El SIMPLE PLANT FORMS. . v: 7b 84-B 16145 v.El ERE . FOSTER'S • DRAWING • BOOK • EMBRACING EVERY DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING, WITH PAPER FOR COPYING. PLANTS FROM NATURE. IN TWO BOOKS (El, E2). ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. NEW EDITION. PRICE TWOPENCE. • BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED: LONDON, GLASGOW, AND DUBLIN I NEW EDITION. | VERE FOSTER'S DRAWING COPY-BOOKS. LEAVES, PLANTS, AND FLOWERS.-To be drawn Freehand. DRAWING taught upon right principles plays no mean part in the education of the intellectual faculties. With the neatness of method, accuracy of eye, and manual dexterity which are required and gradually attained in the practice of freehand drawing, there comes a habit of closer observation which cannot fail to enlarge and strengthen our appreciations of the objects of Art and Nature which surround us. But if these benefits are to be full in their result, drawing must be pursued with the same seriousness and with the same opportunities as other branches of education. Nor should the teaching of the elements of drawing be narrowly limited to those who show a taste for it, and who, presumably, will become clever at it. It may be quite true that some students have not got it in them to arrive at artistic results at all ; yet, even for these, drawing may be a very good object lesson — in construction, for instance, in the case of household furniture, or common domestic objects — in botany, in the case of Plants and Flowers. Hardly anything will so readily and effectually impress upon a student the main characteristics of a flower, as having to draw it. For students of this class, drawing-books like those of the present series offer the primary and essential facts to which their attention has to be directed, in a clearly selected and concrete form. Whatever added interest may be brought to the study by comparison with the same things in nature, it should be the teacher's care as far as possible to provide. For students of the other class, whose inclinations are an incentive to progress, these books of freehand outline from natural forms are but a stepping-stone to better things to come. But even for them there is good reason why copying a drawing should come before drawing from nature. A young student, even one who has the drawing faculty strong within him, finds great difficulty in selecting the main facts by which to make his drawing express itself. Nature is so crowded with detail that a child, studying nervously and anxiously, is apt to miss its main features. Then again, it is difficult to persuade a young student that irregu- larity is not without rule, and that there is anything to be accurately and strenuously copied in the crumpled outline of a petal, or the rugged rind of a stalk, which changes entirely if you alter, even slightly, your point of view. This lesson can be insisted on and brought home to the student with much greater readiness by a course of training in copying from the flat. Only, let it be remem- bered that this is not " drawing from nature." Mr. Ruskin gives in Modern Painters a good instance of the fidelity and labour which are required to copy an apparently simple thing in nature. He set one of his cleverest students to make a drawing of a few lilac shoots before the leaves were in bud, when there was nothing but bare stem. The student worked at it from day to day, but before the drawing could be completed the buds had begun to come, and the character of the stem to alter. While it is advised that students, even those who show capa- bilities of a further advance, should go faithfully through the series, and learn all that can be learned from it, it is suggested that they would do very well to go constantly to nature for comparison ; and having copied a laurel leaf from the flat, to try sometimes how near they can come in precision and accuracy to their copied work when drawing the same leaf from nature. Even when they have passed all through the freehand series, and have really taken up " drawing from nature," they may, by referring back, find themselves often helped where nature offers them difficulties, as in the matter of foreshortened leaves, which are frequently very hard things to render, and of which many instances will be found in these books. One word may be said of the connection which Flower drawing [Far continuation, set fagt 3 of Cevtr. DANDELION LEAF. I tre i mler k jUrauim^ Koato.