,,the ,,illustration ,,of ,,books ,illustration3 ,publisher's logo ,,the ,,illustration ,,of ,,books ,a ,,manual ,,for ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,students1 ,,notes ,,for ,a ,,course ,,of ,,lectures ,,at ,,the ,,slade ,,school1 ,,university ,,college ,,by ,,joseph ,,pennell ,,lecturer ,,on ,,illustration ,,at ,,the ,,slade ,,school1 ,,university ,,college1 ,,author ,,of ,,pen ,,drawing ,,and ,,pen ,,draughtsmen1 ,,modern ,,illustration1 ,,etc ,,new ,,york3 ,,the ,,century ,,co ,,london3 ,t ,,fisher ,,unwin ,all rights reserved4 ,,contents4 ,,lecture ,i4 ,,page ,,what ,,is ,,illustration8 #a ,,lecture ,,ii4 ,,the ,,equipment ,,of ,,the ,,illustrator #ad ,,lecture ,,iii4 ,,methods ,,of ,,drawing ,,for ,,reproduction ,,in ,,line #cc ,,lecture ,,iv4 ,,the ,,reproduction ,,of ,,line ,,drawings #fe ,,lecture ,v4 ,,the ,,making ,,of ,,wash ,,drawings ,,and ,,their ,,reproduction ,,by ,,mechanical ,,process #hj ,,lecture ,,vi4 ,,reproduction ,,of ,,drawings ,,by ,,wood ,,engraving #ic ,,lecture ,,vii4 ,,lithography #aab ,,lecture ,,viii4 ,,etching #abc ,,lecture ,,ix4 ,,the ,,printing ,,of ,,etchings #add ,,lecture ,x4 ,,photogravure ,,and ,,photo-,,lithography1 ,,etc4 #aee ,,lecture ,,xi4 ,,making ,,ready ,,for ,,the ,,printing ,,press #afj ,some of these ,lectures were printed in the ,art ,journal1 and they are republished by permission of the ,editor4 ,,preface4 ,these lectures were delivered in the ,slade ,school1 ,university ,college1 at the request and suggestion of ,professor ,f4 ,brown1 and1 ,i believe1 were the first1 or among the first1 serious attempts in this country to point out all the various methods of making and reproducing drawings for book and newspaper illustration4 ,since they were first delivered1 now some three winters ago1 courses of lectures on illustration1 and classes for instruction in drawing and engraving have been started in almost all art schools4 ,it seemed to me1 therefore1 that a small manual on the subject might be useful4 ,there is no attempt in this book to define ,art1 or even to tell the student how to draw2 that he learns in his ordinary school work4 ,still less is there any endeavour to dictate1 or even suggest1 any especial style1 or manner of handling1 or technique4 ,but illustration is1 up to a certain point1 a mechanical craft1 which must be learned1 and can be learned1 by any one4 ,and ignorance of the requirements and absolute necessities are evident all around us4 ,the book1 therefore1 might rather be described as a series of tips or hints--to put it on as low a plane as possible--the result of practical experience1 which should enable the student to make his drawings so that they will produce a good effect on the printed page2 but1 first of all1 he must be able to make the drawing well4 ,no one can teach him that2 but he can be taught what materials he should use1 where he can get them1 and how he should employ them4 ,that is all ,i have tried to do4 ,as ,i have said in this book repeatedly1 processes are discovered and perfected almost daily4 ,since these lectures were last given1 the method of etching zinc and copper half-tone blocks has been entirely revolutionised4 ,now1 there is no inking up of plates2 the photograph on the metal serves as a protecting and acid-resisting ground1 and the biting is done as simply as in ordinary etching2 though1 of course1 it is the lines or dots which are left in relief4 ,possibly before the book is out1 even greater improvements and developments may be made4 ,nor have ,i attempted to describe all the tricks1 dodges1 and clever schemes employed in newspaper offices for making blocks from photographs1 or for the rapid reproduction of sketches1 such as drawing on lithographic transfer paper1 making photographic enlargements on fugitive prints4 ,all are most useful and valuable in their way1 but not exactly what one would tell a student to do4 ,if he becomes an illustrator he will learn these things fast enough4 ,as the book is passing through the press ,mr4 ,w4 ,lewis ,fraser1 the art manager of ,the ,century magazine1 writes me that he thinks it a good practical book1 likely to be of much use to the young illustrator1 and save the art editor many a pang and many a sorrow4 ,i hope so1 and it is with this hope that the book is published4 ,,joseph ,,pennell4 ,london1 ,oct41 #ahie4 ,,the ,,illustration ,,of ,,books4 ,,lecture ,i4 ,,what ,,is ,,illustration8 ,the craving for pictures1 that is1 for illustrations1 is as old as the world4 ,the cave-dweller felt it when he scratched on the walls of his house1 or carved the handle of his battle-axe2 one there was who stayed by the tents with the women1 and traced strange devices with a burnt stick upon the ground4 ,others painted themselves blue1 and were beautiful2 and these were the first illustrators4 ,the ,egyptians were the most prolific1 and their works may be found1 monuments more durable than brass1 not alone in their places1 but scattered to all the corners of the earth4 ,from the ,egyptians and the ,assyrians we may skip1 offending but the archologist and the pedant1 to the illuminators who threw their light on the ,dark ,ages4 ,they changed their methods from carving to tracing1 and their mediums from stone and papyrus to parchment and vellum4 ,but always these illustrations were single works