HINTS 
 
 ON 
 
 LANDSCAPE PAINTING, 
 
 WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY SIX ENGRAVINGS. 
 By J. W. ALSTON. 
 
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 THE 
 
 COUNTESS OF DALKEITH. 
 
 Madam, 
 
 The honour which you ham had 
 the goodness to confer, in allowing me to 
 prefix to my little work a Name not less 
 respected than illustrious, has emboldened 
 me in offering it to the world. 
 
 Accept, Madam, the expression of sincere 
 gratitude from 
 
 Your Ladyship's 
 
 Obliged and Obedient Servant, 
 
 J. W. ALSTON. 
 
 Edinburgh, May 16, 1320. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag 
 
 Sect. I. — Preparation of the Paper 1 
 
 II. — Choice of a Subject 5 
 
 III. — Drawing the Outlines - - - 7 
 
 IV. — Shading in Indian Ink - - 19 
 V. — Coloured Drawings - - - - 25 
 
 VI. — Laying on the Gray Tint - 30 
 VII. — The various Objects of the 
 
 Piece 37 
 
 VIII.— The Sky 42 
 
 IX. — Of drawing from Nature - 46 
 X. — Different Mixtures of Co- 
 lours 52 
 
 XI. — Masters worthy of Imitation 54 
 XII. — Method of leaving out the 
 Lights in Water-colour 
 Drawings ------- 57 
 
 Preparation of Colours for Painting 
 on Velvet - _ 6'1 
 
HINTS 
 
 ON 
 
 LANDSCAPE PAINTING 
 
 L 
 
 PREPARATION OF THE PAPER, &C. 
 
 Before you attempt to exercise the 
 first rules of Drawing, it is necessary 
 that you should be instructed in the 
 manner of preparing the paper. 
 
 You must procure a board : let it be 
 of well-seasoned wood, — beech, plane-tree, 
 or mahogany, are perhaps the best. Let 
 
2 
 
 it be about twenty inches in length by 
 fifteen in breadth; about half an inch 
 thick, with a smooth plain surface. 
 This will be a sufficient size till you 
 arrive at some degree of excellence in 
 your study. 
 
 Take then a piece of vellum paper, 
 and cut it to whatever magnitude you 
 choose to begin with; — say, as large as 
 a fourth part of your board ; a greater 
 extent might fatigue the patience too 
 much at the beginning. Lay your paper 
 flat upon the board, and go lightly over 
 the whole surface of it with a piece of 
 sponge and clean water: then turn over 
 ' the dry side, and go over it in the like 
 manner. After allowing it to absorb 
 the water for a minute or so, you again 
 
3 
 
 turn up the first wet side, and wipe the 
 edges round, not exceeding half an inch 
 inwards, with a dry towel or a clean 
 handkerchief. This done, you must take 
 a little thick paste on the point of one 
 of your fingers, and spread it thinly along 
 the space you formerly went over with 
 the towel, inclining about half an inch 
 within the edges. After which you turn 
 down your paper, with the pasted side 
 next the board: then press down the 
 edges of it with your fingers, till they 
 become so perfectly smooth^ that not the 
 smallest wrinkle shall appear. You may 
 then put down the board in some cool 
 corner of your apartment, that the damp- 
 ness of the paper may evaporate gradu- 
 ally : in drying too hastily, it is apt to 
 split, and go in pieces. 
 
4 
 
 You must not begin your outlines im- 
 mediately on the paper becoming flat with 
 the board: it must be thoroughly dry, 
 not retaining the smallest degree of mois- 
 ture ; otherwise, the black-lead pencil, in- 
 stead of making lines on the surface, will 
 make such incisions as shall defy the 
 power of Indian rubber to efface. 
 
 When the paper has been completely 
 prepared, the next thing to be attended 
 to is, the outlines of the piece from which 
 you intend to draw. 
 
5 
 
 n, 
 
 CHOICE OF A SUBJECT, &C. 
 
 Make choice of the easiest design you 
 possibly can procure for the first essay. 
 Small drawings in Indian ink are unques- 
 tionably the best models. If circumstances 
 prevent your obtaining these, you can 
 have recourse to another source of instruc- 
 tion, that of copying engravings in aqua- 
 tinta. Though very inferior to well-exe- 
 cuted original drawings, they are, never- 
 theless, good substitutes ; and may be 
 considered as a rich magazine of design 
 for beginners. They are to be had in al- 
 most all the printsellers' shops throughout 
 the kingdom. Those which are most to 
 be recommended are executed by Alkin, 
 Bluck, and Medland. 
 
Let the subjects you commence with 
 consist of small cot-houses, bridges, and 
 single trees. By practising on such sim- 
 ple things, you acquire a knowledge of 
 drawing perpendicular and horizontal 
 lines: crowded designs in the beginning 
 would only confuse and perhaps dishearten 
 you, insomuch that it might be the cause 
 of making you relinquish all pretensions 
 to one of the first accomplishments in the 
 world. 
 
 Having explained to you the necessary 
 arrangements before the commencement of 
 the performance, I must endeavour to set 
 you down to the operative part, with the 
 black lead pencil in your hand. 
 
III. 
 
 DRAWING THE OUTLINES. 
 
 Observe, in sitting down to draw, 
 that your face do not appear fronting 
 the window by which you receive the 
 light; in writing it may do well enough, 
 but sitting so while drawing would be 
 an error of the grossest nature imagina- 
 ble; — you must be placed in such a 
 manner that the left side of your head 
 becomes opposed to the light ; by which 
 means the rays of light pass sideways, 
 an*l fall upon your drawing free from all 
 obstruction. 
 
