ilAi 2 k 2 9 PEN DRAWING AN II.LUSTRATB2D TBEATISl BY OH ABIiES l>*.MAGi;l'M^ ^W^i •aMMKwvMnpMiipi i l l ' W i w m l » iii!ii j i|i Ill jiii i THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES From the Estate of Urie McCleary PEN DRAWING An Illustrated Treatise PEN DRAWING AN ILLUSTRATED TREATISE BY CHARLES D. MAGINNIS FORMERLY INSTRUCTOR IN ILLUSTRATION, COWLES ART SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR IN PEN DRAWING, BOSTON ARCHITECTURAL CLUB I 899 BATES & GUILD COMPANY BOSTON Copyright BY Bates ers Bristol-board is probably the most popular of all surfaces for pen drawing. It is certainly that most approved bv the process engraver, whose point of view in such a matter, though a purely mechanical one, is worthy of consid- eration. It has a perfectlv smooth surface, somewhat difficult to erase from with rubber, and which had better be scratched with a knife when any considerable erasure is necessarv. As the cheap boards are merelv a padding veneered on either side with a thin coating of smooth paper, little scraping is required to develop a fuzzy surface upon which it is impos- sible to work. Only the best board, such as Reynolds', therefore, should be used. Bristol- board can be procured in sheets of various thicknesses as well as in blocks. M A 1^ E R I A L S 17 Whatman's " hot-pressed " paper affords another excellent surface and possesses some advantages over the Bristol-board. It comes in sheets ot various sizes, which may be either tacked down on a board or else " stretched." Tacking will be satisfactory enough i[ the draw- ing is small and is to be completed in a few hours; otherwise the paper is sure to "hump up," especially it the weather be damp. The process ot stretching is as follows: Fold up the edges of the sheet all around, forming a margin about an inch wide. After moistening the pa- per thoroughly with a damp spong;e, cover the under side of this turned-up margin with photo- graphic paste or strong mucilage. During this operation the sheet will hav'e softened and "humped up," and will admit of stretching. Now turn down the adhesive margin and press it firmly with the fingers, stretching the paper gently at the same time. As this essential part of the process must be performed quickly, an assistant is requisite when the sheet is large. Care should be taken that the paper is not strained too much, as it is then likely to burst when it again contracts. Although generally employed for water- color drawing, Whatman's "cold-pressed" pa- per has some advantages as a pen surface. Slightly roughish in texture, it o;ives an inter- esting broken line, which is at times desirable. A peculiar paper which has considerable i8 PEN DRAWING vogue, especially in France and England, is what is known as "clay-board." Its surface is composed of China clay, grained in various ways, the top of the grain being marked with fine black lines which give a gray tone to the paper, darker or lighter according to the char- acter of the pattern. This tone provides the middle-tint for the drawing. Bv lightlv scrap- ing with a sharp penknife or scratcher, before or after the pen work is done, a more delicate gray tone may be obtained, while vigorous scraping will produce an absolute white. With the pen work added, it will be seen that a good many values are possible; and, if the drawing be not reduced more than one-third, it will print excellently. The grain, running as it does in straight lines, offers a good deal of ob- struction to the pen, however, so that a really good line is impossible. Thin letter-paper is sometimes recommend- ed for pen and ink work, chiefly on account of its transparency, which obviates the necessity of re-drawing after a preliminary sketch has been worked up in pencil. Over the pencil study a sheet of the letter-paper is placed on which the final drawing mav be made with much deliberation. Bond paper, however, possesses the similar advantage of transparency besides affording a better texture tor the pen. CHAPTER III TECHNIQUE The first requirement ot a good pen tech- nique is a Q-Qod Individual Line, a line of , P reeling and quality. It is usually a surprise Dr. to the beginner to be made aware that the in- dividual line is a thing of consequence, — a surprise due, without doubt, to the apparently careless methods of some successful illustra- tors. It is to be borne in mind, however, that some illustrators are successful in spite ot their technique rather than because of it; and also that the apparently free and easy manner of some admirable technicians is in reality very much studied, very deliberate, and not at all to be confounded with the unsophisticated scribbling of the beginner. The student is apt to find it just about as easy to draw like Mr. Pennell as to write like Mr. Kipling. The best way to acquire such a superb freedom is to be very, very careful and painstaking. To appreciate how beauti- ful the individual line may be one has but to observe the rich, decorative stroke of Howard Pyle, P^ig. 66, or that of Mucha, Fig. 6^, the tender outline of Boutet de Monvel, the tell- 20 PEN DRAWING /^'''ip?