relations and friends G ainsborough painted his ow n

daughte s S ome f Rubens b est portraits are those f his

.

’
r o o

wife Helena Rembrandt was for ever painting himself and

.

his clever rubicund face eyes us shrewdly from many a

canvas ; and there is the painting f Van D yck himself o

with the sunflower .

And we narrow portrait drawing down to ourselves

so o ur -
.

If y are driven to the d awing and painting of you self

ou r r

(and it is always easier to draw other people because , o ne

cannot back away from one s self and so get a good general ’

view ) and you are presumably standing before a looking

,

glass remember this— you are drawing yourself not actually

,

as you are but a size smaller .

A mirror reduces and makes us appear smaller and this ,

reduction forces the little things upon us at the expense f o

the more important

It is very easy to prove this S tand a few paces away
.

from the looking glass and ask some to dab with a colour
-
o ne

brush the reflection f your head the crest of your head and o ,

the tip of your chin and measure this space with the brush ,

against your own face Y will find that the looking glass ou -

face is about a third the si z e f your own

.

o .

The art f catching a likeness then b ings us to this

o , ,
r

point We must first f all have good ground work We

. o -
.

must practise drawing faces and features f various people o

in various positions .

We must draw with knowledge not guessing t things , a ,

Sketching at random and trusting to luck .

We must be prepared to catch the fleeting look ; we must

hold ourselves as it were the very tiptoe f expectancy
, , on o

for the smile the glance the pout the thoughtful mirthful
, , ,
or

expression .

A line well expressed will send hopes soaring high and o ur ,

a line faulty and wrong will dash all those hopes to the
ground Never be daunted by mistakes but take your
. ,

courage in both hands and persevere .

1 70
 CHAPTER XI V

A ction ana Comp osition

’

HE N I was very young I cherished intense admira

tion for a certain little friend who was fond f o

drawing birds—not single studies f birds but o ,

birds in flight F li k fli k fli k— many swift touches f

. c , c , c so o

the pencil and the birds sprang into sight crowds f little , o

RD S IN FL G HT
F ig 8 7 . . B I I

birds with curved wings against solid chunks f rolling

clouds Have you not drawn them yourself Have y
no
.

t sometimes watched the birds crossing the sky and tried

"
o

ou

to follow their flight with a pencil

Fishes are n t easily studied but sometimes they can
o so ,

be observed in tanks in the wonderful Nat re pictures f

, or u o

1 71
 D rawingfor Beginners
the movies and fishes swim ing in water bear resemblance
,
’
m
to birds flying in the air .

We are inclined to neglect our opportunities of studying

F ig 88 . . PA TTERN RR UENDD G
FO M
O
BY CHI L
AM E
D RE N PL A Y NG A
I

things in action Now that most f us can in the cine

. o se e

t g ph things moving as they never (seemingly ) moved

m a o ra s

before we should be all the better primed for this very

fascinating study
,

Wh en crows caw and ci cle round tall trees r ,

pigeons rise in great sweeps and eddies

or

from the ground it seems as if they were ,

weaving patterns against the k y and if each s ,

little beak held a gossamer thread there would

be an exquisite pattern floating against the
clouds
G iven sufficient motives or reasons for
.

gathering groups together then the result ,

must be patterns shaping and reshaping .

Consider—from this particular point of View

—group of children playing a round game
a ,

a ring of swaying bodies from which o ne or

two it s p t and dart to and fro inter

un
~

se a ra e ,

fi
Fi ’

weaving and making another variation of the

89

BY AD CNCUENTRY same shape

P A TTE R
O
F OR M E D

Or old country dances and games h h

.

A
In w lc

two long rows f people face each other and b ecome linked
o ,

by individuals coming from Opposite ends and meeting and

dancing in the centre
Or again a crumb dropped in a bowl of water containing
.

fish and tiny glistening bodies moving in st r like Shapes

, a -
.

1 72
 Action a na
’
Com posi t zo n
B irds in the air and fishes in the water form shapes by the
grouping their bodies
of

Children chasing a b utterfly or a ball children playing

.

F ig 91
. . PA TTERN
R ED M V E E N T OF F S H IN
FO M W TE
BY TH E O M I TH E A R

with kites ; children rushing along a flat surface bowling

their hoops ; a flock f startled geese rising from a marshy
O

mere ; a cluster f grub bing o

sparrows among the puddles

o f a muddy street ; a floc k f O

sheep chased b y a dog ; a

slow procession f cows mov O

ing along a lane—all and each

move in a certain pattern
Y will ask is it possi b le
.

ou ,

for anything to move with

out mak ing so e continuous m

pattern The answer is that

there is end to movement
no .

We dance and ,
arms and o ur

legs follow the c ves and ur

actions f body We
O o ur .
’

run and the same thing

,
W D NC E
happens in a diff rent degree e .
F ig 92
. . E A

The dog wags his tail not in n but in many continuous

,
o e,

movements .

1 73
 D rawingfor Beginners
When we wish to plan a drawing painting we must put or

this sense f movement into

o picture O bviously o ur . o ur

figures and objects will be

stationary but there must be ,

a n f movement that se se o

carries the eyes pleasantly

throughout the whole We .

must make patterns and ,

evolve action rhythm b or e

tween each object .

If we pick up a book t , a

tracted by the first page or the

fi st few chapters and we find r ,

that there is nothing f rther

"
u

to hold our interest what do ,

we do but discard the book

W
S o it is with a picture We
must arrest the eye B ut we
.

F ig 93
. . E R UN
.

must also hold the interest pleasantly ithin the picture w

We must not put something down which says S top and

.

then treat the subject in such a barbarous manner that

the eye wanders dis
s atisfied out f the o

picture We must
. ,

like the writer of the

book give something
,

more than a first

attraction Take as.

an example the
s implest in stance ,

that f a sheet of
o

paper containing an
upright line .

PR V NG A N PTY SP C E IM EM
If we have one F ig 94
. . O I A

sharp line in the centre and no more the space appears ,

empty on either side but add a few natural lines and the
,

space is pleasantly broken .

1 74
 A ction ana Comp osition
’

If we sketch a cottage a plain and put it down squarely on

o n o urpaper the cottag in the centre with a tree eith r

, e on e

side and a stretch f o

flat country b yond e ,

how fo olish an d
appears "
empty the flat plain
B ut shift the t co

tage to one side ,

and search f some or

little incident (or

‘

action ) though it is
,

but a pathway to ,

impart an interest PTY P CTURE F ig 95 AN

‘
EM
’
I

to the larger space

. .

Then the Sketch becomes at once more satisfactory t

.

