THE DESIGN

Spending money on criminal or useless pleasures is unwise; it would be much better to purchase beautiful engravings, good books on Painting, established Academies, or plaster figures. Those who truly love this Art should dedicate themselves fully and not give up until they have mastered it. Heaven always supports their efforts, and the Ancient poets were right to say "the Gods grant no good to Men without work," Dii laboribus omnia vendunt. Let’s return to our subject.
Now that we have already instructed our Student on how to copy a Design, it is appropriate that they learn how to sketch the smiling Face shown here. One should not initially emphasize the small folds that appear in illuminated areas, as they would seem too pronounced, and the background of the Paper suffices for this, although not everyone agrees. Therefore, they will begin with the brightest part, namely the Forehead; from there, they will proceed to the Nose, and so on: but to achieve this, they will first create a large area of light, distributing it as we previously mentioned, after adding the brightest highlight.
Suppose, for example, that a Face is intersected by four parallel Lines, one passing at the eye level, another at the nose, a third at the mouth, and the last at the chin: Then take a Paper, and cover the Face up to the highest Line; you will then only see the forehead: Pass the Pencil across this illuminated area; then, lower your Paper to the second Line, and continue with the nose, which directly follows from the forehead: proceed to the cheeks and eyes, and all related aspects: you will see how one light emerges from the other.
Then move to the mouth and jaw, and finally close the chin. It will soon be evident that following this method, you capture the likeness much more effectively. It's somewhat like a young Lady who, hiding her face under a Fan, makes us eager to discover her, first showing her eyes; then the nose, the mouth, and finally allowing us to see she is indeed the person we thought. To shorten the path and save time, there is nothing more certain than having a good method and observing a natural order.
Now our young Student can outline the most beautiful Plaster Figures available, like PAPPOILON, the VENUS of Greece, ANTINOUS, and other Pieces cast in mold. This can only encourage them and prepare them to become highly skilled one day. It is for this reason they will gradually perfect themselves in Design, progressing from imitating these Plaster Figures to drawing from nature; since one is the final step leading to the other.

Translation Notes

1. "Dii laboribus omnia vendunt" translates to "The Gods sell everything for work."
2. "PAPPOILON," "VENUS," and "ANTINOUS" are likely references to well-known sculptures or artistic figures from Greek and Roman history.