 The outline being the first and most 
 material part of a drawing, it becomes 
 
8 
 
 necessary that you should on that part 
 bestow your greatest attention. 
 
 The board on which your paper is 
 prepared, ought to be placed on a table 
 directly before you : it must be equally 
 adjusted by the eye ; that is, the under 
 part of the board ought to run in a 
 parallel direction with the two eyes: 
 unless it be so placed, you will find 
 great difficulty in drawing either hori- 
 zontal or perpendicular lines. One of 
 the ends of the board must be raised 
 a little above the level of the table, to 
 about the slope of a writing desk : this 
 may be done by putting a book or two 
 under the one end. 
 
9 
 
 The size of the piece you intend 
 drawing from may be measured off with 
 a pair of compasses, or what is perhaps 
 less troublesome and equally true, place 
 your model flat down upon the paper 
 on your board* then pierce the four 
 corners of the square with a pin point, 
 which, with a small pressure, will easily 
 penetrate through your model, and also 
 leave the impresssion prominent enough 
 in your paper. After which, you may 
 take the black-lead pencil and a ruler, 
 and draw four pretty bold lines from 
 point to point; which, of course, com- 
 pletes your square. 
 
 Before you begin the outlines, take 
 your compasses, and first divide the 
 under part of the square of your model 
 
10 
 
 into five equal parts, then both the side- 
 lines — marking each of these divisions 
 with your black-lead pencil, thus | : 
 after which you must divide and mark 
 out the square of your own piece in the 
 like manner. You will find, in compar- 
 ing these marks with the subject of jour 
 model, that some of them will happen 
 to be opposite, or in line, with some 
 of the most striking objects of your 
 model, by which means you will be able 
 to form an idea (ere you put the pencil 
 to the paper) of the general dimensions 
 of its outlines. By adhering carefully 
 to this rule, you will find the outlining 
 by no means so arduous an undertaking 
 as you at first may imagine ; it will also 
 serve to create in you the spirit of per- 
 severance and enthusiasm, which will 
 
11 
 
 carry you wilh delight through the more 
 intricate parts of your study. 
 
 If your model consist of a cot-house 
 and a single tree, let the first line you 
 draw be the ground line on which the 
 house is supposed to stand ; and be sure 
 you are accurate in that, before you pro- 
 ceed a step further, it being the leading 
 feature ; consequently it must be marked 
 with the greatest precision. 
 
 When the ground line is completed, 
 you may begin next with the largest 
 lines of the house. If it be represented 
 in such a point of view as to show the 
 gable and one of the sides at the same 
 time, you must draw the two perpendi- 
 cular lines which form the gable; then 
 
12 
 
 that which terminates the side of the 
 house; making yourself sure that these 
 three lines are perfectly correct and up- 
 right; as beginners in general are apt 
 to draw the perpendicular lines inclining 
 to one side, from the habit of writing so. 
 To avoid this, let your drawing board be 
 as before mentioned, adjusted exactly 
 before you on the table ; and when you 
 draw the upright line, let your eyes be 
 equally divided, that is, one on each side 
 of the line, while in the act of drawing 
 it: the eyes being so disposed must at 
 once inform you if the perpendicular 
 inclines in the smallest degree to the one 
 side or the other. Your inexperienced 
 eye may perhaps be incapable of judging 
 in this manner : if it appear so, you can 
 have recourse to another rule, by which 
 
13 
 
 you will be able to ascertain to a cer- 
 tainty, whether an upright line inclines 
 but the breadth of a single hair to either 
 side. When the upright line is lightly 
 drawn, take a piece of paper, and mea^- 
 sure the distance from the bottom of it, 
 to one or other of the lines which termi- 
 nate the two ends of the square of your 
 drawing ; make a point with your pencil 
 of the exact distance ; you have then to 
 measure from the top of the line in the 
 way you did that of the bottom; you 
 will then find, that if the line drawn be 
 a true perpendicular, the top of it will 
 be precisely at the same distance from 
 the line terminating the square of your 
 drawing, as that at the bottom; if not, 
 the measure will convince you to which 
 side it inclines, which you must correct, 
 
14 
 
 till it becomes of an equal distance at 
 lop and bottom. 
 
 When you have got the first upright 
 line drawn accuratety, you may then 
 consider it as a standard by which you 
 may correct or regulate all other per- 
 pendicular or upright lines in your piece. 
 Supposing you to have completed the three 
 perpendicular lines, equal in height and 
 breadth with those of your model, you 
 must then endeavour to put the roof on 
 them. Take your compasses and find 
 the centre of the two lines which form 
 the gable; this done, you must draw a 
 faint perpendicular line between the two 
 forming the gable, from the ground to 
 the top of the cot-house ; from the top of 
 which line you draw the two sloping 
 
15 
 
 ones, terminating in the perpendicular 
 lines, which form the gable; you may 
 then draw the horizontal line, or upper 
 part of the cot-house roof, then the last 
 sloping one, which must run in a parallel 
 direction with one of those lines already 
 drawn to form the roof on the gable; 
 after which, you draw the under part of 
 the roof, running in parallel with the 
 upper part. The door and windows are 
 easily delineated; you have only to re- 
 member that they are composed of short 
 horizontal and perpendicular lines. 
 
 To draw the tree or trees, begin with 
 the trunk and stems, then the extremi- 
 ties of the leaves in little irregular lines, 
 which you will observe on examining the 
 real leaf. 
 
