PART II.
Of the feveral arts uied in making outline {ketches of defigns from nature, or depicted reprefentations : and of the means of taking cafts and impreflions, from figures, bulls, medals, leaves,
CHAP. I.
Of the devices employed for the more eafily obtaining a juft outline in making defigns from nature; and the various methods of off-tracing, calking, and reducing, pictures, prints, or drawings.
AS the drawing accurately and readily after nature, and depicted reprefenta-tions, by the unaffifted hand and eye, requires greater practice and command of pen-cil than fall to the fhare of many, who never-thelefs may not want abilities to colour or fhade a pidture or drawing when a proper out», lipe iketch is previoufly procured, and as the convenience of quicker difpatch is a matter of importance even to thofe who are moft expert, various means have been devifed to lead and diredt the eye or hand in forming juft outlines. of the principal objedts which compofe the defign. Thefe means confift of a multiplicity of methods, founded on different principles.
In the drawing after nature, the interpofing a tranfparent plane is commonly pradtifed ; through which the objedts being feen from a fixt point of view, the outlines of their parts are traced upon it, by chalk or fome kind of crayon j—or fuch tranfparent body is divided into fquares, through which the objedts being viewed, the eye may be enabled to form and difpofe them with more certainty, on a paper, or other proper ground, divided into a limilar number of fquares-or fome refledted image is obtained by means of a camera obfcura, which affords an opportunity both of drawing the figure, and imitating the natural colour of the objedts. Thefe are the devices employed for drawing after nature; but, where pidtures, prints, or drawings are to be copied, a much greater variety are ufed. The moft common is by off-tracingvas it is called, which
is the laying fome tranfparent fubftance over the pidture, print, or drawing} and pafiing over the outlines of the principal parts with a pencil or crayon, which delineation is to be afterwards transferred from this tranfparent body to the ground intended for the painting or drawing. The fecond, which is indeed only another kind of off-tracing, praCtifed fometimes in the cafe of prints and drawings, is effected by laying the originals on the ground of paper or vellum defigned for the copy ; the back of the original being frneared with black, or with vermilion mixt with a little butter; or a paper fo prepared being laid betwixt the original and copy j and tracing over the principal parts of the defign with a needle, or fome other fuch like inftru- ment; by which means an outline fketch of it will be formed on the ground of the copy. This method is called calking; and is performed alio in another way, by puncturing or pricking the original print or drawing $ and producing an outline on a new ground, by tranfmitting a coloured powder through the punctured holes. The third is by diffolving - part of die printing ink by means of fope; and impreffing it on a frefh ground in that date. Another method much praCtifed is the ufing fquares in the manner above fpoken of, in die expedients for drawing after nature; except that here they are to be laid upon the picture: and this method is, likewife, applied, to the more certain copying of pictures or drawings, where the new defign is to differ in magnitude from the original; in which cafe it is called reduSHon : for the anfwering which purpofe there is likewife another method, by means of a machine I fhall below defcribe, foroff-tracing in a manner, whtfd* by fimply drawing over the lines of die ori« ginal, the new iketch may be mack greater or lefs at pleafure.
The particular manner of ufing the tran- fparent plane for taking deligns from nature is, by framing a piece of tiffany or fine lawn, of the fize of the pidture or drawing intended 5 and fixing it fo that the whole view of what is to be painted may be fecn through it; a fight board; that is, a fiat piece of wood, with a hole in it, being placed parallel to the tiffany or lawn, in fuch manner, that the eye may command the whole view through it, at die fame time that the hand may reach with convenience to draw upon it. The outlines of the objedt, as they appear through the hole in the fight board, mufi then be traced out, on the tiffany or lawn, by a crayon formed of white or red chalk, charcoal, or any proper fubftance; by which means, a fketch of the defign will be produced. In order to form a more complete drawing from this crude iketch, on paper or vellum, the tiffany or lawn containing it mull be carefully laid on fuch paper or vellum, in an horizontal pofition; and, being well fixt down upon it, muff be ffruck with fome fiat body ht every part; by which means, the chalk or matter of the crayon will be transferred from die old to the new ground ; and produce the lame delineation of the objedt upon it as was before on the other. The impreflion, thus made on the new ground, Ihould be then overtraced traced with a black lead pencil; and afterwards corrected, if there be occafion, from the natural view through the fight board j and this paper or vellum will then contain a proper outline drawing, if the defign was intended for a painting in water colours. But when this method is perfued with a view to a painting iii oil, the tiffany or lawn, after the fketch is drawn, muft be laid upon the ground of the intended picture j and proceeded with in the fame manner as with the vellum, or paper; only, in this cafe, the over-tracing muft be made with fome kind of crayon inftead of the black lead pencil.