of art1 they were not reproduced1 and only duplicated by copying by hand4 ,beautiful as are the manuscripts1 they play but a small and unimportant part in the history of illustration1 when compared with the block books that follow them2 though block printing is but a natural evolution from the stamp on the bricks of the ,egyptian1 or the painting on the vases of the ,etruscan4 ,the block books1 more often loose sheets1 were printed from designs1 picture and text1 cut on the wood1 in one piece1 sometimes possibly engraved in metal4 ,these blocks1 being inked1 and having sheets of paper placed on their inked surfaces1 and the paper being rubbed1 gave off an impression2 as many blocks having to be cut as there were pages1 and as many impressions having to be taken from each block as there were copies desired4 ,the first of these illustrated blocks is the ,st4 ,christopher1 #adbc1 though playing-cards1 produced in the same way1 were known much earlier4 ,it is only1 however1 with the invention of printing with movable types1 practised by the ,chinese centuries before we ever thought of it1 that illustration1 in its modern sense1 may be said to have been created2 though printing with movable type is but the cutting up into separate letters of the pages of the block books4 ,as soon as the artist was able to make his design upon a block of wood1 have that engraved1 and set up in the press with movable type1 and print from it1 a new art was discovered4 ,from the day of ,gutenberg and ,schffer1 illustration has1 in the main1 never changed2 new methods have been employed1 new processes for making the blocks have been perfected1 but an illustration still continues to be a design on a wood block or metal plate1 so cut1 engraved1 or etched as to produce a printing surface from which impressions may be taken1 either in connection with type1 when we call it letterpress or relief printing1 or separate from the type1 when it usually becomes intaglio or plate printing4 ,these methods have undergone1 and still are undergoing1 incessant modifications1 developments1 and improvements2 and anyone who wishes to take up illustration as a profession or a study1 must learn the rudiments of the science1 as well as master the great principles of art1 if he wishes to succeed4 ,to-day1 the methods of making the design are many1 but the methods of reproducing it are virtually endless2 still one must try to learn something of the most important1 and the more one understands the requirements of drawing for engraving and printing1 the better will be the results obtained4 ,in the fifteenth century one had but to design the picture on the side of a plank1 write in the text in reverse1 cut everything else away1 wet the block thoroughly1 ink the face of it1 lay damp paper over it1 and rub or press the back of the sheet of paper till the ink came off on it1 producing a print4 ,to-day one must understand drawing in all sorts of mediums1 know something of the effect of photographing a drawing on to the wood block or metal plate1 take at least an intelligent interest in engraving on wood and metal1 understand process and lithography1 and be prepared to struggle with that terrible monster1 the modern steam-press1 and its slave1 the modern printer4 ,to do this intelligently requires1 not only a training in ,art1 but in the arts and sciences of engraving1 reproduction1 printing2 and it is to these arts and sciences that ,i propose to call your attention4 ,an illustration--using the term in its artistic sense--is a design intended to give an artist's idea of an incident1 episode1 or topographical site1 or it may be but a mere diagram referred to by a writer2 and an illustrator is one who makes pictures or illustrations which illustrate or explain his own text1 or that of another writer4 ,an illustration really is a work of art1 or rather it should be1 which is explanatory2 but1 as a matter of fact1 so too is all graphic art1 explanatory of some story1 sentiment1 emotion1 effect1 or fact2 and it would be very difficult indeed to point out when art is not illustrative4 ,as the word is used to-day1 however1 an illustration is a design made for the purpose of publication in book or magazine or paper4 ,the fashion of making such designs to accompany lettering or type is1 as ,i have shown1 as old as the art of writing4 ,the art of illustration1 or rather the existence of illustration as a separate craft1 and of illustrators as a distinct body of craftsmen1 is virtually the growth of this century1 more properly of the last sixty years since the invention of illustrated journalism4 ,until the other day illustration had no place among the ,fine ,arts1 and it has been said that1 to win renown1 an illustrator must achieve it in some other branch of art4 ,a few great artists of the past have made illustrations which will be prized for ever1 and to-day these men are spoken of as illustrators2 with ,drer and ,holbein it was but one of the many forms of art in which they excelled1 but they were not altogether given up to it4 ,to-day1 however1 illustration is the most living and vital of the ,fine ,arts1 and among its followers are found the most able and eminent of contemporary artists4 ,it cannot1 however1 be said that this prominence which has been so suddenly thrust upon illustration is altogether due