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TECHNIQUE

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offers a good deal of obstruction to the pen, however, so that a really
good line is impossible.
Thin letter-paper is sometimes recommended for pen and ink work,
chiefly on account of its transparency, which obviates the necessity of re-
drawing after a preliminary sketch has been worked up in pencil. Over
the pencil study a sheet of the letter-paper is placed on which the final
drawing may be made with much deliberation. Bond paper, however,
possesses the similar advantage of transparency besides affording a
better texture for the pen.
CHAPTER III
TECHNIQUE
The first requirement of a good pen technique is a good Individual The
Line, a line of feeling and quality. It is usually a surprise to the beginner Individual
to be made aware that the individual line is a thing of consequence,--a Line
surprise due, without doubt, to the apparently careless methods of some
successful illustrators. It is to be borne in mind, however, that some
illustrators are successful in spite of their technique rather than because
of it; and also that the apparently free and easy manner of some
admirable technicians is in reality very much studied, very deliberate,
and not at all to be confounded with the unsophisticated scribbling of the
beginner. The student is apt to find it just about as easy to draw like Mr.
Pennell as to write like Mr. Kipling. The best way to acquire such a
superb freedom is to be very, very careful and painstaking. To appreciate
how beautiful the individual line may be one has but to observe the rich,
decorative stroke of Howard Pyle, Fig. 66, or that of Mucha, Fig. 65, the
tender outline of Boutet de Monvel, the telling, masterly sweep of
Gibson, or the short, crisp line of Vierge or Rico. Compared with any of
these the line of the beginner will be either feeble and tentative, or harsh,
wiry, and coarse.
FIG. 6
B. G. GOODHUE
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FIG. 7
HERBERT RAILTON
The second requisite is Variety of Line,--not merely variety of size Variety of
and direction, but, since each line ought to exhibit a feeling for the Line
particular texture which it is contributing to express, variety of character.
Mr. Gibson's manner of placing very delicate gray lines against a series
of heavy black strokes exemplifies some of the possibilities of such
variety. Observe, in Fig. 6, what significance is imparted to the heavy
lines on the roof of the little foreground building by the foil of delicate
gray lines in the sky and surrounding roofs. This conjunction was
employed early by Mr. Herbert Railton, who has made a beautiful use of
it in his quaint architectural subjects. Mr. Railton's technique is
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remarkable also for the varied direction of line and its expression of
texture. Note this characteristic in his drawing of buttresses, Fig. 7.
FIG. 8
B. G. GOODHUE
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FIG. 9
C. D. M.
FIG. 10
C. D. M.
The third element of good technique is Economy and Directness of Economy of
Method. A tone should not be built up of a lot of meaningless strokes. Method
Each line ought, sensibly and directly, to contribute to the ultimate result.
The old mechanical process of constructing tones by cross-hatching is
now almost obsolete. It is still employed by modern pen draughtsmen,
but it is only one of many resources, and is used with nice
discrimination. At times a cross-hatch is very desirable and very
effective,--as, for example, in affording a subdued background for
figures having small, high lights. A very pretty use of it is seen in the
tower of Mr. Goodhue's drawing, Fig. 8. Observe here how the intimate
treatment of the roofs is enhanced and relieved by the foil of closely-knit
hatch on the tower-wall, and how effective is the little area of it at the
base of the spire. The cross-hatch also affords a satisfactory method of
obtaining deep, quiet shadows. See the archway "B" in Fig. 9. On the
whole, however, the student is advised to accustom himself to a very
sparing use of this expedient. Compare the two effects in Fig. 9, Some
examples of good and bad cross-hatching are illustrated in Fig. 10. Those
marked "I" and "J" may be set down as bad, being too coarse. The only
satisfactory cross-hatch at a large scale would seem to be that shown in
"N," where lines cross at a sharp angle; and this variety is effectively
employed by figure illustrators. Perhaps no better argument against the
necessity for thus building up tones could be adduced than the little
drawing by Martin Rico, shown in Fig. 11. Notice what a beautiful
texture he gives to the shadow where it falls on the street, how it differs
from that on the walls, how deep and closely knit it all is, and yet that
there is absolutely no cross-hatching. Remark, also, how the textures of
the walls and roof and sky are obtained. The student would do well to
copy such a drawing as this, or a portion of it, at least, on a larger scale,
as much can be learned from it.