— I

holds the eye Firstly we are attracted by the cottage

and trees massed pleasantly together ; secondly by the
. ,

F ig 96 . . AN I NT ERE ST N G R E RR NGE ENT

I A A M

p athway which brings

,
the eye back again to the centre of
t h picture
e

Nature has her compositions ; we merely select from them

.

with a little care We do t i —the F ates forbid — t no a m a

rearranging Nature B ut we do aim at choosing a happy

.

time rather sketching a good subject at a happy moment

,
o r, ,
.

1 75
 D ra w ing/ b r Beginners
Landscape figure domestic pictures historical scenes
whatever the subject demanding attention—this problem
, , ,

o ur

F ig 97
. . A S I NGLE F G URE P RLY C
I OO P SED
OM O

arises—what arrangement plan or movement will you give

, ,

your picture
Let us sume for the sake of argument that you wish to
as

E C T OF C P S T N
F ig 98
. . T HE E FF OM O I IO

draw the single figure f a girl We sketch her in a simple

o .

position standing with her arms to her sides and more b ulk at ,

the head than the base ; how silly she looks—how meaning
,

1 76
 Action Comp osition
’

"
a na

less B ut give some reason for this particular picture

the flowing f a scarf the widening f the design at the b ase
o , o

an uplifted arm holding a b asket clouds floating b hind her

,

head and sloping b anks on either Side Then the eye is

,

caught first b y the central figure next by the Shawl arm

.

clouds and led at last to the banks and trees

, ,

Possibly you might Ob ject to that particular pose You

.

want something quieter and more

.

restrained ; in fact you wish to ,

keep to the original pose of the

slim upright figure Very well but .

would it not be wise t place your o

figure in an upright space and in ,

tro d either a misty effect with

u ce

delicate lines or else something ,

that ill help your figure

w

I have seen it stated that ng a rra

ing pictures is a very different

affair from arranging simple studies
f ordinary subjects ; that ’
o o ne

could not possibly apply the same

ideas t both o

B ut this is a false notion and

.

precisely where many people go N THER EA A O

Pi 99
R A N GE M E M

w ong
r .

After all is said and done your called ordinary sub ,

so -

j t your pots and pans your flowers and books may be

e c s,

the sub jects in which y excel F everything to which

, ,

ou . or

we direct attention h ld result in a pictu e

o ur t result
s ou r m us

in a picture It may be a bad picture if we do not tak e the

,

laws f Nat e into consideration but a picture nevertheless

o ur

it will b e
,

We will tak e the subject f th ee pots

.

large and two o r , o ne

of a medium size .

These we place in a the large pot in the centre and

ro w

the two smaller pots on either side (Fig

,

You can see for yourself that this i an unsatisfactory

.

M 1 77
 D rawingfor Beginners
arrangement The eye lands on the central object and then
slides t f the picture B etter to group the pots together
.

ou o .

F ig 1 00
. . A GR U P OF P
O O TS
in a less mathematical manner making a more irregular ,

pattern (Fig
Had the two small pots been f different heights the first
.

o ,

arrangement would have balanced itself better

Or if we strongly desire an Oblong
.

instead f an upright composition o ,

we could place two f the pots to o

gether and the third a space apart

link ed by a fragment f ribbon a
,

o ,

feather a spray f leaves (Fig ,

o .

The study f a simple subject o ,

such as a flower with some leav s is e ,

an easy introduction to composition .

First choose an Oblong circular , ,

square space and y to your

or ,
sa

self that i that space y will n ou

sketch the flowers the leaves or .

éJfi fi léifif
F ig l ’ ’
Try to
‘GH T
fill the Space pleasantly .

p s
The word fill must be taken ‘ ’

with reservation I do not mean that you should aim at

.

crowding a varied number f flowers leaves together but

o or ,

at arranging a spray a very slender spray with a few lea

,

and selecting its ch ract ristics

a e .

1 78
 Action and Comp osition
Having sketched your study with pencil or brush consider
it well Is the composition lop sided Have you crowded
.

too much into place Have you left a space crying

o ne " " -
,

aloud f some attention though it be but a few short strok s

or , e
o f the pencil brush or

Turn your drawing upside down L ook at the picture as .

a pattern regardless f other interest and try to consider it

, o

as such Or again collect a number f small o b jects a

,

.
, , o

few vases ornaments shells rib b ons b ooks hats balls

,

, ,

glove s candle s (and

, , , , ,

candle shades ) and ar

-
, ,

ranging those which

harmonize together in
groups make swift,

sk etches merely for the

s ak e of arranging
patterns f practising ,
o

composition .

Whether we wish to
push o n o ur studies and
become eventually pro B L NG C P S T N F ig 1 02 AN O O OM O I IO

i n l artists
. .

fe ss o a , o r

whether we only intend t amuse ou selves by sketching now o r

and again we Shall certainly have to give attention to these

,

considerations .

If you are a professional artist the space that you intend

to fill with pen or pencil bulks very largely your hori z on
,

on .

If you illustrate stories f magazines f books then the or , or or ,

arrangement composition demands a great deal f

,
or , o

thought The editor publisher specifies the number of

. or

square inches allotted for your pictu e and it is by no means r ,

an easy task to fill that space satisfactorily .

If portraiture is your special f t then it is essential to o r e,

arrange the composition that it fills the canvas and paper so

pleasantly S ometimes I have seen portraits arranged with

so little care that the unfortunate sub jects seem to be slip
.

ping out of the picture .

1 79
 D ra w i ngfor Beginners
The biggest spaces should be given to the most important
part fthe picture
o

S everal young artists gathered together would find it

.

helpful to enter into a friendly competition in a particular

subject to be drawn in a specified space They would work .

independently and would eventually compare their sketches

and discuss the various points
It is remarkable how seldom similar sketches agree O ur
.

neighbours interpretation of the same thing often arouses

’

great astonishment in us and gives us much food f thought , or .

A time goes n
S minds will naturally incline toward
o our

good composition .

Nature s beautiful arrangements her composition her

’
,
’
,
’

rhyt hm her action will strike your eye at every turn

,
’
,
’
.

A group f tossing elm trees against the clouds and a few

o -

dark wings streaking the k y ; a tumble down shed round s -

which cows are grouped standing lying lazily chewing , or ,

the cud ; a shuffle f chimney pots against a city k y and a o -

s

trail of smoke a boy flying down a long narrow wet street , ,

with a bundle f papers beneath his arm ; a swan floating

o

double past a tuft of reedy grasses an ld man leaning n o o

a thick stick or with a bundle his back and climbing a on

steep path a woman Sitting under the light with her sewing
grouped at her elbow boys and girls gathered about a game ,

or fire a gate—all these are natural compositions and

, or ,
’

charming ones .