^Ff^^^m/^^sf C. D. GIBSON ing, masterly sweep of Gibson, or the short, crisp line of Vierge or Rico. Compared with any of these the line of the beginner will be either feeble and tentative, or harsh, wiry, and coarse. Variety The sccond requisite is Variety of Line, — l{r.e not merely variety of size and direction, but, since each line ought to exhibit a feeling for the particular texture which it is contributing to express, variety of character. Mr. Gib- son's manner of placing very delicate gray lines against a series of heavy black strokes exemplifies some of the possibilities of such variety. Observe, in Fig. 6, what a beautiful quality is imparted to the vigorous outlines V- ^^#" '^^"^V* . ' !!'■ FIG. 7 HERBERT RAII.TON 22 PEN DRAWING of the figures by virtue of the foil of delicate gray lines behind them. This particular con- junction, however, was much earlier employed by Mr. Herbert Railton, who has made a beautiful use ot it in his quaint architectural subjects. Mr. Railton's technique is remark- able also for the varied direction of line and its expression of texture. Note this charac- teristic in his drawing of buttresses, Fig. 7. Economy Thc third element of good technique is M°ihod Economy and Directness of Method. A tone should not be built up of a lot of meaning- less strokes. Each line ought, sensibly and directly, to contribute to the ultimate result. The old mechanical process of constructing tones by cross-hatching is now almost obso- lete. It is still employed by modern pen draughtsmen, but it is only one of many re- sources, and is used with nice discrimination. At times a cross-hatch is very desirable and very effective, — as, for example, in affording a subdued background for figures having small, high lights. A very pretty use of it is seen in the tower of Mr. Goodhue's drawing, Fig. 8. Observe here how the intimate treatment of the roofs is enhanced and relieved by the foil of closely-knit hatch on the tower-wall, and how effective is the little area of it at the base of the spire. The cross-hatch also af- fords a satisfactorv method of obtaining deep, quiet shadows. See the archway " B " in Fig. 9. -■ t \ fk;. 8 B. a. C;OODHUE 24 PEN DRAWING ■ >^^^^'^ : ■0 r- m>^ v.',/i,„ ''■■.[illull.,., .'^-^^ r/ljf Z-^-r-^"'=-_ _ FIG. h C. D. M. On the whole, however, the student is ad- vised to accustom himself to a very sparing use of this expedient. Compare the two ef- fects in Fig. 9. Some examples of good and bad cross-hatching are illustrated in Fig. 10. Those marked "I" and "J" may be set down as bad, being too coarse. The only satisfactory cross-hatch at a large scale would seem to be that shown in " N," where lines cross at a sharp angle ; and this variety is effectively employed by figure illustrators. Perhaps no better argument against the ne- cessity for thus building up tones could be adduced than the little drawing by Martin Rico, shown in Fig. 11. Notice what a beautiful texture he gives to the shadow where i 0i :i: ^y'-'/^X"/.'^ ?■:'■*',:'*: LT'",'.t.* i^:^: .%-,V.-.'.-.'."v.--*,l.*w FIG. I 1 MARTIN RICO T E C H N I Q_U E 2 / it falls on the street, how it difFers from that on the walls, how deep and closely knit it all is, and yet that there is absolutely no cross- hatching. Remark, also, how the textures of the walls and roof and skv are obtained. The student would do well to copy such a drawing as this, or a portion of it, at least, on a larger scale, as much can be learned from it. I have shown various methods ot making Methods a tone in Fie. 12. It will be observed that %,/"' Rico's shadow, in Fig. 11, is made up of a combination ot " B " and " C," except that he uses " B " horizontally, and makes the line heavy and draG;ging. The clear, crisp shadows of Vierge are also worthy of studv tor the sim- plicity of method. This is beautifully illus- trated in the detail. Fig. 13. It would be impossible to suggest atmosphere more vi- brating with sunlight; a result due to the transparency of the shadows, the lines of which are sharp and clean, with never a sug- gestion of cross-hatch. Notice how the lines of the architectural shadows are stopped ab- ruptly at times, giving an emphasis which adds to the brilliancy of the effect. The drawing of the builciings on the canal, by Martin Rico, Fig. 14, ought also to be carefully studied in this connection. Observe how the shadow- lines in this drawing, as in that previously mentioned, are made to suggest the direction of the sunlight, which is high in the heavens. if r I ■ fk:. I DANIEL \IKRC;E o < iii'i a..