— i, l dLA^.^ie i SON, LIMITED. IVY LEAVES. HART'S-TONGUE FERN. DIELYTRA. NIGHTSHADE. JAPANESE ANEMONES, WILD CONVOLVULUS. COLUMBINE. POPPY. VERB FOSTER'S DRAWING COPY-BOOKS. PLANTS AND FLOWERS— Coniinued. has to Ornament, and why they should both be contained in the same series. All good ornament is founded on natural forms, and the man who did not know something about the beauty and the laws of natural forms, never yet made good ornament. For designers, therefore, foliage and flowers have to become a special and serious part of their studies, and that be/ore they can make good ornament. That is why, in the series, the books of "Leaves" (D^, D^), " Plants" (£1, £2), and " Flowers " (F^, F^)— all " FROM NATURE"— have been placed before the books of conventional Ornament. These Books have been specially prepared to demonstrate the great dependence of Ornament on natural forms ; while books are devoted to Conventional treatment of Foliage and Flowers, and lead up (through H^, — " Ornamental Objects ") to the books of "Ornament" (P-I*). GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. The general rule to be followed in copying the examples is this : — First, to sketch the main lines of growth — the stems and central veins of the leaves (taking care to make these at the same inclin- ation as in the example) ; next, to mark the principal points — the ends of the leaves, the centres of the flowers, and the divisions or points of the petals — and to sketch the general outline ; then follows the sketching of each part, the smaller detail being left to the last. Then the whole should be carefully lined in, and the sketching lines, which are not covered by the completed drawing, removed. The student should be as thoughtful in putting his first sketching lines on paper as in completing his last finishing touch, although for the latter more steadiness of hand and skill are required ; but the placing of every line requires equal thought from first to last ; and let the student remember that however easy a thing may look, to copy it well he requires to do his best. He should try always to have only lines on his paper that really mean something, so that, at whatever stage his drawing may be, he will not be ashamed if his teacher should see it. Steadiness of hand and correctness of eye will not come at once. But until they do come, let the student persevere in drawing a clean line and leaving a clean paper, and take it for a sign that though he may not be skilful, at least he is not careless. PRACTICAL HINTS. Position of the Body.— The student should sit square to the desk or table, which should be of sufficient height that he may sit nearly upright. The right hand should be supported by the wrist and little finger, and the pencil should be held much as a pen in writing, but rather more upright, and held freely but firmly between the thumb and the first and second fingers, the distance between the forefinger and the point of the pencil being a little more than an inch. Position of the Book.— The bottom of the book should be kept parallel with the front edge of the desk, and as far from it as the convenience of the pupil may require, to allow the free action of the right arm and hand. Pencils, India-rubber, &c.— For Freehand Drawing H B or F pencils are mostly used; for general use H B is to be preferred. The india-rubber should not be kept in the hand or in the pocket, as there will always be a certain amount of moisture, which, adhering to the rubber, will render it unfit for use. The importance of always having a good point on the pencil, and a sharp knife to cut it in the form shown at the top of the chapter, cannot be too strongly impressed on young artists. A blunt point and a stumpy pencil are liable to produce a bad line and unsteady drawing. Ink-eraser should not be used, as it destroys the surface of the paper. Always use a loose sheet to put under the hand. Begin at the top and draw the upper portion of the left side first. The value of this advice will be found when actually drawing, as, by beginning either at the bottom of the drawing, or at the right-hand side, the hand would cover up the work as it proceeds, smearing it, and also giving additional difficulty in drawing the two sides