The text explains a drawing technique where layers are gently overlaid to soften edges, suitable for sketching landscapes and refining brush skills. It discusses the use of wash drawing on thick paper to prevent color bleeding and enhance smooth application. The process includes tracing designs with ink and applying successive layers of wash with a damp brush for depth.
THE DRAWING.
The layers are gently applied one on top of the other, allowing edges that extend beyond others to soften the borders. This method of drawing is particularly convenient for painters to convey the concept of a painting, to give a sketch of the subject and to render lighting effects, since it produces soft shadows without small white spots, unlike hatched drawings, and thereby approaches the effect of color more closely. It is also very suitable for drawing landscapes because foliage can be rendered without outlining the masses, and it is useful for training the hand in the handling of the brush, especially for those who wish to paint miniatures.
Wash drawing is usually done on thick and strong white paper to prevent colors from bleeding and to ensure they smoothly glide over the surface; this is why there's a custom of beating and washing the paper in alum water before using it for wash drawing. Once the entire design is set on paper, whether in charcoal or graphite, it is traced again with ink, using a medium-strength Chinese ink. It is even better, when possible, to avoid pen strokes and wash over a simple pencil line: the drawing is softer this way. Once the outline is fixed, the weakest wash tones are applied with a brush, softening all necessary parts with another clean brush slightly dampened with water; when the first layer is dry, another stronger layer is added, followed by a darker one, and so forth, as much as required.