*^j5^«r- ^r^;/ •.•,'.i.|,v,.t. t^'!^f- 32 PEN DRAWING FIG. l6 LESLIE WILLSON An example of all that is refined and excellent in pen technique is the drawing by Mr. Alfred Brennan, Fig. 15. The student would do TECHNIQ_UE 33 well to studv this carefully for its marvellous beauty of line. There is little hatching, and yet the tones are deep and rich. The wall tone will be found to be made up similarly to ''A"and"H"inFig. 12. The tone "B'" in the same Figure is made up of lines which are thin at the ends and big in the middle, fitting into each other irregularlv, and imparting a texture somewhat different from that obtained by the abrupt ending of the strokes ot " /\." This method is also employed by Brennan, and is a very effective one. A good example of the use of this character of line (unknitted, however) is the drawing bv Mr. Leslie Will- son, Fig. 16. The irregular line "C" has good possibilities for texture, and the wav^y character of " D " is most effective in the rendering of shadows, giving a certain vibra- tion to the atmosphere. " E " and " F " sug- gest a freer method of rendering a tone ; while " G " shows a scribbling line that is some- times employed to advantage. The very in- teresting texture of the coat. Fig. 17, is made with a horizontal line having a similar return stroke, as may be noticed where the rendering; ends. There are times when an irresponsible sort of line is positively desirable, — say for rough foreground suggestion or tor freeing the picture at the edges. I have invariably found that what presents the chief difficulty to the student of pen and 34 PEN DRAWING FIG. 1 DRAWING FROM PHOTOGRAPH From Harper^ s Magaxine^ hv permission. Copyright^ t8q2^ hy Harper &" Brothers ink is the management of the Outline. When Outline it is realized that, by mere outline, one may express the texture ot a coat or a tree or a wall without anv rendering whatever, it will be seen that nothing in pen drawing is really of so much importance. Notice, for example, the wonderful drawing of the dog in Fig. 34. Again, it a connected line had been used to define the corners of Railton's buttresses in Fig. 7 all the texture would have been de- TECHNIQ^UE 35 stroyed. Instead of this he has used a broken outline, sometimes omitting it altogether for a considerable space. On the ledges, too, the lines are broken. In Rico's drawing, Fig. 1 1, all the outlines may be observed to have a break here and there. This broken line is par- ticularly effective in out-door subjects, as it helps to suggest sunlit atmosphere as well as texture. Architectural outlines, however, are not particularly subtle; it is when we come to render anything with vague boundaries, such as foliage or clouds for example, that the chief difficulties are encountered. Foliage is an important element of landscape drawing and deserves more than passing consideration. To make a successful rendering of a tree in pen and ink the tree must be first well drawn in pen- cil. It is absolutely impossible to obtain such a charming effect of foliage as that shown in Mr. Pennell's sketch. Fig. 18, without the most painstaking preparation in pencil. The success of this result is not attributable mere- ly to the difference in textures, nor to the di- rection or character of the line; it is first of all a matter of good drawing. The outline should be free and subtle so as to suggest the edges of leafage, and the holes near the edges should be accented, otherwise they will be lost and the tree will look solid and char- acterless. Observe, in the same drawing, how ^*^2 1' ' 'ij' 4, 4v u z a, I a, TECHNIQUE 37 FIG. 19 JOSEPH PENNELL Mr. Pennell sug- gests the structure ot the leafage by the irregular out- lines which he gives to the different se- ries of lines, and which he empha- sizes by bringing the lines to an abrupt stop. Ob- serv^e also how the stronger texture of the tree in Fig. 19 is obtained by mak- ing the lines with greater abruptness. Com- pare both of these Figures with the fore- ground trees by the same artist in Fig. 20. The last is a brilliant example of foliage draw- ing in pen and ink The matter of Textures is very important, Textures and the student should learn to differentiate them as much as possible. This is done, as I have already said, by differences in the size and character of the line, and in the closeness or openness of the rendering. Observe the variety of textures in the drawing of the sculptor by Dantan, Fig. 21. The coat is rendered by such a cross-hatch as "N" in Fie;. 