alike. r VERE FOSTER'S DRAWING-BOOK. EACH BOOK WITH INSTRUCTIONS AND PAPER TO DRAW ON. PRICE TWOPENCE EACH NUMBER. NEW EDITION. NEW EDITION. FREEHAND SERIES (20 Numbers). Al Elementary — Easy Objects (Straight Lines). A 2 Elementary— Simple Obj ects ( Straight Lines). Bl Straight Line Objects (Flat). B2 Straight Line Objects (Perspective). CI Curved Line Objects (Flat). C2 Curved Line Objects (Perspective). Dl Leaves from Nature— Simplest Forms. D2 Natural Foliage and Sprays. E 1 Plants from Nature. E 2 Simple Floral Forms. F 1 Flowers from Nature. F2 Flowers and Fruit. Gl Ornamental Leaves. G2 Ornamental Foliage and Fruit. H 1 Ornamental Objects (Simple). H2 Ornamental Objects (Advanced). 1 1 Elementary Ornament. 1 2 Floral Ornaments, Pateras, &c. 1 3 Anthemion and Ornamental Forms 1 4 Advanced Outline Ornament. LANDSCAPE SERIES (12 Numbers). Jl Trees— Oak, Fir, &c. J 2 Trees— Beech, Elm, &c. J 3 Trees— Ash, Chestnut, &c. J 4 Trees — Larch, Lime, Willow, &c. Kl Landscape— Simple Sketching and Shading. K2 Landscape — Sketches Boldly Shaded. K3 Landscape— Fully Shaded Drawings. K4 Landscape— Highly Finished Sketches, &c. LI Rustic Figures. By E. Duncan, R.W.S. Ml Marine Objects— Boats, &c. M2 Fishing Boats, Coasters, &c. M 3 Yachts, Vessels, Studies of Water, &c. ANIMAL AND HUMAN FIGURE (16 Numbers) Elementary Animal Drawing. 1 Quadrupeds and Birds. 02 Poultry, various breeds. 03 British Small Birds. 04 British Wild Animals. 05 Horses (Arab, Hunter, Dray, &c.). 06 Horses (Racer, Pony, Mule). 07 Dogs (Seventeen Species). 08 Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, &c. 09 Cattle, Lambs, Ass, Foal, &c. 010 Foreign Wild Animals. 011 Cats and Kittens. 01 Human Figure — Elementary. 02 Human Figure in Outline. Q3 Human Figure in Outline (Advanced). Q4 Human Figure— Slightly Shaded. GEOMETRICAL SERIES (10 Numbers). Rl Practical Geometry— Simple Problems. R2 Practical Geometry (Circle, Ellipse, &c.). R 3 Applied Geometry. R 4 Solid Geometry. S 1 Drawing to Scale— Simple Lessons. S 2 Drawing to Scale — More Advanced. Tl Mechanical (Initiatory Subjects). T 2 Details of Tools, &c. T 3 Working Drawings, Mechanics, &c. T 4 Details of Machines, &c. V 4 Model and Object Drawing (Advanced). W Shaded Models. PERSPECTIVE, MODEL DRAWING, SHADING (14 Numbers), Ul Perspective (Definitions, &c.). U 2 Perspective (Picture Plane, Ground Plane), U3 Perspective (Circles, Pyramids, Objects). U4 Perspective (Squares, Cylinders, Objects). V 1 Model and Object Drawing (Simple). V2 Model and Object Drawing (Advanced). V3 Model and Object Drawing (Advanced). Z Blank Book (40 pages of Drawing Paper). X 1 Shaded Ornament — Easy Shading. X 2 Shaded Ornament— Simple Shading. X 3 Shaded Ornament— Advanced Shading. Y 1 Architectural Drawing— Plans and Sections. Y 2 Architectural Drawing— Elevations & Details. VERE FOSTER'S ANNUAL COMPETITION IN WRITING AND DRAWING— ( vere foster's complete course of drawing-New edition. EIGHTEEN PARTS, 1. Elementary. 2. Objects. 3. Plants. 4. Leaves — Omamenta') Fohage. 5. Ornament. 6. Trees. 7. Landscape. 8. Marine, &c. 9. Cats, Dogs, &c. NINEP ENCE EACH. 10. Cattle, &c. 11. Horses, &c. 12. Human Figure. 13. Geometry. 14. Mechanical. 15. Perspective. 16. Model Drawing. 17. Drawing to Scale— Archi- tectural. 18. Shading. VERE FOSTER'S WATER-COLOUR BOOKS. Landscape Painting for Beginners. 1st Stage. 3 Parts, 6d. each; or cloth, 2s. 6d. Landscape Painting for Beginners. 2nd Stage. 4 Parts., 6d. each; cloth, 33. Flower Painting for Beginners. 4 Parts, 6d. each; in cloth, 3» Animal Painting for Beginners. 4 Parts, 6d. each; in cloth, 3«. Simple Lessons in Flower Painting, 4 Parts, 6d. each; or cloth, 3«. Simple Lessons in Landscape Painting. 4 Parts, 6d. each; or cloth, 3s. Trees: in Pencil and Colours. 8 Parts, 9d. each; or 2 Vols, cloth, is. each. Marine Painting. (Duncan & Turner.) 4 Parts, 9d. each; cloth, 4s. British Landscape. (Duncan & Turner.) 4 Parts, 9d. each; cloth, 4j. Illuminating. 4 Parts, 9c?. each; or cloth, 4s. Sketches in Water Colours. 4 Parts, Is. each; or cloth, 6s. Advanced Flower Painting. 6 Parts, 9rf. each; or cloth, 6s. Landseer and Animal Painting. 4 Parts, Is. each; cloth, 6s. Reynolds and Children's Portraiture. 4 Parts, Is. each; cloth, 6* Turner's Liber Studiorum, Selections from. 4 Parts, 12s. Gd. each; cloth, £2, 12s. 6d. and List of Prizes post free on application