It is advifed by fbme to ufe paper made tranfparent by means of oil of turpentine, inftead of the tiffany and lawn: but the ufe of it is only practicable in this way, in a darkned room or other confined place; and the paper thus prepared does not become tranfparent enough, even then, to fhew minute or remote objects fo diftinClly as is neceffary. If, however, any chufe to ufe it, the ufual preparation of the paper is, only to brufh it feveral times over with the oil of turpentine, and to fuffer it to dry. The tranfparency will be much improved, if a third of nut or poppy oil be added to the oil of turpentine ; or otherwife a little crude turpentine or colourlefs var- inifh : any of which will render the oil of turpentine more efficacious for this pur- pofe: and fave the trouble and expence of rubbing the paper fo often over as is otherwife ~ necef-fiecefiary. The paper employed for this pur- pofe (hould be that called fan-paper ; which is to be had of the fan-makers : or, if that cannot be procured, fine poft paper may be fubftituted : and where the defign is too large to be contained In one Iheet, feveral may be joined together, by laying the edges of the fheets a very little over each other} and cementing them by ifinglafs glue} which, if neatly done, will effedt the tranfparency in the joints, but in a very minute degree. When die original lketch is made on tranlparent paper, the tracing or drawing may be performed by a black lead pencil, inftead of crayon, which renders the drawing much more perfedt ànd durable : and, being thus completed, it may be ufed for off- tracing the (ketch on any ground intended for a painting in either oil or water. If it be intended for a pidture in oil colours, the back of the paper may be fmeared with pounded black lead, charcoal duft, or any other powdered crayon; or, what is much better, vermilion mixed with juft fo much butter as will make it adhere to the paper : and it muft then be laid on the ground of the pidture, and overtraced by a copper or iron ftiff, or blunted needle ; which will make an impreftion of the (ketch, on the ground, by means of the colour on the back of the paper : or another paper may be coloured, with the black lead or vermilion, inftead of the back of the tranfparent paper; and being betwixt that and the ground will anfwer the lame end. The means arc no way different, where die Sketch is to be transmitted to paper kti&ead of .oil 3 hut in.colouring the back of the transparent paper, or that interpoSed where any fuoh is ufed, care Should be taken that die co' lour be fo wiped off, as not to fmear the ground, or ,produoe ainy effed, except where com prefled by the instrument in the overtracing: and this indeed Should be regarded to a certain degree evep with .the oil ground. Where the Sketch is large, and made on feveral Sheets of paper, it is convenient to have weights to place on the {four comers of the conjoined Sheets to keep •them even and Ready on the ground. They ate :beft formed of fquare pieces of lead with handles 3 and may be about two or three . -pounds weight each.
■ 'The Sketch .on transparent paper may be otherwife transmitted to any ground by puncturing it with holes made near each other in /the lines of the drawing, and then fixing it on .the ground, and dufting over it black lead 6r .any other coloured matter finely powdered 3 and -tiqd up in a »fine linnen cloth : which dufl: «pafluig the holes of the pickt paper will deli- jne^ite the Sketch on the new ground, fo that •it may then ibe overtraced by any kind of pencil or.crayon. Glafs has been alfo ufed in the .Same view, as the lawn or tranfparent paper : -but its texture hinders it from being well managed with chalk or any other crayon or pencil. Though there is a method, that has not, as far as Lknow of, been hitherto pradifed, by which a ^Sketch might be well obtained through its ufe: it is, by drawing the outlines of the objects with black colour in drying oil ; and when the lketch is finifhed, laying the paper intended to receive the copy gently and without any rubbing or fhifting on the glafs ; having firfl moiftned it with water : by which means the black paint will be tranfmitted to the paper, as the moifture exhales from it} and an im- prellion made fufficiently exadt for the pur- pofe.