Y might turn your attention to advertisements for these

ou ,

are arranged with a View to attracting the eye and gripping

the attention Look at them as so many patterns and ask
.
,

yourself if the allotted spaces have been filled pleasantly

Look at reproductions f the Great Masters The wonder
.

o .

ful way in which these painters grouped their subjects is an

education in itself The extraordinary simplicity of the .

arrangement action and composition will often su prise you

, , r .

The shapes f some pictures have given rise to quaint

o

legends and probably the most famous f all is that f o o

Raphael s M d nn d ll S di M d nn f th Ch i
,
’
a o a e a e a, or a o a o e a r.

1 80
F ig 1 03
. T HE MA D O NN D E LL
A A S E D IA

R a ph a e l

P h o t o A nderso n
 A ction a na
’
Comp osi ti on
The story goes that R aphael was passing th ough a village r

at vintage t ime and seeing a mother and child sitting in a

doorway was filled with a desire to paint the b eautiful group
,

The only materials to hand were e pty wine vats O n

.

m -
o ne

f these R aphael seized and began this picture n the p

.

o o u

turned b ottom f the t

,

O va .

Th ph l s t h d h lf h d
en Ra ae na c e a a -
c a rre o z ie r s ti k
c

sk th t td ,

And o n t h e w ine -
ca at a m o m en re w

Th t h ld M th j st th l
a C i a nd o e r, u en g o rif
ie d
l st s sh s d p t s ft st
By t h e a un ine
’
ee es , o e hue .

The picture is treasured n fthe world s most beautiful

as o e o
’

paintings but whether the wine vat legend was invented to -

explain the peculiar shape we shall never k now As a com

,

position pure and simple look and judge for yourself

, .

1 81
 CHAPTE R XV

L ight a nd S ha a e ’

HAT onstitutes light and shade is a question

c

more easily asked than answered

B riefly all objects on which light falls present
.

light and shade .

Twist a piece of paper into a cone and look at it with half

closed eyes What do you. O ne Side is light one side
se e ,

is dark where light and shade mingle there is half light and
,

half tone .

In Nature all tone and tints are gradated Light blend

s . s

into half light half light into half tone half tone into shade
, , ,

dividing and subdividing indefinitely

There are no outlines in Nature O utlines or edges
.

’ ’
.
, ,

are mer ly names for the particular parts thrown into promi
e

ne nc e by light and shade Certain parts present sharply

.

defined shapes ; but shadows dissolve into light and light ,

dissolves into shadow .

An outline drawing is a drawing that represents the out

side or extreme edge f a person or object as the contour line
o ,

in a map is the extreme outline f a country There is no o

visi ble outline to a leaf vase hand

.

or

O utline d awing merely represents h p ith t h di g

.
, ,

r a s a e w ou s a n .

Therefore when we speak f drawing light and shade we o

mean drawing broad masses f light and Shade giving the o ,

right balance— neither t much nor too little value to each

oo

light each shadow each cast shadow D rawing objects in

, , .

light and shade with a pencil point is a tedious business It

is best t adopt some means b y which we can cover the
.

ground quickly .

There are many methods of tackling this very interesting

1 82
 L ight an d S hade
subject but I should advise (at any rate as a beginning )
dra ing with black and white chalk on a tinted paper as the
,

quickest and most straightfor ard mann r f drawing b road w e o

masses flight and shade B esides it has one great advantage

o

over ordinary stump chalk charcoal pen and ink wash

.
,

or , , , or

it reverses the usual style fdrawing Th method f drawing o . e o

with light and dark chalk upon tinted paper exactly reverses
the method f dra ing with pencil stump and charcoal on a
o w , ,

white ground Th we draw middle and darkest tones and en

leave the white pap r to express the light B ut if we draw

.

e .

on brown grey blue otherwise tinted paper we draw or

the lights with white chalk the shadows with chalk (

, , , ,

, or

charcoal ) and leave the tinted paper to express the middle

or general tones B y these means we build up the shapes
,

quickly We look for the shapes f t h lights—which o e

are t often d fi d—no less than the shapes f the

.

oo un e ne o

shadows .

As it is easier to draw broad simple and strong masses

f l ight and shade choose several simple o b jects f a uniform
, ,

o , o

colour and place them a table and in the bright and con on

t t d light of lamp candle

c e n ra e (shaded ) electric bulb or

B ring the light fairly close to the level of the table A small
, , .

piece of candle a l lamp will give a better because a

or ow ,

less diffused light , .

Choose a white egg a table napkin in a white ring a white , ,

paper covered box a white paper flower or other such

-
, ,

things A newspaper folded in a white wrapper a wh ite

.
,

cup cup and saucer white enamel bowl white glove all
or -

th se will b e equally suitable

, , ,

F irst k yo r elf where is the brightest light and draw

.

as u s ,

the shape f the light with white chalk Then look for the
o .

darkest shadow which will naturally be the part that is

farthest away from the light and probab ly where the o b ject
,

rests the grou d D raw the shape f the dark shadow

,

on n o

Next look f the middle ( b inding ) tone and blend with

. .

or or

white chalk if in the light d shade with black chalk if it , an

forms part of the shadow .

1 83
 D ra w ih gfor Beginner;
When the surface is highly polished as for example on , , ,

the curve f the napkin ring there will be a high light

o , .
’

The general colour f the tinted paper will give the general o

prevailing tint f the background and the middle tints of

o

the models .

Keep a wary eye the shape f the shadows cast by the on o

various objects B eginners find it difficult to realize that

.

cast shadows bear a resemblance to the objects by which

they are cast Not only do o bjects project their shadows in
.

a major lesser degree according to the distance of the

or

light (as we have already noted in perspective diagram ,

Fig . but they reflect their chief characteristics For .

example the egg y will observe casts a smooth even ou

oval shaped shadow B eneath the shaded objects the box

, , , , ,

-
.

and napkin are roughly sketched with white chalk giving a ,

slight indication of the position f the shadows o .

When we have absorbed some f the lessons to be learned o

from drawing objects in a bright and artificial light we ,

should proceed to draw objects in the more subtle light of

day .

A few ordinary models such as a couple of books and an ,

o ld silver candlestick placed the edge f a table will serve , on o

our purpose very well

The b ooks
.

bound in light cloth the other in dark red

, o ne ,

leather the unlit candle and the candlestick present three

, ,

different tones .

Note first the brightest lights and the darkest darks

S een through half closed eyes the silver is a shimmer f
.

