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It is important to observe that the effects we have just discussed are not always exactly the same and that one can see more or less far and more or less distinctly, depending on the different conditions of the atmosphere. Indeed, when the weather is stormy (barometer at storm), with clouds low and the air denser, you see less far and less distinctly than in good weather, when the clouds are higher and the air less dense. When the barometer is very dry, with clouds very high and the air very clear, you can see very far and very distinctly. The details then stand out so well that objects seem much closer than in ordinary weather; but since the linear diminution always occurs, the houses and trees you still see clearly appear shrunken like children's toys. The most favorable weather for drawing from nature is when the weather is slightly stormy, marked by the barometer being variable. The air is a bit dense; there is a slight vapor that spaces the planes and veils the details a bit, the landscape is then what we call more vaporous.

How to Shade the Landscape.

When drawing, the greatest light one can have is the white of the paper; or the white crayon if drawing on colored paper, or silver white with a little yellow if painting. Great effects can’t be achieved unless bright lights are made to stand out by contrast, keeping the shadows very dark. When drawing, either with a stump or pencil, one should start by using the blackest pencil in the shadows of the foreground and keep the pure white of the paper for the bright highlights. If the second plane is twice the distance from the first, observe the diminution we mentioned. If the distance ratio is not well known, make sure to compare the shadows and lights of this second plane to those of the first. Follow the same approach for other planes and regarding the sky and water. The water always loses the color and tone of the sky it reflects; but half of the reflections remain, so the shadows of a reflected object appear half as dark as those of the object itself and the lights half as bright. Thus, the sky always appears brighter than the water.

When drawing a landscape through a window, as in the figure of plate 8 bis, you should use the greatest black for what encircles this window, first the objects seen in the foreground, and secondly, the contrast of the great light seen through this window makes the surrounding shadows appear a bit darker. It also means that objects close to the window should be very indistinct, as if the painting is very close to the window. If the details of this painting were as apparent as those of the objects seen through the window, it would look like a second opening through which the countryside would still be visible. The part of the landscape seen through the closed side of this window should appear a bit less bright than the part seen through the open side. Indeed, the glass, however pure it may be, always intercepts some light and veils a bit of what is seen. In the position it is in, the open side of this window reflects the sky and surrounding objects. The wooden borders on the closed side of this window intercept the light and stand out in very dark contrast to the other planes. This large strip of wood dividing the window into two equal parts and appearing on the closed side can be used as a benchmark with other planes. For example, you see that the plan that immediately follows is a bit less dark than this strip of wood and as the planes recede, they appear less dark than this strip.

When drawing in the open field, it is easy to stick a stick into the ground near oneself which would serve the same purpose as the previous strip. Sometimes, chance places a rock or a house near the observer. Then one compares the tones of these different planes, on the profile of these objects. Here, in figure 2, is a tree that can serve the same purpose as the stick just mentioned...

Translation Notes

“Barometer at storm”: This refers to a barometer reading that indicates stormy weather, implying low pressure and denser atmospheric conditions.

“Linear diminution”: A concept in perspective drawing where objects appear to get smaller as they recede into the distance, analogous to the principles of linear perspective.

“Estompe”: A blending stump or tool used to smudge or blend marks made with various drawing media.