The manner of affifting the eye, in defign- ing from nature by means of a plane divided into fquares, is, by drawing crofs lines parallel to each other on a tiffany or lawn framed ; or on tranfparent paper, or glafs ; which may be done with common writing ink or any cipher way that will render the lines vifible j and this, being placed before the fight board in the fame manner as was before diredted for tracing the outlines, the ground, on which the fketch is intended to be taken, muft be formed into an equal number of fquares; and the objedts, being feen through the fquares of the tranfparent plane, are much more eafily difpofed in their proper fituation ; and formed of a juft magnitude by placing them in the correfpon- dent fquare of the ground, than where the eye had no fuch medium to compare and judge by. But though the above fubftances are molt commonly ufed, there is a more fimple and effectual way of doing this, which is, by making a frame of a proper fize; and dividing the area it forms into fquares by threads of a moderate , thicknefs; in which way the objects to be drawn are confequently more within the power of the eye than when the moil tranfparent body is ufed. The drawing by the affiftance of fquares, to thofe who have the leaft command of hand, is by much the moil expedient way: but in order to render this, or the other methods more commodioufly practicable, where it is to be done in the open air, a portable machine fhould be made for fupporting the frame of the tranfparent plane, and the fight board. It may be conftruCted by joining three long legs together, in the manner of the fur-1 veyors inftruments, in a block; and fixing the frame, by means of a foot which will Hide, into the fame box, that it may be raifed higher or lower: the fight board muil have a foot likewife by which it may be raifed higher or lower j but this muffc not be fixed into the block,- but into a Aiding piece which mult pafs thro’ the block horizontally j fb that the foot of the fight board, being fixt into it at right angles, the board may be brought nearer to, or drawn farther from the tranfparent plane at pleafure.
The other method ufed to facilitate the drawing after nature, to wit, by the reflected image of the objeCt, is performed by the camera obfcura, of which a portable kind adapted to this purpofe is commonly made by the opticians. It Is needlefs, therefore, to give any defcription of . thefe inftruments ; and the ftruCture of them immediately explains the manner of their ufe - , on a very flight examination. ^Vhére they are not at hand, and a profpeét through any particular window is defiréd to be taken, an occafional camera may be formed, by boring a hole through thé window-fliütfer alt a convenient height; and putting one of the glafies called the ox-eye, into the hole; when all other light being Ihut out, except what paffes thro this hole, and a proper gVóu'rfd óf paper or vellum, &c. being held at k due diffarfCè ffótfi the hole, the reflected image of ’the proved will be forméd upon 'the gtöönd: ahd if ft bê óf paper, and fikëd 'ftëady by a pfopèr frame, the image appearing véry pérfeëtly ;Ön thé ïè- verfe orbackfide, of it, the -aififtmay ft&fidatdié back; and trace thé outlines öf thé nëcëffiry parts with great convenience ; arid may évdn ftretch the colouring, if hè think it èxpediérit. Though the taking views of ‘nature by 'the camera has feveral cöriveniëfióes, and hppeat's very advantageous; yet thefe is One véiy material objection, Which is, that the fh&dóws lofe their force in 'flie téflééleil'lmagè; andöfr- jeóts, by the refradtión, are made to appe'at rounder, or different fometimes both in thrif magnitude, and fite, from what they refelly are:. which being oppughaht ’to ’the truth öf any drawing, almoft Wholly déffroys 'the ’Expedience there Would be othefwKè ’found ifi this manner.
The method of making {ketches of outlines from pictures, prints, or drawing, by off-tracing, is performed by a variety of methods.
The nioft common, where the fizp of the painting does not forbid it, is to take a (heet pf paper prepared by pU of turpentine, or the other means, as above direfted for the taking views from nature; and» haying fattened it even pn the picture p» print to he copied, to trace over thé principal parts with a blapk lead pencil : by which means an outline being obtained, it may be imparted to any other ground, in the manner before defcribed when the fame kind of outline is formed by drawing after nar ture. Where larger pieces am to be copied, lawn, and tiffany, may- he nfed, inftead of the tranfpamnt paper, pr feyeta) fheets of the paper may be joined together by means of ifinglafs glue; and when the outline is traced by chalk or other proper crayon, the fubfequent proceeding may be the like alfo, in this cafe, as above, where the fame kind pf outline is taken from nature- ,Gp|dbeaters-fkin, and horn as prepared in plates for lanthoms, as alfo the tale or fottije ifinglafs, .and dried hogs bladder, have been like\yife applied to this . purpofe; but where horn,. or ifinglafs, are ufed, being rigid bodies that will not yield to impart an impreffion by re? tracing, they may hé heft trteated in the manner above adviied, in the cafe of glafs; when employed for taking yjews from nature; which is by tracing .the outlines with black in oil, and printing a new ground of paper with it.