-
o

lights and soft reflections and requires a f careful strokes ew

f white and black chal k following the shapes as closely as

,

possible mak ing good

,

,
f the definite lights and shades u se o

o n the rim the barrel and the twisted support

,
The light , .

catches the edges f the dark book ; also there are slight o

reflections the polished table Y may now suggest the

on . ou

middle lights leaving the paper itself to express the middle

,

tones
Other articles will f course serve the purpose Choose
.

, o , .

1 84
 '
L ight a im S hade
a few near in shape and in three shades —light dark and , ,

middle—and place them in a simple light and clear f their o

surroundings .

If you have not the ordinary bread knife depicted in my -

drawing choose another b ut let it be a large k nife rather

and do not select a clasp knife The latter
, ,

than a small o ne , -
.

is not simple in form nor shapely as an ordinary

so so

carving knife The French cooking knife is an

, ,

cooking or -
.
-

excell nt study f light and shade for it has invariably a

e or ,

straight smooth and pointed blade and a shapely handl

, , ,
e .

The bread knife presents a simple plane a flat blade and

-

a rounded handle The brightest lights leap at once t the

,

. o

eye from the edge f the blade and the square shaped hasp o -
.

The rounded handle throws an oblong shadow ; the blade also

throws a d ided shadow the tray ec on .

The wooden handle shares the tone with the background .

It is a middle tone and only requires a few slight touches ,

to lift the light shape away from the background The

‘
.

shadows the rounded handle are strongly moulded (or

on

shaped ) ; the groove in the wood catches both light and

shade and can be drawn with a dark streak against light
,

strokes f chalk o .

The little Japanese figure f p pi d h é in my drawing o a er m c

(Fig 1 05) has a face almost as white as the white edge f o

the stand S he turns t the light and presents a narrow

.

. o

upright shape The glossy hair has dark shadows not quite
.
,

so dark as the dark folds behind the sleeve and sash A

broad W hite shadow lies over the upper part fthe b ack
.

o .

There is little variety f colours and tints in these groups o

They are neutral with the exception of the lady s grey blue
.

’
-
,

dress and the mauve silk flower in her hand and the small
, ,

book with the dark crimson cover supporting the candlestick

And the objects gathered beneath the bright artificial light
.

a re all f a uniform whiteness chosen for this very reason

o , .

Colour confuses the consideration f tones Whether o .

colour represents dark tones light tones depends to a or

great extent n the light which fall upon it

o s .

1 85
 D ra w ih gfo r B eginners
Naturally however rich colours retain the shadows and
, ,

lighter colours reflect more light .

Look through half closed lids (not for colour but for pure -
,

light and shade ) at a large armchair upholstered in o ne

uniform and unpatterned material Note how the colour .

varies under the play f light and shadow Cannot you see o .

the difference between the colour in the shadows and the

colour in light And a contrast between the back and the
seat f the chair the tops and the sides of the arms the
o , ,

edges f the arms and seat and the edges of the back The
o

sofa settee and table covered with a plain piece of material

, ,

offer the same object lessons f light and shade -

o

Observe a bright light cream coloured jug or cup

.

— i — n a -

decorated with a broad band of pale colour The pink blue .

, ,

or yellow band merges into the shaded sid of the jug and b e , e

comes almost indistinguishable from the cream s roundings ur

Place a pale blue pink

.

yellow enamelled mug or or

tumbler upon a white plate and in a strong light D o you

, , ,

tumbler— though a shade darker

.
,

no t find that the mug or

than the white plate— mingles with the cast shadow thrown
on the plate
The contents f a small table— man s smoki g table no
o a
’
n
less than a lady s toilet table—will offer innumerable objects
’

for the study f pure light and shade A cigar box with its
o -

gilt and gaily tinted lab els is a very good object lesson in
.

light and shade and seen in a shaded position the light

lab el blends with the polished dark wood
,

the shadow on

side .

A cigarette like a cigar presents a tubular shape light on

, , ,

o ne side dark on the other The gold or cork tip of the

, .

cigarette merges into the shadows f the shaded side ; the o

crimson and gold b and of the cigar mingles with the rich
brown shadows f the cigar itself o .

If y arrange several objects of contrasting colour closely

ou

together and in the same light the contrast helps to force ,

the effect
Draw a cluster f purple grapes and light green grape
.

o s

1 86
F ig
. 1 06 . L I H AND
G T SH ADE ON C O O E D
L UR OBJ Ec'
rs 1 86
 L ight an d S hade
side by side The purple grapes catch the light and hold
.

rich shadows The light grapes should be as firmly but more

delicately drawn ; they require light touches of chalk and
.

shadow shapes drawn with a gentle hand The depth and

-
.

shade of the grapes vary very little There is a slightly .

heavier tone beneath the dark round globules .

A white cream bird s wing leaning against a dark green

’
or

bottle with a shadow projecting over the feathers makes

a very interesting contrast f light and shade O nly the o

stopper f the b ottle reflects pure light The rest f it is

.

o . o

submerged into shadow and half closing you yes y will , , r e , ou

find that the bottle loses itself in its n shadow cast ow on

the ground .

The whole f the wing is a light tone the lightest portion

o

being that which is nearest D raw the triangular shape with

,

firm touches f white chalk then shade down with black

.

o ,

chalk where the shadow lies There is a rich shadow in .

the foreground The wing though deeply overshadowed still

.
, ,

remains many shades lighter than the ground .

If the bottle and wing are a thought too difficult draw ,

something a little less complicated .

Arrange several objects f contrasting tints in a strong o

light either with without a cast shadow (which is easily

or

arranged by intercepting the light with a few b ooks or a

,

piece of cardboard ) If it be a woman s hat with a con

.
’

tra s t i g plume
n wing either the hat should be dark and
or ,

the feather light i ; or you may place together a

o r v c e versa

man s black hat and a pair of light kid gloves or some yellow
,
’

and white flowers in a dark vase A sunshade f brilliant . o

colours lying Open n the grass half in shadow half in light

o , ,

provides an excellent model

,

A coat a cloak and a hat

, three hats all f a similar
, , or , o

colour placed n chairs several paces apart present a more

,
o ,

fascinating and more difficult study f light and shade o .

The reason why the separation f the articles makes o

the study more interesting and a hund ed times more diffi r

cult is that there is space between each object And this .

1 87
 Beginner;
D ra w ing/ f
or

introduces a new problem which requires very careful

consideration .

If y had three red apples f a bright and more or l ss

ou o e

uniform colour and shape and placed them the near o ne on

end f a for
o in the centre and m at the far end and
o ne o ne

you too k up your pencil and drew the light and shade f the
, , ,

three apples would you draw each apple with the same
,

degree f light and shade

o

If y put the apples n the ground in the playground

ou o , or

garden path open field five seven and twenty paces

, or , , ,

away and tried to draw to paint them (the question f

,
or o

light and shade applies with equal force to drawing and

painting ) would y draw them exactly the same
, ou

Would you not give the near apple more distinct light and
,

"
shade more accent more strength than the apple farthest
away O f co se you would E ven if you drew without
thought you would instinctively draw something a good dis
ur
,

"
tance away in a broader and si pler manner m .