16 
 
 You must likewise remember, although 
 you draw straight lines, they must not 
 have the appearance of being drawn 
 with a rule, they ought to be broken 
 in different parts, and seem apparently 
 done with a trembling hand ; it is neces- 
 sary that they should produce such an ef- 
 fect, and at the same time retain their 
 straightness. 
 
 When the outlines are completely 
 finished, there may be a little shading 
 added, which will give force and spirit 
 to the composition. As this can be ea- 
 sier described with the pencil than the 
 pen, I have here inserted a small sketch, 
 which will convey the idea in the clearest 
 light. 
 
17 
 
 I would have you go on in the man- 
 ner of this sketch, not attempting any 
 further finishing till you become master 
 of the black-lead pencil, or, at least, 
 till you are able to handle it with ease 
 and facility. 
 
 There can be nothing more preposter- 
 ous than teachers giving their scholars 
 highly-finished coloured drawings to copy, 
 before they are capable of drawing the 
 simple outline. What is the consequence 
 in such cases? — The indulgent teacher 
 executes by far the greater part of them, 
 which not only flatters the scholar, but 
 also prompts the fond parents to encou- 
 rage the very sycophant, who is busy all 
 the while stemming the current of their 
 children's genius. 
 
18 
 
 When you have drawn so long in black- 
 lead as to become capable of delineating 
 the outlines of any landscape whatever 
 with ease to yourself, it is full time then 
 that you be made acquainted with the 
 practice of the hair pencil. It is then 
 you may with propriety betake yourself to 
 shading in Indian ink. You must pro- 
 cure a cake of Indian ink, and three or 
 four hair pencils of different sizes; the 
 largest to be used in doing the sky, the 
 second size for laying in the general effect 
 or dead colouring, the third size (which I 
 believe are all that are necessary) will 
 answer in finishing trees, hills, buildings, 
 figures, &c. 
 
19 
 
 IV. 
 
 OF THE SHADING IN INDIAN INK. 
 
 When you have completed your out- 
 line from an Indian ink drawing, or an 
 engraving in aquatinta, you must get a 
 cup full of clean water, and a plain stone 
 plate ; then dip one of the ends of the 
 cake into the water, then rub a little of it 
 down upon the inside of the plate, and 
 mix it with the brush and water till you 
 bring it to any consistency you wish to 
 produce ; after which you may begin your 
 drawing. Let the second sized brush be 
 the first used, beginning with a very deli- 
 cate shade in the most distant parts, laying 
 it on gradually darker as you approach 
 the foreground. You must be very care- 
 ful in laying on this first shade or dead 
 
20 
 
 colouring ; if you err, let your error be 
 on the safe side; that is, never let your 
 tints appear darker than those of the piece 
 from which you are drawing. 
 
 To prevent your making it too dark, 
 it is necessary you should have a piece of 
 paper between your drawing and your 
 hand, on which you ought to try the 
 strength of every tint ere you lay it on. 
 This is a precaution which must not be 
 neglected. 
 
 When the first shade, or dead colour- 
 ing is laid in, it will produce a faint 
 resemblance of your copy; at least it 
 ought to be so shaded as to preserve a 
 degree of light and shade throughout the 
 whole of your piece. 
 
21 
 
 You may next proceed to the second 
 shade, beginning in the same manner as 
 the first, with the most distant objects, 
 and darkening gradually to the fore- 
 ground, only endeavouring to imitate 
 as near as possible the character and ef- 
 fect of your original. You must observe 
 at the same time, that you do not at- 
 tempt going over the same shade a se- 
 cond time, till the first becomes perfect- 
 ly dry ; as the tint half dry, and the one 
 newly laid on, never, unite together in 
 harmony, but, on the contrary, produce a 
 muddiness which can never be brought to 
 look well. 
 
 When the second shade of Indian ink 
 is completed in the manner described, 
 you will find some small degree of grati- 
 fication for your labour, as your drawing 
 
22 
 
 ought to have a considerable claim of 
 likeness to the model, and will incite 
 you to go through the finishing part with 
 pleasure. 
 
 The third shade, or finishing, must be 
 performed with the smallest brush, be- 
 ginning with the most remote part, and 
 finishing every object as you proceed to 
 the foreground. You must observe, at 
 the same time, that no small, trifling 
 touches appear in the distant parts. 
 There ought to be few small touches seen 
 in the remote parts of a drawing, unless 
 you mean with one small touch to repre- 
 sent whole objects; such as a tree, a 
 house, &c. : in such cases it is absolutely 
 necessary, and seldom fails in producing 
 an excellent effect. 
 
93 
 
 When your piece is finished from 
 the distant parts to the foreground the 
 third time, it ought then to have all 
 the effect of the model from which it is 
 copied. If there appear a want of force 
 or colour, you must work upon it till 
 you bring out the proper effect of the 
 whole ; after which you must proceed to 
 the sky. 
 
 Take your black-lead pencil, and out- 
 line the clouds very faintly, and with 
 great accuracy : take the second-sized 
 hair pencil and a tint of Indian ink, 
 and shade the dark side of the clouds; 
 softening them always lighter as you 
 approach their extremities : after which 
 you may take the largest hair pencil 
 pretty full of colour, and begin at the 
 
24 
 
 top of your piece, cutting about the ex- 
 tremities of the clouds, and weakening 
 the tint with water as you descend, till 
 the shade becomes so faint that it mixes 
 insensibly with the paper in the horizon. 
 You must also observe, that the sweeps 
 of the brush are to be carried in one 
 direction, particularly when the shade is 
 of great magnitude. You must never be 
 sparing of your colour. Drawings done 
 with a scanty proportion of colour in 
 the brush have always an insipid and 
 very laboured effect. 
 