10, made horizontally and with heavy lines. In the trousers the lines do not cross but fit in FIG. 20 JOSEPH PENNELL Frorn Harper's Magiix,itie, by fermhsion. Copyright, /SqJ-, h Harper &r' Brothers TECHNIQUE 39 together. This is an excellent example for studv, as is also the portrait bv Raffaelli, Fig. 22. The tex- tures in the lat- ter drawing are wondertullywell conveyed, — the hard, bony face, the stubby beard, and the woolen cap with its tassel in sil- houette. For the expression of texture with the least effort the drawings of Vierge are in- comparable. The architec- tural drawing by Mr. Gregg in Fig. 50 is well worth careful study in this connection, as are all of Her- Fu;. 2 1 E. DANTAN 40 PEN DRAWING FIG. 22 J. F. RAFFAELLI bert Railton's admirable drawings of old Eng- lish houses. (I recommend the study of Mr. Railton's work with a good deal of reser- vation, however. While it is admirable in respect ot textures and fascinating in its col- or, the values are likely to be most unreal, rECHNIQ_UE 41 and the mannerisms are so pronounced and so tiresome that I regard it as much inferior to that of Mr. Pennell, whose architecture al- ways appears, at least, to have been honestly drawn on the spot.) The hats in Fig. 10 are merely suggestions to the student in the study of elementary combinations of line in expressing textures. As the mechanical processes of Reproduc- Draiving tion have much to do with determining pen „ -'"j ■ & r _ Reproduction methods they become important factors for consideration. While their waywardness and inflexibility are the cause of no little distress to the illustrator, the limitations of processes cannot be said, on the whole, to make for in- ferior standards in drawing, as will be seen by the following rules which they impose, and for which a strict regard will be found most advis- able. First: Make each line clear and distinct. Do not patch up a weak line or leave one which has been broken or blurred by rubbing, for how- ever harmless or even interesting it may seem in your original it will almost certainh- be neither in the reproduction. When you make mistakes, erase the offensive part completely, or, if you are working on Bristol-board and the area of unsatisfactoriness be considerable, piste a fresh piece of paper over it and re- draw. Second : Keep \'our work open. Aim for 42 PEN DRAWING economy of line. If a shadow can be rendered with twenty strokes do not crowd in torty, as you will endanger its transparency. Remem- ber that in reproduction the lines tend to thicken and so to crowd out the light between them. This is so distressingly true ot news- paper reproduction that in drawings for this purpose the lines have to be generally very thin, sharp, and well apart. The above rule should be particularly regarded in all cases where the drawing is to be subject to much reduction. The degree of reduction of which pen drawings are susceptible is not, as is com- monly supposed, subject to rule. It all de- pends on the scale of the technique. Third : Have the values few and positive. It is necessary to keep the gray tones pretty distinct to prevent the relation of values being injured, for while the gray tones darken in proportion to the degree of reduction, the blacks cannot, of course, grow blacker. A gray tone which may be light and delicate in the original, will, especially if it be closely knit, darken and thicken in the printing. These rules are most strictly to be observed when drawing for the cheaper classes of publications. For book and magazine work, however, where the plates are touched up by the engraver, and the values in a measure restored, the third rule is not so arbitrary. Nevertheless, the begin- ner who has ambitions in this direction will TECHNIQUE 43 do well not to put difficulties in his own way by submitting work not directly printable. There are a number of more or less fanciful J""^. , . Fanciful expedients employed in modern pen work. Expedients which may be noted here, and which are illus- trated in Fig. lo. The student is advised, however, to resort to them as little as possi- ble, not only because he is liable to make in- judicious use of them, but because it is wiser for him to cultivate the less meretricious pos- sibilities of the instrument. " Spatter work " is a means of obtaining a delicate printable tone, consisting ot innumer- able little dots of ink spattered on the paper. The process is as follows : Carefully cover with a sheet of paper all the drawing except the portion which is to be spattered, then take a tooth-brush, moisten the ends of the bristles consistently with ink, hold the brush, back downwards, in the left hand, and with a wooden match or tooth-pick rub the bristles toward you so that the ink will spray over the paper. Particular care must be taken that the brush is not so loaded with ink that it will spatter in blots. It is well, therefore, to try it first on a rough sheet of paper, to remove any su- perfluous ink. If the spattering is well done, it gives a very delicate tone of interesting texture, but if not cleverly employed, and es- pecially if there be a large area ot it, it is very likely to look out of character with- the line portions of the drawing. 