F orthe sake f argument l t us presume that we are o e

painting a pictu e representing three ladies in b lack velvetr

One in the foreground another in the middle distance and a

.

, ,

third in the far distance If we painted the black velvet .

dress in the far distance as richly as strongly as definitely , ,

as the black velvet dress in the foreground we sho ld paint , u

an untruth .

Things in the extreme distance must not be as strongly

depicted as those in the foreground middle distance as I or ,

demonstrated when stating the first rule f perspective o .

If we draw paint a picture fa street with it diminishing

or o s

houses railings lights pavements drawn correctly in per

b
, , , ,

sp t
ec i ut
ve,ignore the air that intervenes and blots details
from view then we shall draw something that is not true
,

to Nature .

The policeman his beat at the end of the street is merely on

a dark uniformed figu e as he approaches we note that he r

wears a high helmet ; nearer still we his silver badges , se e

and buttons and shiny boots as he passes under our indow w

1 88
 L ight a nd S h a de
we distinguish the tint of his complexion and the shape f o

his featur s e

B ut it would be untrue to Nature if we painted or drew

.

details in his face when he first appears His face is a blur

—b ecause f the space that intervenes
.

o .

Things in the distance cannot be as strongly drawn as

those in the middle distance F b tween the artist and . or e

the distant object floats a veil of atmosphere

S ome young artists will argue that they have seen pictures
.

drawn with firm lines and details even to the very horizon
This is perfectly true B ut we must b ear in mind that we
.

are discussing the subject from the point f view f pure o o

light and shade It is quite correct to say that details can

b e drawn with firm outlines and the effect f space more
.

o or

less ignored That represents a certain style f drawing or o

painting a conventional kind f art B ut if we are honestly

.

, o .
,

trying to draw light and shade if we are drawing varied tones , ,

painting not merely flat washes f colour but gradated tints o ,

to represent the light and shade of colo r then we cannot u ,

ignore the truth And it is by these observations and the

.
,

recording f these observations that

o work becomes ,
our

artistic otherwise
or

S uch facts like all simple laws f Nature we cannot avoid

.

, o ,

even if we would The newspap r with its photographs f

. e o

ordinary events confirms them daily Look for instance at .

, ,

a photograph representing crowds gathered together in the

open In the foreground are large strong masses f light o

and shade broken up into details—clothes hands faces and

.

, , , ,

featu es in the background are misty effects either f trees

r , o

or other details f a landscape ; in the middle distance are

o

groups f people some sitting and some walking their

o , ,

clothes f dark uniform tint their faces misty blurs thei

o or , , r

featu es indistinguishable
r .

The clearer is the atmosphere the more distinct is the dis ,

tance The more brilliant is the

. the richer and deeper su n,

are the shadows The rich shadows f a tropical scene ill

. o w

be richer in the foregro nd than in the di tance It is purely

u s .

1 89
 D ra w ih gfo r Beginners
a matter of degree From simple objects grouped n a . o

table to complicated scenes in a landscape all will present

peculiar and fascinating prob lems f light and
,

their ow n o

shade .

No doubt y ill wish to try other methods of drawing

ou w

light and shade than drawing n tinted paper with chalk s o

o f black and white .

There is the much vaunted method frubbing on powdered o

chalk with a stump of twisted paper kid in varying tints or

upon a white paper With this method we can o btain very

.

subtle gradations by erasing with rubber bread and by or

stippling in with the stump Provided that we attack the .

study with igour sketching it in the first place with char

v

coal and rub b ing on the chalk speedily and not spending
,

, ,

too much time smoothing the surfaces it may help us ,

to learn a good deal about light and shade Nevertheless .

there is a very great danger f expending t much time o oo

over the surface at the expense f the structure It is quite o

possible to stipple in a head an arm ith such b eautiful

.

or w

shades f light and tint that the essential shape f the nose
o o

head and arm is forgotten In other words the drawing

, .
,

is lost .

Have you not seen old fashioned stipple drawings f

"
- -
o

bygone days lacking in definite shape that the gentle

so

men and ladies are dropping into a sugary boneless state ,

And that constitutes great danger of drawing with the

o ne

stump
There is another method B y covering a sheet of Michelet
.

or other grained paper with charcoal lines lightly rubbed to

a fairly even tint wiping t the lights with rubber bread
, ou or ,

and drawing the shapes with charcoal one can achieve a ,

very a tistic study f light and shade

r o .

Another method strongly advocated by very famous o ne

art teacher is drawing with pen and ink n a smooth white o

surface It is certainly a very direct method Pen and

. .

ink however i not for beginners a very good method

, , s

o f drawing light and shade In the first place it is an .

,

1 90
F ig
. 1 07 . S TU M P -
D R AW I N G or OL D M AN ’
S H EAD 1 90
 L ight
and S hade
extremely di ficult medium b ecause it requires a considerable
f
amount of experience to alter and correct a false bit of tone

F i g 1 08
. . L IH
G T AND SH AD E D R A W N IHP
W T EN A ND I NK

satisfactorily b ut above all broad smooth masses f light

, , , o

and shad unl ss done by an experienced hand have a very

e, e ,

mechanical effect .

Light and shade can be studied with the brush by mixing

sep ia and fl k e white ivory black and white
a , charcoal , or

1 91
 D rawingfor Beginners
grey and white This method is more akin to pen and ink
.

inasmuch as it requires a practised hand to apply clear f l

re s

washes f colour o .

F the beginner a dry method is certainly the wisest

or

and he will gain valuable experience by constant p i

ex er m e m

with it .

1 92
 C H AP TE R x vr

Correcting o a r Drawings
OW
many times do we cast ” pencil down and
exclaim O h for a little help ,
Or we take up
drawing and despairingly rend it in half
o ur
our

" .

If we have landed in a hopeless morass of difli lt i we cu es,

had far better tear up drawing or fling it aside—and o ur

b egin again To begin again however n the same object

.
, , o ,

round which clings the flavour f defeat is dishearten o ,

ing Personally I prefer to start n quite another subject o

O n the other hand if you are pluckily determined to dis

. .

cover your mistakes you should put your pride in your

pocket and seek t your nearest available friend whoou , ,

though ignorant of drawing may detect the something that ,

is rong He h will probably laugh (how easy it is to

w or s e

laugh at the mistak es f other people

.

but try to find the o

reason f that laughor .