 When your piece becomes complete- 
 ly finished, let it stand for some time at 
 a moderate distance from the fire, that 
 the dampness occasioned by the shading 
 may be entirely evaporated. You may 
 
25 
 
 then take a knife and cut it off' the 
 board, a little within the edges by which 
 it is pasted. Were you to cut it from 
 the board without drying it a little be- 
 fore the fire, your paper would blister, 
 which might lessen the effect of your 
 drawing considerably. 
 
 V. 
 
 OF COLOURED DRAWINGS. 
 
 You ought to continue drawing in 
 Indian ink till you have acquired a 
 thorough and practical knowledge of 
 the distribution of lights and shadows. 
 There are many, indeed, who, after hav- 
 ing attained a degree of excellence in 
 this mode of drawing, content them- 
 selves with the acquisition, finding it an 
 
26 
 
 almost inexhaustible source of amuse- 
 ment ; but these are, in general, the few 
 whose limited abilities will not permit 
 them to soar to the grand study of nature 
 in her varied hues. 
 
 It must be allowed, that drawings well 
 executed in Indian ink, with a strong 
 wash of raw Terra de Sienna thrown 
 over them, produce a very beautiful 
 effect: they are preferable to coloured 
 ones poorly managed. Nevertheless they 
 appear contemptible when put in com- 
 petition with a faithful representation of 
 nature in colours. 
 
 Although you have acquired a partial 
 knowledge of light and shade, from the 
 works of different artists, in one colour, 
 
27 
 
 it would be highly improper for you at 
 that period to abandon your masters 
 and transport yourself into the country, 
 expecting there to find the colouring 
 laid open at large to every looker-on. 
 Thousands make the journey; but the 
 result, for the most part, is a melan- 
 choly disappointment. Nature only un- 
 veils her beauties to those who have 
 perseverance and genius to comprehend 
 her. 
 
 To attain a knowledge of the colour- 
 ing, it is necessary you should, in the 
 first place, be made to understand what 
 colours are requisite to complete the per- 
 formance. The following colours are per- 
 haps sufficient to represent any effect which 
 nature may display. 
 
28 
 
 Prussian Blue Cologne Earth 
 
 Lake Indigo 
 
 Yellow Ochre Solution of Sap- 
 Gamboge Green 
 
 Burnt Terra de Light Red 
 
 Sienna Orange Lead 
 
 Raw ditto King's Yellow and 
 
 Burnt Umbre Sapia 
 
 Composition of the different grays which 
 may be used in laying in the ground tint 
 of a landscape. 
 
 What is commonly called Smith's 
 gray is composed of lake, yellow ochre, 
 and Prussian blue. Payne composes his 
 of Indigo, raw Terra de Sienna, and 
 lake ; light red and Prussian blue make 
 also a good gray; but that which is 
 most generally used is a composition of 
 
29 
 
 Prussian blue, lake, and Indian ink. These 
 three ingredients last mentioned, when 
 carefully mixed together, make an exceed- 
 ing fine aerial or gray tint; and being 
 easier to work with than any of the others, 
 you may for that reason alone, make it 
 your choice. 
 
 When you begin colouring, you must 
 procure, if possible, a good original 
 drawing for your model. Copying a 
 number of indifferent things at the com- 
 mencement, will not only give you a 
 false taste, but tend to extinguish those 
 sparks which nature may have kindled 
 in your mind. You must also beware 
 of cultivating acquaintance with coloured 
 prints: though they were well enough 
 
30 
 
 as lessons in black and white, they 
 would prove very pernicious if used as 
 the same in colouring. In fact, you ought 
 to be able to discriminate between the 
 good and the bad, otherwise you must, 
 of course, be frequently led astray. A 
 little experience, however, and the pe- 
 rusal of the works of two or three au- 
 thors that I shall point out to you here- 
 after, will, perhaps, serve to remove that 
 obstacle. 
 
 VI. 
 
 OF LAYING ON THE GRAY OR AERIAL 
 TINT. 
 
 When you have drawn the outline, 
 you must get a clean stone plate, and a 
 cup full of clean water, and rub down 
 
31 
 
 a little of the indigo and lake, with a 
 very small quantity of Indian ink : you 
 may then mix them well together with 
 the brush, till the colours are completely 
 incorporated with each other, observing 
 that the blue appear the most predomi- 
 nant colour. The extreme distance may 
 be done with indigo and lake, without 
 the addition of Indian ink ; or if used at 
 all, let it be in the smallest proportion. 
 
 You must begin with the most distant 
 parts first, adding gradually as you ap- 
 proach the nearer objects a little more of 
 the Indian ink and lake to the aerial tint, 
 till you arrive at the foreground, which 
 may be almost entirely done with Indian 
 ink : at least it must be by far the pre- 
 dominating ingredient. 
 
32 
 
 The atmosphere can have little or no 
 effect upon the colouring of foreground 
 objects, except in a thick fog, when the 
 whole earth appears lost in a cloud of mist ; 
 an effect which is seldom represented in a 
 drawing. 
 
 When you have given your piece the 
 first shade, or dead colouring, in the man- 
 ner above described, you must mix up 
 the aerial tint again as near that which 
 you began the distant parts with as pos- 
 sible, beginning with the extreme dis- 
 tances, and ending, as before, with al- 
 most Indian ink alone in the foreground. 
 You must continue repeating the gray 
 tint, till you produce an exact represen- 
 tation of the light and shade of your 
 copy. Your piece must, when finished 
 
33 
 
 with the gray or aerial tint, have all the 
 effect of a drawing done in Indian ink ; 
 only somewhat lighter, and the finishing 
 less minutely made out. 
 