44 P E N D R A W I N G A method sometimes employed to give a soft black effect is to moisten the lobe of the thumb lightlv with ink and press it upon the paper. The series ot lines ot the skin make an impression that can be reproduced by the ordinary line processes. As in the case of spatter work, superfluous ink must be looked after before making the impression so as to avoid leaving hard edges. Thumb markings lend themselves to the rendering of dark smoke, and the like, where the edges require to be soft and vague, and the free direction of the lines impart a feeling ot movement. Interesting effects of texture are sometimes introduced into pen cirawings by obtaining the impression oi a canvas grain. To produce this, it is necessary that the drawing be made on fairly thin paper. The modus operandi is as follows : Place the drawing over a piece of mounted canyas ot the desired coarseness of grain, and, holding it firmly, rub a lithographic crayon visorouslv over the surface ot the paper. The grain of the canvas will be found to be clearly reproduced, and, as the crayon is absolutely black, the effect is capable of repro- duction by the ordinary photographic proc- esses. CHAPTER IV \^\ L U E S After the subject has been mapped out In pen- cil, and betore beginning the pen work, we The have to consider and determine the proper dis- ^i"''' position oi- the Color. By "color" is meant, in this connection, the gamut of values from black to white, as indicated in Fig. 23. The success or tailure of the drawing will largely depend upon the disposition of these elements, the qualitv of the tech- nique being a matter of secondary concern. Beautv oi line and texture will not redeem a drawing- in which the values are badlv disposed, for upon them we depend for the effect of unity, or the pictorial qualitv. If the values are scattered or patchy the drawing will not focus to any central point of interest, and there will be no unity in the result. FIG.23 c.i.M. There are certain general laws by which color mav be pleasingly disposed, but it must be borne in mind that it ought to be disposed naturally as well. By a "natural" scheme of color, I mean one which is consis- 46 PEN DRAWING FIG. D. A. GREGG Principality in the Color-Scheme tent with a natural effect of light and shade. Now the gradation from black to white, for example, is a pleasing scheme, as may be observed in Fig. 24, yet the effect is unnatu- ral, since the sky is black. In a purely decorative il- lustration like this, how- ever, such logic need not be considered. Since, as I said before, color is the factor which makes for the unity of the result, the first principle to be regarded in its arrangement is that of Principality, — there must be some dominant note in the rendering. There should not, for instance, be two principal dark spots of equal value in the same drawing, nor two equally prominent areas o\ white. The Vierge drawing. Fig. 25, and that by Mr. Pennell, Fig. 5, are no exceptions to this rule ; the black fig- ure of the old man counting as one note in the former, as do the dark arches of the bridge in the latter. The work ot hoth. these artists is eminently worthy of study for the knowing manner in which they dispose their values. I'ariety The next thing to be sought is Variety. Too obvious or positive a scheme, while pos- sibly not unsuitable for a conventional deco- rative drawing, may not be well adapted to a VALUES 47 '^:.: Vi^. V ^^^ -\>. 'L- ^ ^^^r- o v ■V. < • '> '7 / fk;. OANIEI, VIERCJE perspective subject. The large color areas should be echoed by smaller ones throughout the picture. Take, tor example, the Vierge drawinij; shown in l^ig. 26. Observe how the mass o? shadow is relieved by the two light holes seen through the inn door. Without 48 PEN DRAWING FIG. 26 DANIEL VIERCE this repetition of the white the drawing would lose much of its character. In Rico's drawing, Fig. II, a tinv white spot in the shadow cast over the street would, I venture to think, be helpful, beautifully clear as it is; and the black area at the end of the wall seems a defect as it competes in value with the dark figure. VALUES 49 Lastly, Breadth of Effect has to be consid- ered. It is requisite that, however numerous Bread,h the tones are (and they should not be too nu- ^J^.