to its increase in artistic excellence2 there are a number of other reasons4 ,illustration has indeed reached technically1 on the part of artist1 engraver1 and printer1 such a point of perfection1 that it has at length forced critics and amateurs to give it the attention it has so long demanded4 ,more important reasons are the developments in reproduction and printing1 started1 and to a great extent carried on1 merely to lessen the cost of production1 but capable of giving better and truer results in the hands of intelligent craftsmen1 than anything previously known4 ,still1 cheapness in reproduction by process1 cheapness in the cost of printing1 has enabled numbers of absolutely ignorant people 7ignorant1 that is1 of art71 but possessed of1 they think1 fine commercial instincts1 to start illustrated papers and publish illustrated books4 ,the result has been that an army of out-of-works in other fields of art1 of immature or even utterly untrained students1 escaping from the hard labour and drudgery of an art school1 ignorant even of the fact that great illustrators have always studied and worked before they have found a chance to start1 have rushed into illustration4 ,they are led blindly by the advice of the blind1 they find even manuals on the subject written authoritatively by people who are either not artists1 engravers1 or printers1 or1 if they do pretend to practise any of these arts and crafts1 are unknown and unheard of among the artists with whom they would rank themselves2 and more wonderful still1 the pupils of these blind leaders of the blind find publishers and printers ignorant enough to employ them2 but not so ignorant as to pay more than the wage of an inferior servant for the worthless work supplied them4 ,there are many of these papers1 magazines1 and books being published to-day--eminent authors even contribute to their pages2 but the illustrations they contain are more primitive in their depth of ignorance than the work of the cave-dwellers1 and would be equally valuable to future ages if it were not that they were mainly made up of an unintelligent cribbing1 and stealing from photographs and other men's work4 ,therefore1 as a mass1 instead of advancing1 illustration is sinking lower and lower1 owing to the action of those who pretend to be its patrons2 at the present moment we find ourselves in a critical situation1 good work crowded out by mediocrity--because mediocrity is cheaper--real artists lost sight of amid the crowd of squirming1 struggling1 advertising hacks4 ,any spark of originality is stamped out if possible4 ,the mere attempt to say anything in one's own fashion is a crime1 and on all sides the prayer for the extinction of the artist is heard2 after him will go the process man as the commercial wood engraver has vanished1 and then--well1 things will take a new start1 good work will be done1 and we may as well prepare for the time coming soon1 when cheapness and nastiness1 having struggled to the bitter end1 will kill each other for want of something better4 ,still1 to-day1 as good work is being done as ever there was2 only cheapness has to shriek so loud1 and advertise so large1 to be seen at all1 that people are deafened by the shrieking1 and at times the best is but seen through a glass1 darkly4 ,nevertheless1 good art will as surely live as bad will perish4 ,let us then endeavour not only to learn what good work is1 but how to do it4 ,in the near future this will be absolutely necessary4 ,when one sees the greatest artists in ,england drawing for penny papers1 one realises that illustration is only apparently in a bad way1 that really we are entering upon a second renaissance1 that this is but the dark moment before the dawn4 ,as a preliminary1 and also a final1 word to you1 ,i would say1 you must draw1 draw1 draw first1 last1 and all the time1 and until you can draw1 and draw well1 you cannot illustrate4 ,the study1 therefore1 of the equipment of the illustrator should be our aim--what he must do before he can make good illustrations1 then1 how he is to make them4 ,,lecture ,,ii4 ,,the ,,equipment ,,of ,,the ,,illustrator4 ,three special qualifications are absolutely indispensable to the artist who desires to become an illustrator4 ,first1 in order to make the least important illustration1 the student must have a sound training in drawing1 and if he has worked in colour so much the better1 for in the near future colour work will play a very important part1 even in the least costly form of books and papers4 ,second1 the student must thoroughly understand the use of various mediums1 oil 7in monochrome at least71 water colour1 wash and body colour1 pen and ink1 chalk1 etching1 lithography1 and he must have ability to express himself by almost all these methods4 ,a knowledge1 too1 of the appearance the drawing will present after it has been engraved on wood or metal1 processed1 etched1 or lithographed is necessary1 because the illustrator will be held responsible for the results on the printed page2 even though1 as is usually the case1 the fault is that of the engraver or printer1 the public certainly will blame the artist alone4 ,therefore the editor or publisher will not employ him4 ,the engraver will blame him if only to save his own business reputation4 ,the printer will take away in every case many valuable