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FIG. 11
MARTIN RICO
I have shown various methods of making a tone in Fig. 12. It will be Methods of
observed that Rico's shadow, in Fig. 11, is made up of a combination of Tone-Making
"B" and "C," except that he uses "B" horizontally, and makes the line
heavy and dragging. The clear, crisp shadows of Vierge are also worthy
of study for the simplicity of method. This is beautifully illustrated in the
detail, Fig. 13. It would be impossible to suggest atmosphere more
vibrating with sunlight; a result due to the transparency of the shadows,
the lines of which are sharp and clean, with never a suggestion of cross-
hatch. Notice how the lines of the architectural shadows are stopped
abruptly at times, giving an emphasis which adds to the brilliancy of the
effect. The drawing of the buildings on the canal, by Martin Rico, Fig.
14, ought also to be carefully studied in this connection. Observe how
the shadow-lines in this drawing, as in that previously mentioned, are
made to suggest the direction of the sunlight, which is high in the
heavens. An example of all that is refined and excellent in pen technique
is the drawing by Mr. Alfred Brennan, Fig. 15. The student would do
well to study this carefully for its marvellous beauty of line. There is
little hatching, and yet the tones are deep and rich. The wall tone will be
found to be made up similarly to "A" and "H" in Fig. 12. The tone "B" in
the same Figure is made up of lines which are thin at the ends and big in
the middle, fitting into each other irregularly, and imparting a texture
somewhat different from that obtained by the abrupt ending of the
strokes of "A." This method is also employed by Brennan, and is a very
effective one. A good example of the use of this character of line
(unknitted, however) is the drawing by Mr. Leslie Willson, Fig. 16. The
irregular line "C" has good possibilities for texture, and the wavy
character of "D" is most effective in the rendering of shadows, giving a
certain vibration to the atmosphere. "E" and "F" suggest a freer method
of rendering a tone; while "G" shows a scribbling line that is sometimes
employed to advantage. The very interesting texture of the coat, Fig. 17,
is made with a horizontal line having a similar return stroke, as may be
noticed where the rendering ends. There are times when an irresponsible
sort of line is positively desirable,--say for rough foreground suggestion
or for freeing the picture at the edges.
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FIG. 12
C. D. M.
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FIG. 13
DANIEL VIERGE
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FIG. 14
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FIG. 15
ALFRED BREN
FIG. 16
LESLIE WILLSON
I have invariably found that what presents the chief difficulty to the Outline
student of pen and ink is the management of the Outline. When it is
realized that, by mere outline, one may express the texture of a coat or a
tree or a wall without any rendering whatever, it will be seen that nothing
in pen drawing is really of so much importance. Notice, for example, the
wonderful drawing of the dog in Fig. 34. Again, if a connected line had
been used to define the corners of Railton's buttresses in Fig. 7 all the
texture, would have been destroyed. Instead of this he has used a broken
outline, sometimes omitting it altogether for a considerable space. On the
ledges, too, the lines are broken. In Rico's drawing, Fig. 11, all the
outlines may be observed to have a break here and there. This broken
line is particularly effective in out-door subjects, as it helps to suggest
sunlit atmosphere as well as texture.
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FIG. 17
DRAWING FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
Architectural outlines, however, are not particularly subtle; it is when
we come to render anything with vague boundaries, such as foliage or
clouds for example, that the chief difficulties are encountered. Foliage is
an important element of landscape drawing and deserves more than
passing consideration. To make a successful rendering of a tree in pen
and ink the tree must be first well drawn in pencil. It is absolutely
impossible to obtain such a charming effect of foliage as that shown in
Mr. Pennell's sketch, Fig. 18, without the most painstaking preparation in
pencil. The success of this result is not attributable merely to the
difference in textures, nor to the direction or character of the line; it is
first of all a matter of good drawing. The outline should be free and
subtle so as to suggest the edges of leafage, and the holes near the edges
should be accented, otherwise they will be lost and the tree will look
solid and characterless. Observe, in the same drawing, how Mr. Pennell
suggests the structure of the leafage by the irregular outlines which he
gives to the different series of lines, and which he emphasizes by
bringing the lines to an abrupt stop. Observe also how the stronger
texture of the tree in Fig. 19 is obtained by making the lines with greater
abruptness. Compare both of these Figures with the foreground trees by
the same artist in Fig. 20. The last is a brilliant example of foliage
drawing in pen and ink.