^ merous), the general effect should be simple and homogeneous. The color must count to- gether broadlv, and not be cut up into patches. It is important to remember that the gamut from black to white is a short one for the pen. One need only try to faithfully render the high lights of an ordinary table glass set against a gray background, to be assured of its limi- tations m this re- spect. To represent even approximate- ly the subtle values would require so much ink that nothing short of a positiveU- black background would suffice to give a semblance of the delicate transparent effect of the glass as a whole. The gray background would, therefore, be lost, and if a really black object were also part of the picture it could not be rep- V\r, HARRV FENN 50 PEN DRAWING resented at all. Observe, in Fig. 27, how just such a problem has been worked out by Mr. Harrv Fenn. It will be manifest that the student must learn to think ot things in their broad rela- tion. To be specific, — in the example just considered, in order to introduce a black ob- ject the scheme ot color would have needed broadening so that the grav background could be given its proper value, thus demanding that the elaborate values ot the glass be ig- nored, and just enough suggested to give the general effect. This reasoning would equallv apply were the light object, instead of a glass, something of intricate design, presenting posi- tive shadows. Just so much ot such a design should be rendered as not to darken the ob- ject below its proper relative value as a whole. In this faculty of suggesting things without literally rendering them consists the subtlety of pen drawing. It may be said, therefore, that large light areas resulting from the necessary elimination of values are characteristic of pen drawing. The degree of such elimination depends, of course, upon the character of the subject, this being entirely a matter of relation. The more black there is in a drawing the greater the number of values that can be represented. Generally speaking, three or four are all that can be managed, and the beginner had better VALUES 51 FIG. 28 REGINALD BIRCH get along with three, — bhick, halt-tone, and white. While it is true that every subject is likely rarious to contain some motive or suggestion for its ^°''"'' appropriate color-scheme, it still holds that, many times, and especially in those cases where the introduction of foreground features at considerable scale is necessary tor the inter- est of the picture, an artificial arrangement has to be devised. It is well, therefore, to be ac- quainted with the possibilities of certain color 52 PEN DRAWING combinations. The most brilliant effect in black and white drawing is that obtained by placing the prominent black against a white area surrounded by gray. The white shows whiter because of the gray around it, so that the contrast of the black against it is extremely vio-orous and tellino;. This mav be said to be the illustrator's tour de force. We have it il- lustrated by Mr. Reginald Birch's drawing, Fie. 28. Observe how the contrast of black and white is framed in by the gray made up of the sky, the left side of the building, the horse, and the knight. In the drawing by Mr. Pen- nell. Fig. 29, we have the same scheme of color. Notice how the trees are darkest just where they are required to tell most strongly against the white in the centre of the picture. An admirable illustration of the effectiveness of this color-scheme is shown in the " Becket " poster by the " Beggarstalf Brothers," Fig. 69. Another scheme is to have the principal black in the grav area, as in the Vierge drawing. Fig. 26, and in Rico's sketch, Fig. 11. Still another and a more restful scheme is the actual gradation of color. This gradation, from black to white, wherein the white occu- pies the centre of the picture, is to be noted in Fig. 20. Observe how the dark side of the foreground tree tells against the light side of the one bevond, which, in its turn, is yet so strongly shaded as to count brilliantly against A''' '■'■-.-''''//'. /->/. "/ .■: ■■> :^ 2 Z X a, ON N FIG. 30 B. G. GOODHUE \^ A L U E S 55 A % .<^ x-->'— ai^iligfe^ •a -:}'k k^^ *»>-.. ..:■;; FIG. 31 JOSEPH PENNELL the white building. Still again, in Mr. Good- hue's drawing, Fig. 30, note how the transition from the black tree on the left to the white building is pleasingly softened by the gray shadow. Notice, too, how the brilliancy of the drawing is heightened by the gradual em- phasis on the shadows and the openings as they approach the centre of the picture. Yet another example of this color-scheme is the drawing by Mr. Gregg, Fig. 50. The grada- 56 PEN DRAWING tion here is from the top ot the picture down- wards. The sketch of the coster women bv Mr. Pennell, Fig. 31, shows this gradation re- versed. The drawing of the hansom cab, Fig. 32, by Mr. Raven Hill, illustrates a very strong color-scheme, — gray and white separated by black, the gray moderating the black on the upper side, leaving it to tell stronglv against the white below. Notice how luminous is this same relation of color where it occurs in the Venetian subject by Rico, Fig. 14. The shadow on the water qualifies the blackness of the gondola below, permitting a brilliant con- trast with the white walls of the building above. It is interesting to observe how Vierge and Pennell, but chieflv the former, verv often de- pend for their grays merely upon the delicate tone resulting from the rendering of form and of direct shadow, without any local color. This may be seen in the Vierge drawing, Fig. 23- Observe in this, as a consequence, how bril- liantly the tiny black counts in the little figure in the centre. Notice, too, in the drawing of the soldiers by Jeanniot, Fig. 34, that there is very little black; and yet see how bril- liant is the effect, owing largely to the figures being permitted to stand out against a white ground in which nothing is indicated but the skv-line of the large building in the distance. FIC. 1,2 L. RAVEN HILL o oi > 5-.' .