Another .common method .of off-tracing, in the cafe of prints, or drawings, is to fix them againft a window, or other hard tranfparent body placed in a ftrong light, in a perpends cular pofition ; and, putting a piece of paper, vellum, or any other body fufficiently tran- fparent before them, to perfprm the off-tracing, by the view which is this way given of > the objects in the print or drawing.
The other method of off-tracing called ing, which i9 fometimes praCtifed in the cafe of prints and drawings, is performed by tracing on the print or drawing itfelf, inftead of the tranfparent body laid over it, as in the other manner; the back of it being previoufly prepared by rubbing it over with black lead powdered, or other fuch matter; or a paper blacked on the under fide may be ufed, inftead of blacking the print or drawing: by either of which methods an outline will be made on any ground of vellum or paper laid under the print; and if feveral grounds of very thin paper' be laid together under the print, with each a blackened paper over them, fo many impreffions may be made at one time. The fame effect may be produced by punCturing or pricking out the proper outlines in the print or drawing; and then ufing it for imparting the fketch to another ground, with the black lead powder, &c. in the manner above defcribed in fpeaking> of the ufe of the oiled paper : and when the print or drawing is thus prepared by puncturing, it may be employed for tranfmitting the fketch to any number of grounds.
The manner of ufing lope, for taking off the impreflion of a print on a new ground, is, by finearing the original over with the common fbft lope, commixt with water till it be of the confiftence of a thin jelly; and then laying it even on the ground intended to receive the impreflion, which muft be alfo pre- vioufly moiftened with water: after which, being covered with feveral other papers, the whole muft be comprefled by palling a wooden roller over them j or by rubbing ftrongly on them with the callender glafs ufed for glazing linnen j or by any parallel means. The impreflion of the original will by this means be imparted to the new ground j which muft be firft dried, and then carefully walhed with a Iponge and water to take off the lope. It has been faid by fome, that this treatment will do very little injury to the original-print; but, belides the impracticability of ever thoroughly cleanflng it from the fope, a part of the printing ink is taken from it, and a proportionable lhare of the effeCt of the original impreflion deftroyed.
A method parallel to this is fometimes ufed with prints and drawings; which is by holding them up to the light, and tracing the proper outlines on the back with a black lead pencil, or arty- kind of crayon j and then laying the traced fide on a ground proper to receive the impreflion, going over them with a roller or callender glafs, in the fame manner as when the impreflion i$ taken by means of fope. On the fame principle, in the cafe of copartments, cyphers, or any other regular figures, where' both fides afe alike, when one half is drawn or traced, the other half may be procured by doubling the paper exa&ly in the place where the two halves fhould join j and then prefling or rolling over the outfide of the flcetched part, by which a correfpóndent impreffion of the defign will be made on the other: and the whole fketch will be finilhed without the trouble of drawing or tracing out the feeond half The method of copying defigns, by the ufe . of the fquares, either in order to paint in equal magnitude, or with a view to reduction* is, by dividing the original, into a convenient number of fquares, by ruling lines aerofs it with any kind of crayon; and then doing the fame on the ground, in a córrefpondent manner; which fquares on the new ground, may be either increafed, diminifhed, or made equal as to. their fize, with refpeft to thofê óf the original, according to the intended proportion of the new piece. The principal ufè of the fquares, in this cafe, is fo much the fame, as tvhen they are applied to the taking drawings from nature, that it is needlefs to dwell longer on them now. I lhall only intimate* that, tx> thofe who can draw at all, the ufe of the fquares is much more advilable here, as well as in drawing after nature* than any of the other methods: , as it is much more improving, and on the whole lefs troüblefotne, to make a correct Iketch this Way than by any other.
The mariner of reduction, or if that be not • neceflary, of tracing out an outline where the magnitude, of the original is to be preferred, by the machine above mentioned, which was formerly called a parallelogram, and by Ibme at prefent a mathematical compafs, cannot be fhewn, without firft deferibing fully, or exhibiting by a figure, the conftru&ion of the in- ftrument. I (hall therefore endeavour to explain the ftru&ure and manner of fabrication of it, as well as thofe of a machine fomewhat complex admit: and what may efcape the conception in the verbal defeription, may be fup- plied by the infpe&ion of the figure annexed.