qualities which the drawing possessed2 but for the incompetency or inability of engraver and printer1 the artist will be held accountable1 and he must therefore understand engraving and printing well enough to place the blame where it belongs1 if not on his own shoulders4 ,to be able1 then1 to obtain good printed results1 requires a knowledge of the reproductive arts1 on the part of the illustrator1 in theory at least1 almost equal to the practical skill demanded in drawing4 ,third1 but most important of all1 the ability to discover the vital or characteristic motive of an author's work1 and so set it forth that the public may see it too4 ,and the power to do this well is without doubt the real test of an illustrator4 ,nothing is more difficult4 ,the artist must please the author1 therefore he should if possible know the writer personally2 at least he must be in sympathy with1 and interested in his work1 else a difference arises at once2 jealousy between author and artist1 nearly always the fault of the author1 who usually resents the presence of the artist at all1 is the cause of half the failures in illustration4 ,no artist would think of dictating to an author the fashion in which the latter should write his story1 but every author1 and not a few editors1 try to tell their own artist how it shall be illustrated4 ,to a certain extent this is right1 and it would be altogether right1 if only the author and editor knew anything of art2 but not infrequently they do not1 and the less they know the more they dictate4 ,it may be safely said that not once in a hundred times is the author satisfied with his illustrations1 especially if they are made to decorate a story4 ,and even the designs intended to illustrate a descriptive article seldom please the writer1 simply because the author has no comprehension of the limitations of graphic art4 ,still1 with descriptive articles1 the case is somewhat different4 ,if the illustrator knows the author1 he may undertake the journey1 if to a foreign land1 for example1 with him1 and a most delightful piece of collaboration may be the result4 ,or the author having visited the spot--sometimes he writes about it without having done so--may make out a list of subjects1 and the artist may pick and choose from them1 going to the place described to do so1 with more or less satisfactory results4 ,it is in this way that most of the better known magazines obtain their illustrated descriptive articles1 but even by this method the artist and author usually disagree as to what should be drawn1 the matter being looked at from two entirely different points of view4 ,or the artist may be asked to work up into drawings1 from photographs1 views of a place1 or portraits of people never seen by him2 some illustrators are very successful at this1 work which in most men's hands would be but the veriest drudgery and hack work1 becoming interesting1 attractive1 and truly artistic4 ,but in most cases such drawings1 even by the most skilful men1 lack the go and life obtained when the work is done direct from nature1 or at least without the photograph2 and every true artist prefers nature to any photograph4 ,there is nothing in the world more difficult to work from4 ,one is confused by endless unimportant1 unselected details2 the point of view is never that which one would have selected1 and the result1 save in the rarest instances1 is dubbed photographic even by the artless4 ,the most awful misfortune that may occur to an illustrator is to be compelled to use the photographs or sketches made by an author2 here almost certain disaster awaits the artist4 ,the author who cannot draw but will sketch is terrible2 the author who can photograph is impossible4 ,both1 they are sure1 could make the illustrations if they but had the time2 and the artist who is compelled to illustrate them could write the story or do the description1 he knows1 if he but took the trouble4 ,at least1 that is the view they take of each other4 ,the result is almost certain failure4 ,such people should contribute solely to the journals of actuality1 where neither art nor literature find an abiding place1 and the photograph1 the amateur1 and the personal paragraph are supreme4 ,despite all these things1 and many more1 people struggle to become illustrators4 ,another qualification for the illustrator is education2 no ignorant person may become a decent illustrator4 ,he need not possess an university degree2 few do4 ,but he must be able to understand a vital or dramatic or pictorial point1 and to arrive at this understanding may necessitate much study of literature at home and the visiting of many lands4 ,how can one illustrate a history of ,napoleon1 for example1 without reading everything possible about his life that the author read1 and without visiting the various countries in which his life was passed2 in short1 the conscientious illustrator goes through exactly the same process as the author1 when collecting his materials4 ,with this difference2 the author is1 in most cases1 the final judge of his own work1 and of his artist's efforts too4 ,it is amazing that1 considering that an illustrator has to submit to having his work judged by editors1 rejected by authors1 spoiled by engraving1 injured by process1 and ruined by printing--and all this may happen to good as well