The text is about drawing techniques, emphasizing the importance of half-tones that smoothly transition light to shadows. It suggests practicing with different designs using sanguine or black and white pencils on various paper types to achieve realism. The text also differentiates between drawing on white and half-tone paper and how to handle highlights and shadows accordingly.
ON DRAWING.
According to the tone of those in his example, while reserving for the end to give the most vigorous forces and touches. Reflections will be preserved, and the areas not receiving them will be strengthened. Particular attention will be given to the half-tones that connect the lights to the shadows in an imperceptible way and prevent the shadows from cutting through. Finally, one will follow point by point what is in view; for copying a design means imitating it in such a way that one could take the copy for the original. For this purpose, one must practice repeatedly with different designs of heads, feet, hands, academies, and entire figures of men, women, children, and draped figures, etc.
One may draw indifferently, either with a sanguine or red chalk pencil on white paper or with a black & white pencil on half-tone paper, gray, blue, or light flesh color, which is made specifically for draftsmen. All these drawing methods are basically the same. If, for example, one draws on half-tone paper, the tone of the paper will naturally form the half-tones, and the lights will be highlighted with a white pencil; thus, one will load the drawing less with a sanguine pencil or black stone for forming shadows. Conversely, when drawing on white paper, the strongest lights are formed by the paper itself; one is obliged to create the half-tones with a color pencil and accordingly load the shadows proportionally, following his original.
Through the study we have prescribed, the student
B
Translation Notes
Sanguine: A reddish-brown chalk pencil, commonly used in drawing.