 When you have produced the gene- 
 ral effect of the terrestrial part of your 
 piece, the sky ought next to employ 
 your attention. You must mix up a lit- 
 tle of the aerial tint, then take a pretty 
 large brush and tint the clouds softly; 
 washing faintly towards their extremities 
 with almost nothing in the brush but 
 water ; by which means the terminations 
 join softly with the aerial tint, and give 
 the clouds that roundness, without which 
 they would have a flat and very unnatural 
 effect. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 To produce the- effect of the serene 
 unclouded part of the sky, you must 
 take the largest brush, and a light tint 
 of Prussian blue ; then begin at the top 
 of your drawing, washing it faintly to- 
 wards the horizon with clean water. 
 This, perhaps, is the most difficult part 
 of drawing to the beginner, it being 
 necessary to attend to so many different 
 parts at once. 
 
 In the first place, you must endea- 
 vour to lay the tint flat; secondly, to 
 cut round the light extremities of the 
 clouds; and lastly, to weaken the tint 
 gradually as you descend to the horizon. 
 To enable you the more readily to ac- 
 complish this arduous part of your study, 
 
35 
 
 you may take a broad flat camel's-hair 
 brush, and go lightly over the whole 
 surface of your drawing with a little 
 clean water. As soon as the paper be- 
 comes quite flat, you may begin to lay 
 on the shade of Prussian blue, when 
 you will be less apt to leave dark marks 
 or stains in the serene part, on account 
 of your drawing retaining a degree of the 
 dampness occasioned by going all over 
 it with the water. Should your drawing 
 be meant to represent an evening scene, 
 with the warm effulgence of the setting 
 sun, take a shade of burnt Terra de 
 Sienna, add to it a little of the same 
 colour raw, and mix them well together 
 on the plate; then take the flat brush 
 pretty full of the shade, and begin lay- 
 ing it on from the base line at the under 
 
36 
 
 part of your drawing, washing gradually 
 lighter as you proceed upwards. When 
 you have carried it pretty near the top, 
 take then a light tint of Prussian blue ; 
 join it with the warm shade, and then 
 continue washing up the blue till you 
 get entirely to the top. You may repeat 
 the warm tint two or three times: it 
 may be laid on strong enough at first, 
 only it seldom, if ever, produces so mild 
 an effect, as when frequently gone over 
 with light tints. 
 
 Should your piece be meant to repre- 
 sent the sun breaking forth in the morn- 
 ing, you may make use of raw Terra de 
 Sienna alone for the warm tint. You 
 must also remember that the warm tint 
 ought never to be put on till such time 
 
37 
 
 as your drawing is completely finished 
 with the gray, and the gradation of shade 
 in the sky laid in with the Prussian blue. 
 When the necessary glow of warmth is 
 given to your drawing, you must next 
 proceed to the colouring of the different 
 objects of which it is composed. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE VARIOUS OBJECTS OF THE PIECE. 
 
 If the horizon appear very red, the 
 distant objects will partake so much of 
 its colour, that their own will be almost 
 entirely lost, being so far removed from 
 the eye, and seen through the thick 
 maze of vapours arising from the earth 
 in a fine evening. The colouring of dis- 
 tant objects ought to be very lightly 
 
38 
 
 laid on, and appear in such harmony 
 with the sky, that the most remote of 
 them may be seen mingling insensibly 
 with the horizon. In colouring the dis- 
 tant parts, you may make use of gam- 
 boge and raw Terra de Sienna for the 
 yellows ; Prussian blue, added to either 
 of these, makes an excellent green for 
 tinting distant trees, bushes, hills, or 
 herbage of every description; a little 
 lake may be used likewise, particularly 
 in tinting objects near the horizon : when 
 mixed with gamboge, it approaches very 
 near the colour of the warm tint. These 
 colours are, in my opinion, sufficient 
 for tinting any part of a drawing, except- 
 ing the bold shades in the foreground. 
 When your colours are prepared, you 
 may begin tinting the most distant ob- 
 
39 
 
 jects, covering the gray or aerial tint 
 very lightly in the remote parts, and 
 gradually giving depth of colour as you 
 approach the foreground. 
 
 In colouring trees, let your tint al- 
 ways pass the extremities of the gray 
 touches; the same rule may be observ- 
 ed in doing hills; it gives to them that 
 lightness and transparency which so well 
 correspond with their characters; and, 
 if judiciously handled, will never fail in 
 producing a natural and pleasing effect. 
 The colouring of foreground objects 
 ought to appear fresh and lively; in- 
 stead of gamboge alone, let the ochre be 
 the predominating yellow on the nearer 
 parts of your piece. For the foliage of 
 foreground trees, make use of burnt 
 Terra de Sienna, Prussian blue, and a 
 
40 
 
 small quantity of the solution of sap- 
 green. It is also an admirable tint for 
 green slopes, turfing on rocks, or the 
 still-running parts of a river* when re- 
 presented near the eye. 
 
 You will find, when your drawing be- 
 comes coloured all over, that a consi- 
 derable part of the gray finishing on the 
 nearer objects will be obliterated, by the 
 strong shades of colour having repeatedly 
 been brought over them. Although this 
 cannot be avoided, it may, in a great 
 measurej be remedied. 
 