Why laugh
Oh I don t know why but it is screamingly funny
,
’
, so .

Where does the scream come in

I don t know ” ’

y
.

Y must know Is it the face

ou the e es .the hand , or , or

I am sure the hand is quite good ”

.

N no but h —another explosion f merriment

-
, ,
o o

oh dear did y ever see such a leg in all yo r life

, ou u

And in all probability you have taken more care with the
drawing f that leg than with the rest f the drawing put
o o

together .

Now that your attention has been drawn to the leg look at ,

it carefully ; something may strike y as peculiar It may ou

you possi bly concede—look a trifle out but here is it

.

’
,
w

1 93
 D ra wing for Beginners
wrong Y may pou ce on the doubtful drawing but how
ou n ,

will you correct it Z Y might even make matters worse ‘

ou .

Hold up your drawing before a mirror The pict re will . u

be reversed and seeing the unfortunate detail from an entirely

different p oint f view sometimes—if t alway s—fli g the
,

o no n s
mistake in your face
S hould y find it to be so in this instance try again
.

ou , .

Put down your drawing and erase it gently Never use the
rubb er viciously revengefully as you may be tempted to
.

or ,

do for y must always treat the su face f your paper

, ou r o

with respect
S upposing however that you are still unconvinced ; that
.

, ,

you believe your drawing to be right and your critic wrong .

Try another test

Hold up your drawing to a strong light— fa lamp at a
.

o or

window—and look at the back f it when your dra ing will

,

o , w

be seen reversed Can you n perceive anything wrong. ow

H who cannot draw sometimes f n i

e- things -
wrong a c es are
—that I will admit ; and h who cannot d aw can be just as
-

-
e- -
r

obstinate in his opinions as the artist

S hould you honestly feel that your dra ing is a correct
.

interpretation stick to you opinion B ut try to keep an

, r .

Open mind and never despise advice because it is humble

S ome f the greatest people have sought the ad ice of
.
,

o v

simple folk Wasn t it Moliere who read his play s to hi

.
’
s

cook
Try to get an expert s opinion An expert does not ’
.

necessarily mean an expert artist—that we cannot often h p O e

to fi nd—but n who i expert in the particular subject that

o e s

i engaging
s pencil o ur .

For instance if I made a study of a cow or sheep I should

, ,

preferably take that drawing to a butcher a farmer for a or

criticism The criticism might b shattering but there is

. e ,

this to be said for it The man who is familiar and more . or

less an expert with such animals will instinctively pounce on

gl i
ar g mistakes
"~
.

A doctor has a sound working knowledge of the human

1 94
 Correcting o a r
D rawings
frame and I shall never forget the laugh of a doctor when
,

his eyes lit on my first attempt at drawing the figure with

the surface muscles exposed I learned a lot from that laugh .
,

or rather from the remarks with which he tried to excuse

his merriment
A b uilder might let fall a few helpful remarks concerning
.

the drawing f the steeple of a church Rather a steep

o .

steeple said
”
,
when looking at a sketch f the village
o ne o

street made by a young friend of mine .

And the carpenter might possibly remark that there was

something very peculiar with regard to the chair n which o

the lady (of your drawing ) is sitting

When drawing a vase a tab le the glass round which a
.

on ,

model has clasped his fingers the tankard on the sideboard , ,

the porch under which mine host is welcoming or dismissing

the guest tu n the paper upside down and regard it from an
,
r

upside down point of view Thi s is a most useful way of .

correcting things with two sides alike and probably you will ,

notice that the vase bulges rather lower n side than o o ne

the other that the glass veers to

,
side and its stem i o ne s

not quite straight that the handles of the tankard do t no

b alance that the posts of the porch are leaning acutely in
,

two different directions .

Another method f correction If you have drawn a vase

o .

and feel that it balances badly draw a line down its centre ,

and measure from the central line to the outside edges then ,

note whether the measurements ag ee r

B ear in mind however that these are corrective devices

.

, , .

Never begin drawing with mechanical aids f the kind o .

Always draw freely Make your correction afterward If

. .

you are not very severe with you self n this point you will r o ,

find yourself depending n these measuring systems And o

overmuch measuring maketh an artist brainless

.

Another excellent corrective is to hold the drawing at

arm s length
’
better still place it near the model ( n a
, o r, , o

chair n the floor ) then resume the position from

or o , hi h fiv c

you are mak ing you study r .

1 95
 D rawingfor Beginners
Glance quickly from your drawing to the model The .

strong and often cruel contrast f drawing

,
Nature , o versus

does the trick and emphasizes faults f light and shade

,
’
o ,

construction (or framework ) balance and proportions , , .

In the drawing f the human form divine there are o

many things t o deceive the eye and make the task diffic l t u

Clothes are the greatest offenders—skirts wide trousers full

.

, ,

sl eves thick leggings large bonn ets baggy tunics cloaks

e , , , , ,

robes hats wigs—anything in short which is bulky is de

, , , ,

c e 1 v 1 ng .

How often do we see the lady s feet emerging from her ’

pretty floating skirt in a position which is a physical i m

possibility
The Tudor and the E arly Victorian costumes are great
temptations to the novice who greedily seizes upon the ,

picturesque ample robes and skirts to hide the difficult

dra ing
w .

They may save a little trouble in the small matter f o

drawing arms and legs and even feet but beware lest they , ,

plunge y into worse diffi culties

ou

A young artist f my acquaintance loathed the drawing of o

hands S he used the most ingenious devices to hide the

.

hands from view Winds blew aprons flew cloaks floated .

, ,

and concealed but if the hands had of necessity to appear

,

then h was utterly lost and found that h had no know

s e s e

ledge wherewith to inform her drawings D utch men

,

women and children—what favourites they are And there

.
,

again do we find the l re of the dress in the wide trousers f u o

Jan and the big sabots f Jan s pretty sister The wider
,
o
’
.

the trousers the fuller the skirts the less shall we f the see o

difficult legs says the young artist B ut no matter how

, ,

.
,

thick and frilly are the petticoats and h wide are the ow

trousers those difli lt legs are not to be ignored They

,
cu .

must be traced lightly beneath the garments .

We cannot disguise the fact that if we are drawing human

beings two legs two arms and a head and body of reason
ab le proportions are essential for each
, , ,

1 96
 Correcting o nr
Drawings
S hould y have an uncomfortable feeli g that there is
ou n
something not quite correct in your drawing that the f t do ,
ee

not come in the right position that the hand protrudes from ,

the frilled istband at an angle not quite in harmony with

wr

the el b ow take your picture to the window lay it against a

, ,

pane of glass and trace the head hands fee and all parts
, , ,
t
,

revealed the back f the paper Then return with your

on o .

drawing to the table and (still with the ba k f it uppermost ) c o

connect your tracings by sketching in the rest f a human o

body .