as bad work--armies of young people are rushing into an over-crowded profession1 and every art school1 by teaching illustration1 is encouraging them to do so4 ,seeing1 then1 that such is the case1 my object is to endeavour to give you a start in the right way if possible1 at least in the way that1 up to the present1 the best work has been done4 ,that is1 briefly1 by drawing well1 by working carefully1 by expressing ideas plainly1 and these desired results can only be obtained by those who regard illustration quite as seriously as any other branch of the ,fine ,arts2 who know the good work that has been done in the past1 and working on the right traditions1 adapt their methods to the requirements of the present4 ,there are many more points to be noted1 not least of which is that an illustrator must learn to keep his temper2 from the first drawing he submits1 until he takes to painting in despair1 his work will almost surely be misunderstood1 his motives disbelieved4 ,if he works in the style affected by his paper1 that is1 the style which the editor considers appeals to his subscribers--for papers are published for gain1 not love--he will be asked by the critic why he does so4 ,if he dares to be original1 to follow his own inclinations1 he will be told to efface himself and work like the rest4 ,if he sketches he will be accused of shirking his work4 ,if he elaborates he will be told he is ruining the proprietor4 ,his only consolation is that he1 personally1 seldom sees the editor1 he prepares himself for the ordeal1 and as the editor has to encounter a constant succession of irate1 contrite1 emphatic1 and even furious artists1 his life cannot be an altogether happy one4 ,still he flourishes1 and so does the illustrator4 ,but there are compensations4 ,one may be asked to illustrate the works of a deceased author1 one may treat the volume almost as one likes1 and discuss the result with the editor4 ,in this case the artist will almost certainly do his best4 ,if he has the true illustrative spirit1 he will study the period1 the country1 the manners1 the costume2 and1 if let alone1 to produce the work in his own way and at his leisure1 he may create a masterpiece4 ,this1 however1 depends entirely on the artist4 ,it is in this way that the great illustrated works of the century have come into existence1 without hurry1 without worry1 and1 after all1 the pleasure of work has been almost the only reward the artist has gained--and that seems to be enough to attract crowds--but ,i doubt if the business side of illustration means much to the student4 ,better still1 the artist may make a series of drawings1 and then get a writer--an artist in words--one of those people who talk of impressionism in prose1 or impasto in poetry1 to turn out so many yards of copy4 ,with what a grace he does so1 and with what glee the artist pounces on his lines6 ,if it were not for the ever-present editor the author's lot would be almost as bad as the illustrator's4 ,best condition of all under which work may be produced is when the illustrator is his own author1 when he writes his own story or does his own description2 this requires that one shall be doubly gifted4 ,much may be learned by practice1 but to be really great in this has as yet scarce been granted4 ,but a few very talented artist-authors exist4 ,equally good are those magazines that publish illustrations which are independent works of art1 of equal importance with the text4 ,equally pleasant1 too1 is working for the weekly illustrated press--how long this form of publication will last is doubtful--making drawings which will be printed of a large size and show really the ability of the artist4 ,it is pleasant1 too1 when the editor is an artist or man of sympathetic intelligence4 ,another very important matter is the recognising of the fact that illustration at its best is equal in artistic rank with any other form of artistic expression2 and that in every country save ,england illustrators rank with any other artists4 ,here one is forced to take to paint to gain admittance to the ,royal ,academy1 though most of the distinguished members of that body won their reputations1 and live on them1 not by colour1 but by the despised trade of illustrating4 ,critics--even the best of them--will tell you that an illustrator is just a little lower than a painter4 ,it is false if the art of the one is as good in quality as that of the other2 else ,rembrandt's etchings are inferior to his paintings1 which is absurd4 ,but to-day many illustrators1 in fact the mass1 do not take themselves seriously4 ,they squabble and haggle1 they hurry and push1 they are as much shopkeepers as your out-of-work painter4 ,others must have their stuff in every paper4 ,others' portraits and eventless bourgeois lives appear in every magazine1 especially if the portrait is done for nothing and a few drawings are thrown in4 ,others crib the superficial qualities of the popular one of the moment1 whether his game is eccentricity1 mysticism1 or primitiveness1 three excellent dodges for hiding incapacity or want of training4 ,not that there are no good men who do find their means of expression among the primitives or who are really mystic1 or truly grotesque1 but for every one of these there is an army of frauds4 ,but all the while good work is being done4 ,you may not see the real artist's name in letters a foot long on every hoarding1 or his productions in every book that comes out4 ,but once in a while he does an article1 or even a drawing and then the mystics1 the hacks1 the primitives1 and even some few of the public1 buy it and treasure it up4 ,therefore be serious1 be earnest2 and if you cannot be--if you think illustration but a stepping-stone to something better--leave it alone and tackle the something better4 ,you may never succeed in that2 you will certainly fail in illustration4 ,there is still another point1 the financial one4 ,here illustration approaches architecture4 ,ruskin said somewhere1 probably by accident1 for it is so true1 ,never give your drawings away2 tear them up or keep them till some one wants to buy them4 ,at the present time the profession is so crowded at the bottom that some shopkeeping editors have profited by this to reduce their prices almost to nothing--literally1 by threatening and sweating1 obtaining the work of mere students and people who are without money or brains1 though they may be possessed of artistic ability1 for next to nothing4 ,in the case of painters they have said1 ,send us a photo or sketch of your picture1 and we will put it in2 and think of the advertisement4 ,what you who want to be illustrators must think of is that the painters who give their work to these people are fools4 ,would a writer give his story for nothing1 or a poet his sonnet8 ,and when these editors say they can get such an one's drawing for so much less1 tell them to get it1 they will come after you on their knees later if you have anything in you1 or their papers do not come to grief in the meantime4 ,of course there can be no hard-and-fast rule about remuneration1 but the labourer is worthy of what he can get4 ,and it has only been within the last few years that the clever dodge of swindling the public by bad photos and worse art1 of sweating artists by employing hacks and students has been practised1 for the benefit of two people1 grasping proprietors and still more grasping editors4 ,in connection with this matter1 let me read you an extract from a letter recently received by me from the greatest living illustrator 7it is therefore unnecessary to mention his name71 and read at one of the meetings of the ,society of ,illustrators3-- ,it has for too long been the case that the unsuccessful practitioner of other arts has turned to illustration of the baser sort as a last chance of earning a living4 ,i dare say he has a right to a living1 but in these days of cheap and nasty illustrated journals1 the low standard of work he brings1 as a rule1 to a branch of the artistic calling always considered by me a dignified and important branch1 ,i do not believe in recognising or encouraging2 and it certainly seems to me that a certain distinction should be made between men who take not the slightest artistic interest in their work and those who conscientiously endeavour to do it well and honestly4 ,i have seen the abnormal growth and prosperity of cheap and nasty illustration1 to my great regret4 ,i suppose that so long as there is a large market for it1 men will be found to supply it1 and evidently this is the sort of thing finding favour to-day4 ,the standard set up by the ',cornhill' and ',once a ,week1' and by ,menzel and ,meissonier abroad1 seems to be out of key with the present taste4 ,it must be that ignorance of good work is responsible--ignorance1 ,i may add1 on the part of the artist and editor--in their case intentional or deplorable2 in the case of the public it is but the blind leading the blind4 ,therefore1 finally1 try to do good work1 and when you have done it demand to be well paid for it4 ,if you have not the moral or financial backbone for this1 go and chop wood--or paint4 ,,lecture ,,iii4 ,,methods ,,of ,,drawing ,,for ,,reproduction ,,in ,,line4 ,there is no doubt that to-day the most popular method of designing the decoration of a book 7,i use the word book1 but ,i would refer to magazines and papers as well7 is by means of line work4 ,by the use of what materials these lines are to be made2 how they are to be placed upon paper or metal that they may reproduce and print best2 and the way in which that reproduction and printing is done1 will be the subject of this and subsequent lectures4 ,the line has always been employed1 not only by artists1 but by the artless1 to express form2 the only difference being that the artist uses a vital line full of meaning1 the artless a meaningless line without vitality4 ,but often the work of the two approaches so closely that at times it can scarcely be distinguished2 however1 that is a critical1 and not a technical1 matter4 ,i do not propose to give you a history of the methods employed to obtain lines1 in fact1 a history of drawing4 ,there are many such books1 and as for drawing you study that every day1 in the life and antique1 and ,i hope outside as well4 ,but it is to line work and its reproduction in the present1 that ,i wish to call your attention4 ,the most generally adopted method of making a line drawing for illustration to-day is with a pen and ink1 upon white paper4 ,there are but four tools1 and a surface to work on required4 ,the tools are simple and cheap enough1 the ability to use them rightly and well is rare