This inftrument is compofed of a board, or table, with ten pieces of wood fixed upon it, in a moveable manner j and by fuch a con- ftruClion, that when one is moved, the whole of the reft move alfo fimilarly, with refpeCfc to the' directions, but under greater or lefs angles. The board or table may be of fir deal; and is ufually made in the form of a parallelogram; the magnitude of it, as well as the other parts of the machine, muft be according to that of the pictures, &c. it is intended to be ufed for reducing :• but for the fake of giving die comparative proportions, we will date it at three feet in length, and the breadth may be about a foot and a half: it muft be plained very even j but fhould not be of too thin fub- ftance, left it warp j and it muft be covered with doth ftretehed even upon it, and fattened down to it. The ten pieces of wood muft be formed like rulers ufed for writing; and in die proportion here taken, they may be a foot' long, and about half an inch in breadth; and the fifth or fixth of an inch in thicknefs. They mull be fattened to each other in luch manner, that every one mull be crofled by another in the centre; and by two others, at luch diftance from the centre, as exadlly divides the two half lengths on each fide of it; except the two which form the extremities, and can be only eroded in the centre and in the middle of one part; which, in each extremity, will be the part oppofite to that lb crofied in the other, as will immediately appear on the pieces being laid together in the pofition here directed. The fattening mutt be by pins, or rivets, on which each piece may be turned with perfedt freedom; and, near each end of every piece, mutt be made a hole or a female fcrew, into which a crayon, portcrayon, or pencil, may be fixed, either by, or without, a fcrew; and at the ends of thole pieces which make the extremities, a finaller hole for a pin to be palled through to fatten the conjoined pieces to the board. In order to the more commodioully fixing the feveral parts of the inftrument to the board or table, it may be proper to have female ferews at the places of the table where the rulers are to be pinned down according to the different applications of the inftrument; and the pins for fattening the refpedtive parts, mutt in this cafe have male fcrews at their extremities, correfpondent to the female fcrews in the table. By thefe directions clofely followed, the parts of thé inftrument may be completely formed, and put together: but to explain the manner of ufing it, the figure is here given; as it is more eafy to refer to the parts of that, than to fuch as have only a verbal lpecifica* tion.
Let the leg or extremity of the piece A be fattened to the board in the part of it as here delineated j and let the picture, &c. be placed, under the end of the piece B j a ftrong pin blunted, or other fuch rigid body, being put through the end of it, and placed in the centre of the picture; or any other part where •it may be convenient to begin the tracing. Let the ground intended to receive the drawing, or fketch, be then placed at J3, the next leg to that faftened to the board, if the defign of the original be intended to be diminifhed, in the utmoft degree the machine can effect; or to any of the other legs nearer to tjie original, according to the proportion of the diminution required. A crayon, or pencil, muft then be fixed in the hole of the piece made for that purpofe; and muft reft on the ground of the fketch; which ground muft be placed, that the crayon or pencil may be immediately over the part of it which corre- monds with the part of the original touched by tho’hlunt^d ran. The andgroynd
rofy the 'fketch pjuft (hen fye fajftepecf firmly to thd board; and the aftift beating whh his left hand gently on crayon peppil, over tl|e groiipd, muft trace with the blunted pin or ftift fjxed in fhe hole of ti^e muft diftant leg of the outlines of the original : which will fo move the crayorror pencil oirthe ground-for the fketch, that a correfpondent line will be marked there; but with a diminution of the defign in the proportion defirad.
When the enlargement of the origin?! is defired, the reverfe muft be pradjtifed with ftr gard to the fituation of the origin?! and oOpy : for if the original be placed under E, the piece next to that faftened to the board, and the new ground be put under the end of the leg where the original was before placed, the fubfequent management being the fame as before in all other refpefts, the fketch will 2 be augmented in an equal degree to what it was diminished before.
If a Sketch of equal magnitude be deiired, the faftening of the conjoined pieces to the table or board muft be at Z), in the centre of the whole : and the original, and new ground, placed under the pieces at each extremity, or any other correfpondent pieces that may be moSt commodious.
This machine may be ufeful for off-tracing maps, or other fuch Simpler defigns; or may afford amufement by off-tracing pictures, &c. to thofe who have no facility in drawing; but to the abler, and more expert in thefe arts, where defigns that demand Spirit and pencil are in queftion, it feems an expedient below their regard ; as performing by an imperfedt mechanical aid, what they can execute better by their own natural powers.
Of the means of taking calls, and medals, leaves, &c.