 Should your drawing, when coloured, 
 appear in want of that force in the fore- 
 ground which is necessary to make the 
 remoter parts recede from the eye ; you 
 must then take burnt Terra de Sienna, 
 
41 
 
 lake, and Indian ink ; mix them well toge- 
 ther pretty dark, at least darker than the 
 darkest part of your piece : you may then 
 take your smallest brush, and touch the 
 foreground parts wherever you think they 
 require additional force. You must, at 
 the same time, beware of wandering into 
 any of the distant parts with this colour, 
 otherwise you ruin all. You must also 
 be careful not to presume laying a wash 
 of colour over the dark-brown touches ; 
 the slightest pressure of the brush might 
 rub them up. You must, indeed, consider 
 it as the finishing touch to your piece ; and 
 although the effect is not to your wishes, 
 you must rather allow it to pass untouched, 
 than endeavour to improve any of the parts 
 touched with this colour. 
 
42 
 
 VIII. 
 
 OF PAINTING THE SKY. 
 
 As the sky is the part from whence a 
 drawing receives its lights and shadows, 
 and indisputably the most material of 
 all others, it is necessary therefore that 
 it should be well executed. It has be- 
 come a proverbial phrase among painters, 
 that " a bad sky spoils a good drawing, 
 and a good one will set an indifferent 
 drawing off to great advantage/' 
 
 When the sky is finished as soft and 
 mellow as possibly the brush can execute, 
 should any hardness or stain then appear 
 that may offend the eye (for even the 
 smallest speck would confound the ef- 
 fect of the whole piece;) if any such 
 
43 
 
 mark or hardness is perceptible in the 
 smallest degree, take a piece of sponge 
 pretty full of clean water, and begin at 
 the horizon of your drawing, washing- 
 it lightly upwards; guide the sweeps 
 of the sponge in a parallel direction 
 with the upper and lower lines of the 
 square of your drawing, observing at 
 the same time that you press but soft- 
 ly as you go along, which will pre- 
 vent rubbing up the grain of the pa- 
 per. You will find this not only makes 
 the hardness disappear, but also makes 
 an apparent improvement on the har- 
 mony of the sky. 
 
 Some painters are in the habit of 
 sponging every sky they paint. In large 
 drawings it is almost impossible to dis- 
 
44 
 
 pense with the use of it, but in small 
 drawings there is no necessity for ap- 
 plying it at all. 
 
 The office of the sponge is not limited 
 to the aerial department alone ; from its 
 general utility it may justly claim the 
 appellation of a cure for all defects in a 
 water-colour drawing. Should any par- 
 ticular part of your piece incur your dis- 
 approbation, the application of the 
 sponge will almost entirely erase it from 
 the paper, when you may substitute 
 something more agreeable in its place ; 
 but never attempt eradicating a second 
 time, otherwise you may be in danger of 
 ruffling the surface of the paper, which 
 would prevent the colour adhering smooth- 
 ly to it afterwards. 
 
45 
 
 Smoke seen floating along the surface 
 of distant lawns, or rising from a cottage 
 among dark trees, ever has, if judiciously 
 managed, a good effect, and adds won- 
 derfully to the animation of a picture. 
 You may produce such an effect with 
 very little trouble, and perhaps in the 
 most natural manner possible. 
 
 When your drawing is coloured, and 
 ready to be taken from the board, take 
 a brush and a little water, and in what- 
 ever part of the piece it may please you 
 to introduce the appearance of smoke, 
 mark it out with the water in any form 
 your imagination may conceive ; let the 
 wetness remain on the drawing till it be 
 nearly absorbed ; take then a bit of soft 
 bread or your handkerchief, and rub the 
 
46 
 
 moisture lightly off : when you will find 
 the effect better brought out, and more 
 spirited, than it could have been by 
 preserving laboriously the white paper 
 from the beginning. 
 
 The spray of water-falls may be re- 
 presented in the like manner ; also the 
 white broken waves dashing against the 
 rocks on a rugged beach. 
 
 IX. 
 
 OP DRAWING FROM NATURE. 
 
 To be capable of making a faithful 
 representation of nature in painting, is 
 certainly one of the richest acquisitions 
 of which the human mind is susceptible. 
 Is there aught the mimic pencil cannot 
 
47 
 
 depict ? The earth, the sea, and sky ; 
 nay, even the sun himself, whose hea- 
 venly rays of light make man turn aside 
 and hide his face, escape not the imi- 
 tative powers of the skilful painter. 
 What a valuable treasure must this art 
 be to those whose circumstances enable 
 them to make it the amusement of an 
 irksome hour! The pleasure derived 
 from such pastime must be inestimable, 
 when we compare the fate of the poor 
 young painter, with enthusiastic ardour 
 labouring from morning till night, un- 
 mindful of back and belly, living almost 
 alone on the love he bears his study. — 
 This is but too often the case with the 
 poet and painter ; their juvenile produc- 
 tions returning them barely wherewithal 
 to procure a scanty subsistence. Yet 
 
48 
 
 these are the few, the grandeur of whose 
 imaginations lead them on step by step, 
 till they arrive at the highest degree of 
 eminence. 
 
 If you would draw from nature, you 
 must, if you have not already, study the 
 rules of perspective, without a know- 
 ledge of which, you would be unable to 
 •give objects their due proportion as they 
 recede from the eye. Fergusson's Art 
 of Drawing in Perspective is the easiest 
 yet published, and contains all the rules 
 necessary in landscape painting. You 
 must study the theory of this work (which 
 by the way is no difficult task), till you 
 become perfectly capable of putting it in 
 practice ; which may be accomplished by 
 two or three times reading. 
 