enough1 even though every book is decorated and all newspapers are to be illustrated in the near future4 ,first1 as to the pens3 there is1 as you know1 an endless variety of them1 all the best4 ,some are made specially for the artist1 and of these the most generally used is ,gillott's #fei 7all colourmen keep them71 a barrel pen1 which fits a special handle2 when one has mastered this pen1 unsympathetic1 hard and scratchy at first1 and each pen1 by the way1 has to be broken in1 one finds that the most amazing variety of line can be obtained with it1 from the most delicate to the boldest4 ,the beginner thinks because it is a small tool that only small work can be done with it2 experience and practice will prove to him that it is a most sensitive implement1 and he will learn to take care of his pens1 keeping them on the holder in a box which they just fit1 for these pens improve with age1 getting better and better until they are almost like living things1 and then they break4 ,from this most delicate and sensitive of pens ,i would call your attention to the hardest and most unsympathetic1 the glass pen1 or stylus2 this is a useful tool1 but while the ,gillott is to be used in work demanding freedom of touch and consequent variety of line1 the glass pen is only to be used--unless you like it--when lines of uniform thickness are wanted4 ,it carries a large quantity of ink1 and1 as lines can be made in any direction with it1 it is more like an etching needle than anything else ,i know of2 and if these pens were really well made in metal and not of glass1 and of different sizes and would give lines really varying in width1 they would be much used2 as it is they are very unreliable1 easily broken1 and expensive4 ,i find that they are liable to tear up the paper1 or refuse to work in an annoying fashion4 ,it has been pointed out that they are most useful for tracing1 and also that if they clog up they may be easily cleaned by dipping in water and wiping off with a dry rag4 ,i may say that they should be thoroughly wiped1 and in fact all pens should1 after they are cleaned1 or the ink is changed1 as you may not only spoil your pen1 but your ink as well1 by dipping your pen without cleaning1 either in water or another sort of ink1 as one ink may contain some chemical matter which absolutely ruins another4 ,some rubber should be placed in the bottom of your inkstand1 for if the glass pen drops heavily it will be broken2 but not paper1 unless you wish to spend all your time wiping pulp off your pen4 ,the best of these pens ,i have found are those sold by ,roberson1 #ii1 ,long ,acre4 ,between these two extremes1 of flexibility in the ,gillott1 and firmness in the stylus1 are to be found all sorts and conditions of pens4 ,and ,i may say that you may never like1 and you need never use1 any special kind1 but instead your favourite writing pen2 if you like that best1 it is the tool for you1 use it4 ,there are1 however1 some other sorts of pens to which ,i may call your attention4 ,if only some fountain-pen maker had the sense to invent a pen for artists1 he would make his fortune4 ,but fountain-pens at present are unreliable in action and unsuitable for use with drawing inks1 so they are out of the question altogether for us4 ,a very good tool is the quill pen4 ,much variety can be obtained with it1 especially in broad dragged work4 ,i use technical terms because you understand them1 ,i hope1 and it is only the technical side of illustration ,i propose to touch4 ,with the back of this pen you can get rich and broken effects1 especially when it is half dry4 ,the quill1 the stylus1 and the reed1 were the tools for pen-drawing used by the old men4 ,you can buy quill pens anywhere4 ,reed pens you had better make for yourselves2 go to a reed bed in the early summer1 cut off the top of the stalk1 strip off the outer covering1 and cut the inner canes into sections between the joints1 cut your pen and finish it at once1 or rather a lot of them1 for when the reed is dry it is liable to split and is not half so flexible4 ,pen work with reed pens really should only be done when they are fresh2 but at all times they glide easily over the paper1 though any pen will do this after you have mastered it4 ,reed pens also make a broad fat line and hold lots of colour4 ,another pen which is useful sometimes is ,perry's ,auto-,stylo1 or marking pen1 from ,perry's1 ,holborn ,viaduct2 lines half an inch broad or as fine as a hair can be made with it1 and ,i have at times used it as a brush2 it is a most amusing instrument4 ,brandauer's round pointed pens are used by some4 ,but the pen you should use is the pen you can use2 that is1 the pen with which you can get the most variety of line4 ,or you may use half a dozen1 from the finest ,gillott to the biggest reed4 ,it is not the pen1 but the person who uses it4 ,sometimes it is not a bad thing to remember this4 ,many artists are now taking up the use of the brush2 most probably it was used by the old men1 certainly the men of the last generation employed it1 as it was much easier to work on the wood block with a brush than a pen4 ,and we know that the ,japanese pen is a brush4 ,the advantages are flexibility of line1 amount of colour it will hold1 freedom from scratchiness1 and absolute freedom of movement in every direction--the