E re y have finished your sketch y will possibly pp

ou ou a re

ciate that you have made the limbs play queer trick s ; it is
highly probable that y will have made the farther limbs ou

longer than the nearer ones We have sometimes noticed in .

sketches f persons sitting with legs crossed that the limbs

o

are inextricably mixed

S hould the paper n which y are drawing be ftoo thick
o ou o

a sub stance f this test take a piece f tracing paper a

or , o , or

smooth piece f ordinary tissue paper and this trace you

o , on r

drawing Then remove the original drawing and laying the

.
, ,

tracing paper a white surface link up the head feet and

o n , , ,

hands as suggested above .

In all these methods f checking ourselves it is the fresho ,

i
ew f our drawing that reveals its weaknesses
o .

When painting if y feel that your colours are not what

, ou

they should be that your tones are dark , too uneven , or ,

that your highest light is not in tune with your middle ‘

light—take a piece f smoked glass and look through this at

o

the reflection f your painting G one are the pretty colours

o .
,

the subtle tints Your painting will be merely a prosaic

black and white affair and with everything reduced to black
.

and white to high tones and l tones (light and shade ) in ow

all pro b ab ility the wrong tone will shriek at you

, ,

B ut if after all these various methods you still can

.

, ,
se e

nothing wrong though a horrid feeling prevails that all

,

cannot be right if neither advice nor the devices described

,

give a clue—then lock up your drawing put it away for a

, ,

1 97
 D rawingfor Beginners
few days or a few months until y have entirely forgotten
, , ou

the circumstances in which it was draw When y again

n . ou

examine it the chances are that you will see at once what is
wrong
"
.

Either” y will say How could I miss seeing that mis

ou ,

take or (and believe me the chances f this ”are very o

remote ) Why there is nothing wrong—after all

, ,

.
,

1 98
 C H A P TE R X V II
Materia/s
LARGE stock i trade is a mistake If you provide
-
n- .

yourself with a lavish quantity f materials you are o

pro b ably handicapping n t helping your studies

,

Far b etter use a few tools a few materials than fly from

, , .

, ,

o ne paper to another paper from pigment to another , o ne

pigment from chalk to charcoal and charcoal to pastel

, , .

To begin with buying many expensive materials has the

,

great disadvantage that it is likely to check your most

valuable instinct for experiment .

If you stop to consider whether you are wasting good

material and the question arises Have you anything to
, ,

show for the expensive paper and paints the probabilities

are that y will decide to finish a poor piece f work instead
ou o

o f flinging it aside in favour of a fresh start .

A few materials well chosen a few tools well handled are

worth a whole shop full used irresponsibly
, ,

B uy a paper that will serve several purposes Cartridge

.

paper will take pencil chalk water colou It is a , , or -

r .

us ful all round paper Therefore I would advise a cart

e -

ridge paper sketch b ook D o not b egin at the wrong end of

.
,

- -
.

this ,
on the wrong side of your paper Lay the tip f
or . o

your finger upon the surface ; y will soon detect that the ou

right side has a smooth and satiny surface Michelet paper .

is suitable only f charcoal and crayon and thick hand made

or ,
-

water colour paper is rather unnecessarily expensive for the

-

early stages .

If yo r mind is definitely settled brushwork invest in a

u on

mediu Whatman O W paper in sketch book block

m or . .
,
-
or

form The block should t be smaller than 5% by 7 inches

.
no .

1 99
 D rawingfor Beginners
Nothing cramps the style more effectually than block book or

o f a minute size
B uy pencils f a medium quality—H B B BB BBB
.

’
o , , or . s

are useful f soft and sympathetic studies for rich shadows

or ,

and textures
Rubber f soft crumbly substance is preferable to hard
.

o or

gummy rubbers ink eraser should never be used it destroys -

,

the surface fthe paper o .

A sketch book a pencil a piece f paper and a knife

-
, , o ,

these are all that are required f a start or .

If you wish to draw a larger scale you must buy paper on ,

by the sheet which necessitates a drawing board drawing

,
-
,

pins and an easel E asels are stocked in every quality

,
.
,

size shape and description and listed in all the l

, , , c o o urm e n s
’

catalogues .

For water colour painting y require a small colour b

-
ou -
ox

(japanned boxes are lighter and more useful for sketching

purposes than wooden boxes ) a moderate range f colo rs , o u ,

and a couple fgood camel hair sable brushes o -

or

G ood brushes are essential Y can trim your pencil

.

. ou ,

your chalk your charcoal to suit your various needs but

, ,

y ou must abide by the brush A brush that spreads and .

splits that moults its hair over the paper will be f little
, or , o

use A large full brush and a small brush will suffi ce f every or

purpose O r if preferred one full brush of a medium size

.

.
, ,

( number five six ) with a fine point will do

orthe work f two o .

When choosing a brush dip it in a pan f water and roll o

the point on the hand on a piece fpaper to make certain , or o ,

that it has a good point .

The ld fashioned hard cakes f paint had many excellent

o -
o

qualities ; the colours were lasting and good but the rub ,

bing process was certainly tedious and they are seldom seen ,

nowadays The half pans f moist paint have taken their

.
-
o

place ; they are not wasteful provided they are used with
ordinary care O n the other hand tubes f paint—bearing
,

. , o

in mind that we invariably squeeze t more colour than is ou

necessary—are most decidedly extravagant , , .

2 00
 Materials
We can trust any reputable colourman to fit a box with
paints and we strongly advise buying the best paints and
,

leaving those of a cheaper grade alone It is by far the best .

economy The small b nt i eight to fourteen half pans o x e sc o a n -

Group your colours together carefully Nothing hampers

. .

a young artist more effectually than sprinkling paints hap

h dly in a paint —
az ar box When cobalt jostles vermilion and
lemon yellow flanks ivory black your paint box is un business
.

like Group together blues reds and yellows brown s and

.
, ,

black .

A box to hold twelve p ns should contain the following a

colours
Ch y llo ro m e V r ilion e w e m

Y llo ch e Vandyke b o n
w o re r w

R si nna aw I vo y bl c k
e r a

B n t i nna ur Pr ssi n blue

s e u a

Light d Ul t a arin
re r m e

Cri son aliza in m C o b alt r

For a b f fourteen colours the following is a good

ox o

selection
L on y llo em e w

Ch N 1 ro m e o

Y llo och
.

e w re

V ili n e rm o

C ri son aliz in m ar

C o bal t
F nch bl or Fr nch ultra arine
re ue e m

P s s ian bl ru ue

A t b of C hin s hi t e u e e e w

F ora beginner a small range is better than a large number

o f colours A multiplicity f tints is apt to bewilder the o

mind B y experimenting with a few paints we can obtain

.

a surprisingly wide range f tints We must learn t the o . oo

good as well as the bad qualities how one tint will permeate
others h the liquid brilliance f n will neutralize the
, ow o o e

dull opaque quality of another .