49 
 
 In your first attempts from nature let 
 your own discretion be your guide. Do 
 not attempt to delineate a wide expanse 
 of variegated country. When the hand 
 of nature hath poured forth her charms 
 in beautiful disorder, such flights are 
 beyond ihe limits of an unexperienced 
 imagination. Let the unadorned fea- 
 tures of rural simplicity occupy your 
 early powers of imagination ;— the lone 
 cottage, partly obscured in the recesses 
 of a few old trees, and sheltered on 
 either side by the tufted heights of a 
 little rivulet, whose crystal fluid may be 
 seen supplying a trough for the purpose 
 of watering cattle, and refreshing the 
 weary swain at the noon-tide. In sce- 
 nery of this description the objects 
 
50 
 
 are few, the tints broad and plain, but 
 withal luxuriantly sweet. 
 
 With regard to the mode of execut- 
 ing your sketches from nature; make a 
 slight and general outline of the differ- 
 ent objects of which you intend your 
 piece to be composed ; not grasping at 
 more than the eye encompasses with 
 ease at one stretch : in the selection of 
 which, let one or other of these objects 
 appear in a more conspicuous point of 
 view than all the rest ; for the great aim 
 of the painter, as well as the poet, is to^ 
 place the principal object in the most 
 advantageous light. Having thus indis- 
 tinctly formed the prominent traits of 
 your view, you must then consider it in 
 
whole, by first examining your sketch, 
 then turning to nature and viewing the 
 objects with your eyes half shut : the 
 view, seen through this medium, ap- 
 pears as if obscured in a thin mist, con- 
 sequently the lesser parts vanish from 
 the sight, and leave palpably only the 
 bold leading features, which may be 
 compared with the first rude outline. 
 When you are satisfied in the justness 
 of your proportion, you ought then to 
 characterize the objects in detail; be- 
 stowing particular care on those parts 
 which appear to you the most interest- 
 ing. Your sketches from nature may be 
 minutely made out, spirited, and, at the 
 same time, destitute of any appearance of 
 servility. 
 
 / 
 
52 
 
 X. 
 
 DIFFERENT MIXTURES OF COLOURS. 
 
 Prussian blue and raw Terra de 
 Sienna make, perhaps, the best green 
 for the distant parts of a picture. Greens 
 for the middle ground may be com- 
 posed of gamboge and Prussian blue. 
 Burnt umbre, Prussian blue, and a little 
 of the solution of sap green, make an 
 admirable tint for the verdure of fore- 
 grounds, foliage of foreground trees, &c. 
 Indigo and burnt umbre make a good 
 sea green. 
 
 Light red and gamboge make an 
 orange tint for the nearer parts; lake, 
 and raw Terra de Sienna, for the dis- 
 tant. 
 
53 
 
 Foreground Browns. — Cologne earth, 
 burnt umbre, bistre, and burnt Terra 
 de Sienna, to be used separately for the 
 flat shades. In using one or other of 
 them, join it with a little of the solution 
 of sap green, as it makes the browns 
 work easier, and gives a brilliancy to 
 them, which they never can produce of 
 themselves. 
 
 Solution of Sap Green. — Take an ounce 
 of sap green, pound it in small pieces, 
 then put them into a two-ounce phial, 
 full of clear water. As soon as it be- 
 comes completely dissolved, it may be 
 used in the manner above described. 
 
54 
 XI. 
 
 MASTERS WORTHY OF IMITATION. 
 
 By studying nature attentively, you 
 
 will acquire a style peculiar to yourself. 
 
 But before you cherish any fixed habit, 
 
 which may be quite erroneous, and throw 
 
 rather behind, than tend to forward you 
 
 t 
 
 in your pursuit, I would recommend to 
 your attention the etchings of some of 
 the first Dutch landscape painters; they 
 afford the best specimens of rustic sce- 
 ner} r in the world. Make choice of Wa- 
 terloo for your master in grouping trees, 
 and you will never be disappointed of a 
 faithful guide: the more you attach 
 yourself to him, his greatness will in- 
 crease in proportion. The etchings of 
 
55 
 
 this celebrated artist may be met with 
 occasionally at sales. There are seve- 
 ral others of equal celebrity; among 
 these, Swanefeld, Both, Roos, Everdin- 
 gen, Deitrecy, Weirotter, are entitled to 
 the highest summit of fame; likewise 
 Potter and Berghen as cattle painters. 
 The etchings produced by those masters 
 form the richest repository of design to 
 which the young artist can apply him- 
 self. 
 
 There are several authors on painting 
 whose works are highly beneficial to young- 
 practitioners in the art of design. The 
 following works are esteemed as excellent. 
 The Discourses of Sir Joshua Reynolds ; 
 Treatise on Painting, from the Italian of 
 Leonardo da Vinci ; Letter on Land- 
 
56 
 
 scape Painting, from M. Gessner to 
 M. Fueslin, which is printed along with 
 the Idyls of the same author. 
 
 It would be unnecessary to mention 
 the numberless volumes on the same 
 head, particularly some of a very re- 
 cent birth ; which, unfortunatley, have 
 come into the world some time before 
 the arrival of the interpreter. We trust, 
 however, he will make his appearance 
 ere the moths have wholly consumed 
 the shelves on which they are " laid up 
 to dry." 
 
XII. 
 
 METHOD OF LEAVING OUT THE LIGHTS 
 IN WATER-COLOUR DRAWINGS. 
 