■.'•> .^ip "Sii^ 1 0. CHAPTER V PRACTICAL PROBLEMS I have thought it advisable in this chapter to select, and to work out in some detail, a few actual problems in illustration, so as to famil- iarize the student with the practical applica- tion oi some ot the principles previously laid down. p.,,^^ In the first example the photograph, Fig. Proi/em 35, shows the porch of an old English country church. Let us see how this subject has been interpreted in pen and ink by Mr. D. A. Gregg, Fig. 36. In respect to the lines, the orig- inal composition presents nothing essentially unpleas- ant. Where the strong accent ot a picture occurs in the centre, however, it is generally desira- ble to avoid much FIC7. 35 FROM A PHOTOGRAPH PRACTICAL PROBLEMS 6i ^^, '^:'*«^- • 'C- ... - _ , — fi 4—^" /''h'VC'jV" IiiTBOIftLiir ■,,/■ '■iM)ii>>vr>-'*' < , ' r^^ ^^;,:^.-^^,^__ FIG. 52 HERBERT RAILTON advised to select some portion of this, as well as ot the preceding example to copy, using, no matter how small the drawings he may make, a pen not smaller than number 303. 1 know of no architectural illustrator who hits stonework off quite so cleverly as Mr. Good- hue. Notice, in his drawing of the masonry, in Fig. 8, how the stones are picked out and rendered individually in places and how this intimate treatment is confined to the top of --.■{se fe.'.^.-;-,; •l^j^^i'l < u (■■i -511 rij — r*^ «'.'%■■:■' ^ > Ills. N*:>.SL__i;:_^tiL<.-'-) -Jti: 'Si-** ^.i^i?^ iZ 96 PEN DRAWING \\\\\u,va/;'i.<' of the modern decorative draughtsmen. Of those who work in the sixteenth century manner, Mr. Howard Pyle is unquestionably the superior technician. His line, masterly in its sureness, is rich and charged with feel- Fll,. blj " BKGGARSTAFF BROTHERS Dnillg DECORATIVE DRAWING 119 FIG. EDWARD PKNFIELD ing. Mr. H, Ospovat, one of the younger group of English decorators, has also a charm- ing technique, rather freer than that of Mr. Pyle, and yet reminding one of it. Mr. Louis Rhead is another of the same school, whose designs are deserving of study. The example of his work shown in Fig. 71 — excellent both 1 20 PEN DRAWING liUDOBORffS pCRFUTnes i-nr^TTylfYY v y v y v y y in color and in draw- inti — is one ot his earlier designs. Mr. J. W. Simpson, in the book-plate, Fig. 72, shows the broad- est possible deco- rative method ; a method which, while too* broaci tor any- thing but a poster or a book-label, is just what the stu- dent should aim at being able to attain. Some of those decorators whose woik shows a Japanese influence have a most exquisite method. Of these, that -re- markable draughts- man, M, Boutet de Monvel, easily takes the first place. Those who have had the good for- tune to see his orig- inal drawings will not easily forget the delicate beauty of outline nor the won- i-ic. LOUIS J. RHEAD FIG. J. W. SIMPSON DECORATIVE DRAWING 121 derfully tender coloring which distinguishes them, Mr. Maxfield Parrish is another mas- terly decorator who is noted for his free use of Japanese precedent as well as tor the re- sourcefulness of his technique. The draw- ings of Mr. Henry McCarter, too, executed as they are in pure line, are especially val- uable to the student of the pen. In respect both of the design and treatment of decora- tive subjects, the work of the late Aubrey Beardsley is more individual than that of any other modern draughtsmen. That of our own clever and eccentric Bradley, while very clearly confessing its obligations, has yet a distinctive character of its own. I must hesitate, how- ever, to recommend a study of the work of the two latter draughtsmen to the beginner, even though a great deal can be learned from it. Nevertheless, by steering clear of the gro- tesque conventions with which they treat the human figure, by carefullv avoiding the in- tense blacks in which a great deal of their work abounds, and by generally maintaining a healthy state of mind, the student can gain much profit from a study of their technique. It is hardly necessary to say that it would be mere madness to adopt their manner. uc SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A A 000 230 029 1