2 01
 D rawingfor Beginners
N and again indulge yourself in a new paint
ow .

Moist a reolin cyanine blue orange madder are all a little

u , , ,

dangerous— little expensive and delicious to handle

a

B efore leaving the subject of water colour paints I might

.

mention the water colours in tubes known -

slow drying as -
.
’

These are recommended for hot climates

O ne stipulation more
.

Whether you have a lavishly stocked b whether you ox , or

content yourself with a modest range of colours you must ,

always treat your box respectfully .

Keep the paints clean and dry the palette clean , .

It is a good rule to start a fresh painting with a fresh

mixing of colours
B efore putting your box away see that no paints are b
.

su

merged under water Colours soon deteriorate and it is.

,

astonishing how quickly mould will accumulate n certain o

tints A tiny piece f sponge is useful and pieces of soft

. o ,

rag freed from fluff are almost a necessity for cleaning

, ,

purposes .

Chalks or pastels are often used as an introduction to

colour work and an excellent beginning they are They are
-
, .

not messy as paints They train the eye quickly We

so . .

must abide by the chalk pastel ; it is difficult to correct or or

erase .

Chalks are the cheapest f all colour mediums and a box o ,

of twelve pastels costs a very small su m .

The large boxes containing a range of beautiful tints are

necessary f more advanced work or .

Pastels require pastel paper but this is not expensive and ,

it is easily procurable As a substitute for pastel paper . u se

brown paper the ordinary packing paper with a not too

,

smooth or shiny surface This will serve excellently for

chalk both black and white
.

.
,

White (unsized ) sugar bags are useful for water colour - -

painting The inside of a thick white envelope provides a

.

choice paper for pencil black chalk or

Michelet paper or i itation S teinbach is useful for char

.

, m ,

2 02
 Materials
coal studies A grained paper is more satisfactory than n
. o e

with a smooth surface for the latter tends to exaggerate the

,

brown instead of the rich black shades f charcoal Vine o .

charcoal is sold in small cheap boxes and the Venetian char

coal i larger quantities
n
Plain wooden easels last a lifetime O n the other hand
.

the hinged easels— f which there is an enormous variety

.
,

made to pack in a small valise to carry in the hand are or ,

equally serviceable f indoor and t —f—door study

or ou o .

If an easel is not at hand a chair can be used as a substitute

S it n chair and place another chair with its back
.

on o e

toward your knees Put your feet n the back rail f the
. o o

second chair and the drawing board will then rest on your -

knees and (at an angle ) against the back f the chair The o .

seat fthe second chair can be utilized for your various tools
o .

For charcoal studies a bottle of fixative and a sprayer are

almost a necessity Charcoal rubs with the slightest impact
S cent Sprayers can be used in place f the ordinary metal or
. .

-
o

glass Sprayers sold for the p rpose by the artists colourman

u
’

Once more I advise the young student to dispense with all

.

unnecessary paraphernalia and buy only necessities

Ponder well what the S cottish mechanic said when his eye
.

fell on Turner s painting of M d n I t ly

’
o er a

Eh mon just what white

, , leed
se e and common paint
can dae in the hand genius ”
0
’
.

2 03
 I ND EX
NI A S
A M L , ra w i ng, 98 1 05 d -
H AN D S , dra w m g, —
4 4 51 pro po r
kl
An e -b o ne , po i io n o f, 55 s st t io n s O f, 83
t
A m o e ric e e csph
, 1 07 , 1 09,
1 56 , ff t s H ea ds d ra w ing, 60 62 —
p sp tiv
,

1 88 H o riz o n, in er ec e, 1 20

B B A Y pro po r io n o f a , 6 1 t s I N D I A R UBBE R , c h o ic e O f, 2 00

B ir rds d
a w i ng,
,

9 2 —96
, 79
In t e rio r s Of h ou e ss , s
in pe r pe c iv e , t
,

ts d
B o a , ra w i ng, 1 57—1 58
1 37

h
B o n eu r, R o a , 1 01 s EM W EL C H
B ru -
sh d
ra w ing, 1 7 — 1 8
K P- , L U C Y , 1 01

B ru sh s
e , c o ic e o f, 2 00 h L AN D SC AE P th l sk t h sum b na i e c e
p t
,

C A R TR I D GE P P R , 1 4 , 1 99 AE O f,

ht
1 55 a in

s h d st d s
ing, 1 56

C a h lks l d
, c o o u re , 202
L ig a nd a e, u ie in , 1 8 2

h lk d
C a - ra w ing, 1 4 — 1 7
1 92

h ld
C a rc o a ra w in , 1 8 —
g 1 9, 1 90
-

M a do nna
st
C o m po i io n, 1 7 1 — 1 81
p p t s
della S edia , 1 8 0
o r io n O f, 8 0 —
tt s sk t h
C o a ge , — M s
e c i ng, 1 44 1 4 5
h t 1 5—
Ma n ro ,

e a u re , ow
82
o, 1 1 1 6
Mi h l t p p 1 9 1 90 2 02
A S d 73—
c e e a er,
E i g th
R

ls — , 75 f M th
ra w n s 7 —73 e, ; o ou 1
, ,

i gs A J
,

i 9 1 0
an m a M 9 1 01 4 u nn n
s ls h
, .
,

E a e i f 200 2 03 c o ce O

E p ssi i p t
, ,

S t st d h
,

x re f 1 65 NE
o n, m o r a nc e o , CK c o n ra e u m a n, —
6 2 63 ;
bi ds 95
,

66
6 5—
1 ’

Ey s h f bi d s
r

N s s h ls
,

e 69 u m a n, 6 9— ; o r
— 71 a nim a
u m a n,
’
, , o e , ,
92 93 98 —99, 1 04

F I GU R
—
d ES , ra w —
ing, 37 4 3 ; b a l a nc e O U TL IN E DR AW IN G, 1 82
O f, 39 4 0
Foo t d ra w ing t he, 52 59— Of P AIN S T t l h o ic e
b ir ds
,

94
—
200—202
, w a e r- c o o u r, c o f,

d d
s
,

F ro g, ra w i ng a , 97 98 P a pe r ing, 1 4 , 1 6 , 1 7
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