 If the lights of your piece be many 
 and intricate, it becomes rather a labo- 
 rious task to preserve them broad and 
 clear, although one much in the habit of 
 drawing may find little or no difficulty in 
 it. Many indeed spurn the idea of using 
 any assistance that may be deemed me- 
 chanical (a sure proof of a genuine and 
 noble imagination) ; nevertheless any aid 
 or assistance that can be thrown in the 
 way of the unexperienced painter may 
 not be altogether disregarded. 
 
58 
 
 Liquid for preserving the Light. 
 
 When you have done the outline with 
 the black-lead pencil, take the yolk of 
 a raw egg, mix it with water on your 
 plate or palette, to the consistency of any 
 other colour in fluid: after which take 
 your hair pencil full of it, and stop out all 
 the parts of your drawing you may intend 
 leaving light. This done, you may lay 
 in, after the usual manner, the dead co- 
 louring, or gray. When finished with the 
 dead colour, let the dampness evaporate 
 entirely. Take afterwards a crumb of 
 pretty soft bread, and you will find, by 
 applying it in place of Indian rubber, that 
 all the touches done with the egg will fly 
 off, and leave the paper as pure as before 
 you began your drawing. 
 
59 
 
 There are other liquids which answer 
 the same purpose, but this is the simplest, 
 and suits the same end in every respect ; 
 consequently, it would be but tiring your 
 patience to give an account of a parcel 
 of chemical ingredients, which, when com- 
 pounded in a hundred different shapes, 
 cannot equal, far less surpass, the utility 
 and effect of the simple yolk of a hen's 
 egg- 
 
61 
 
 PREPARATION OF COLOURS 
 
 FOR 
 
 PAINTING ON VELVET. 
 
 No. 1. — Gum Water. 
 
 Dissolve gum astragant (or dragon) 
 in water, to the consistency of oil. 
 
 No. 2.— Yellow. 
 
 Boil a handful of French berries in a 
 pint of water, adding a lump of alum. 
 
No. 3. — Green. 
 Boil half a lib. of verdegris, and half 
 a lib. of cream of Tartar, in a quart of 
 water. 
 
 No. 4. — Crimson. 
 Boil half an ounce of carmine in a 
 quart of water, over a slow fire till it 
 bubbles ; add then an ounce of sal- 
 ammoniac. 
 
 No. 5. — Rose Colours. 
 Saffron flowers prepared in saucers, 
 as sold in some shops, and called the 
 saucer colour. 
 
63 
 
 No. 6. — Bright Blue. 
 Mix a pound of indigo with three 
 ounces of oil of vitriol and a little water ; 
 shake the bottle every day till the whole 
 is dissolved. This may be made paler, 
 by adding more water. 
 
 No. 7- — Dark Blue. 
 Grind half a pound of Prussian blue 
 very fine with water; add an ounce of 
 smoking spirit of salt, shake them together 
 till dissolved ; add a quart of water, let 
 it settle a day ; then put off the water, and 
 preserve the colour in a moist state. 
 
 No. 8.-- Black. 
 Take common ink. 
 
64 
 
 No. 9.— -Paler Black. 
 Genuine Indian ink. 
 
 No. 10. — Orange Colour. 
 Saffron dissolved in water. 
 
 MIXING OF THE COLOURS. 
 
 Bright green; mix No. 2, 3, 6, and a 
 
 small quantity of No. 8. 
 Dark green; mix No. 7, 8, and 10. 
 
 Pale green ; No. % 3, and 10. 
 
 Blue green; No. 3, much diluted. 
 
 Green foregrounds ; No. 2, 3, 8, and 10, 
 
 much diluted. 
 
65 
 
 Dark red ; mix No. 4, exposed for a con- 
 siderable time to the air. 
 Violet Colour, mix No. 4, 5, and 6. 
 
 Scarlet No. 4, 5, and 10. 
 
 Browns No. 2, 4, 8, and 10. 
 
 Ditto No. 4, 5, 8, a little diluted. 
 
 Ditto No. 2, 8, much diluted. 
 
 Purple. 
 
 Half a lib. of Logwood chips, half a 
 pint of water, half an ounce of alum, 
 boiled till it comes to a quarter of a pint ; 
 then add Gum Dragon, enough to pre- 
 vent the colour from running. 
 
 All the colours must be boiled in se- 
 parate earthen pipkins. 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 HOW TO USE THE COLOURS. 
 
 When the colours are to be used, a 
 sufficient quantity of each must be put 
 in separate saucers, and a proper quan- 
 tity of the Gum added. Whenever the 
 prepared Saffron Flowers (vide No. 5, 
 Rose Colour) is used, it must be previ- 
 ously moistened with Lemon J uice. This 
 colour, some years ago, was not to be 
 had at the colour-shops, and could only 
 be procured accidentally at French mil- 
 liners ; but of late it has become more 
 common, and may be purchased at differ- 
 ent colour-shops. 
 
67 
 
 IN LAYING THE SHADES ON VELVET. 
 
 It is necessary you should allow the first 
 tint to be perfectly dry, before you at- 
 tempt proceeding with the second, and let 
 your piece be well brushed with a hand 
 brush at the commencement of each tint, 
 that not the smallest particle of dust may 
 be found on the surface, which would pre- 
 vent the tint adhering smoothly to the 
 velvet. 
 
 N. B. The proportion of the before- 
 mentioned are for a considerably large 
 quantity. 
 
 THE END. 
 
W. Wilson, Printer, 4, Greville-Street, Hatton-Garden, London. 
 
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