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FIG. 18
JOSEPH PENNELL
FIG. 19
JOSEPH PENNELL
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FIG. 20
JOSEPH PENNELL
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FIG. 21
E. DANTAN
The matter of Textures is very important, and the student should learn Textures
to differentiate them as much as possible. This is done, as I have already
said, by differences in the size and character of the line, and in the
closeness or openness of the rendering. Observe the variety of textures in
the drawing of the sculptor by Dantan, Fig. 21. The coat is rendered by
such a cross-hatch as "N" in Fig. 10, made horizontally and with heavy
lines. In the trousers the lines do not cross but fit in together. This is an
excellent example for study, as is also the portrait by Raffaëlli, Fig. 22.
The textures in the latter drawing are wonderfully well conveved,--the
hard, bony face, the stubby beard, and the woolen cap with its tassel in
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silhouette. For the expression of texture with the least effort the drawings
of Vierge are incomparable. The architectural drawing by Mr. Gregg in
Fig. 50 is well worth careful study in this connection, as are all of
Herbert Railton's admirable drawings of old English houses. (I
recommend the study of Mr. Railton's work with a good deal of
reservation, however. While it is admirable in respect of textures and
fascinating in its color, the values are likely to be most unreal, and the
mannerisms are so pronounced and so tiresome that I regard it as much
inferior to that of Mr. Pennell, whose architecture always appears, at
least, to have been honestly drawn on the spot.)
FIG. 22
J. F. RAFFAčLLI
The hats in Fig. 10 are merely suggestions to the student in the study of
elementary combinations of line in expressing textures.
As the mechanical processes of Reproduction have much to do with Drawing for
determining pen  methods  they  become  important  factors  for Reproduction
consideration. While their waywardness and inflexibility are the cause of
no little distress to the illustrator, the limitations of processes cannot be
said, on the whole, to make for inferior standards in drawing, as will be
seen by the following rules which they impose, and for which a strict
regard will be found most advisable.
First: Make each line clear and distinct. Do not patch up a weak line or
leave one which has been broken or blurred by rubbing, for however
harmless or even interesting it may seem in your original it will almost
certainly be neither in the reproduction. When you make mistakes, erase
the offensive part completely, or, if you are working on Bristol-board
and the area of unsatisfactoriness be considerable, paste a fresh piece of
paper over it and redraw.
Second: Keep your work open. Aim for economy of line. If a shadow
can be rendered with twenty strokes do not crowd in forty, as you will
endanger its transparency. Remember that in reproduction the lines tend
to thicken and so to crowd out the light between them. This is so
distressingly true of newspaper reproduction that in drawings for this
purpose the lines have to be generally very thin, sharp, and well apart.
The above rule should be particularly regarded in all cases where the
drawing is to be subject to much reduction. The degree of reduction of
which pen drawings are susceptible is not, as is commonly supposed,
subject to rule. It all depends on the scale of the technique.
Third: Have the values few and positive. It is necessary to keep the
gray tones pretty distinct to prevent the relation of values being injured,
for while the gray tones darken in proportion to the degree of reduction,
the blacks cannot, of course, grow blacker. A gray tone which may be
light and delicate in the original, will, especially if it be closely knit,
darken and thicken in the printing. These rules are most strictly to be
observed when drawing for the cheaper classes of publications. For book
and magazine work, however, where the plates are touched up by the
engraver, and the values in a measure restored, the third rule is not so
arbitrary. Nevertheless, the beginner who has ambitions in this direction
will do well not to put difficulties in his own way by submitting work not
directly printable.
There are a number of more or less fanciful expedients employed in Some
modern pen work which may be noted here, and which are illustrated in Fanciful
Fig. 10. The student is advised, however, to resort to them as little as Expedients
possible, not only because he is liable to make injudicious use of them,
but because it is wiser for him to cultivate the less meretricious
possibilities of the instrument.
"Spatter work" is a means of obtaining a delicate printable tone,
consisting of innumerable little dots of ink spattered on the paper. The
process is as follows: Carefully cover with a sheet of paper all the
drawing except the portion which is to be spattered, then take a tooth-
brush, moisten the ends of the bristles consistently with ink, hold the
brush, back downwards, in the left hand, and with a wooden match or
tooth-pick rub the bristles toward you so that the ink will spray over the
paper. Particular, care must be taken that the brush is not so loaded with
ink that it will spatter in blots. It is well, therefore, to try it first on a