greatest advantage of all--the line itself is fuller and fatter1 more pleasing4 ,the drawbacks1 well1 there scarcely are any1 save that to use either brush or pen well is about as difficult as to play the violin2 that is all4 ,the commonest brush for line work is that used by lithographers1 a sable rigger which they cut to a fine point1 removing the outside hairs2 but almost any good pointed brush will do4 ,very good indeed are the genuine ,japanese brushes1 the small thin ones are the best--in black handles--you can pick these up sometimes at the ,japanese dealers1 but ,i imagine any artist's colourman would send to ,japan for them if there was a sufficient demand2 ,i have got them in quantities for a penny each4 ,there are various mechanical tint tools like air brushes in use2 they are of little importance to the artist1 and if you want a dotted tint you can get it by dipping a toothbrush in ink and rubbing the inked hairs with a match stick1 when the ink will be splattered in dots and blots all over the paper4 ,you may lay a piece of paper on the parts you wish to keep white1 and paint or scratch out spots that are too dark1 or you may impress your inked thumb or pieces of inked silk on the paper1 or indulge in any trick of this sort that amuses you and gives the desired result4 ,ink is probably the most important material employed in pen-drawing4 ,it must be good1 that is1 it must be black--it should not shine--it must never settle1 it must flow easily1 dry quickly1 and never clog the pen4 ,there are many varieties of good ink1 but the only ink ,i know of to-day1 which gives me exactly what ,i want and is obtainable of the same quality all over the world1 all over ,europe at any rate--and this is an enormous advantage--is ,bourgeois' ,encre de ,chine ,liquide4 ,during several years it has never varied1 and that is more than ,i can say of any other4 ,it is indelible1 a desirable quality in ordinary use4 ,the only bad thing about it is the vile1 ill-balanced bottle and the rotten cork1 which always breaks and often gets you into a mess4 ,the best bottle ,i have ever seen is that in which ,higgins' ,american drawing ink comes4 ,this is not a talk on inks1 but a hint as to what ,i have found the most satisfactory and reliable--if you do not like this one1 every colourman makes an ink or sells some one else's2 try it4 ,among the best are ,higgins'1 ,winsor and ,newton's1 ,newman's1 ,rowney's1 ,reeves'1 ,stevens' ebony stain4 ,freshly-ground ,indian ink is the best of all1 but to grind up your ink is too much trouble1 too tedious and too unreliable to be worth the bother it entails4 ,indian ink1 under certain conditions1 shines and glitters1 and this is not pleasant1 and hinders photography4 ,lamp black and ivory black are quite dead and free from shine1 but they are not fixed colours4 ,they may be easily fixed with gall or gum4 ,writing inks usually1 if not always1 have blue in them2 therefore they will not photograph1 they run about1 blot1 and generally misbehave4 ,sometimes one gets good black writing-ink2 when you do get it1 use it4 ,but ,indian or ,chinese ink is best1 and as ,i know of no better preparation at present1 ,i commend ,bourgeois' ,encre de ,chine ,liquide2 it comes in the tall bottle with the diagonal black and yellow dragon on the label4 ,coloured inks1 save blue1 may be used1 but unless the illustration is to be printed in that colour the result is almost always disappointing2 delicate washes of brown1 for instance1 becoming staring solid blacks4 ,in sketching out of doors with ink1 a method ,i most strongly recommend1 pour your ink1 or rather enough of it1 into an exciseman's ink-bottle1 one of those unspillable affairs which you can cork up--though1 save to keep the dust out of them1 there is no occasion to do so--and attach it by a sort of watch-guard to your buttonhole1 putting the bottle in your pocket4 ,messrs4 ,newman1 #bd1 ,soho ,square1 have fixed up some of these bottles for me1 and they will1 ,i have no doubt1 supply them4 ,the general way with artists is to put their uncorked ink-bottle in their waistcoat pocket2 if they should happen to lean over1 on straightening up the ink is found upon their trousers or frocks1 or sketch-block--in the male a result most conducive to strong language1 especially if the trousers are spoiled2 the drawing doesn't so much matter4 ,also provide yourself with a hardish lead pencil ,h41 or1 better1 a blue one1 as the blue doesn't photograph1 but it's hard to get off the paper1 and don't look well2 also some lithographic crayon or ,wolff's carbon pencils2 a good rubber1 pure rubber or bread for the pencil1 an ink rubber or eraser for the ink2 some ,chinese white and gum for patching up things2 and for use in the house1 an old razor to scratch out1 and out of doors a folding eraser1 such as ,mr4 ,percy ,young1 of ,gower ,street1 supplies3 get the folding ones1 as the others are not only less convenient but rather dangerous to carry4 ,lastly1 the paper3 the photo-engraver will tell you ,bristol board4 ,certainly1 a simple open line drawing in pure black upon pure white smooth paper1 very little reduced1 should give a truer result than anything else4 ,but what it does really is to give engraver and printer less trouble1 and that is what most of them want2 in the majority of cases it is best to aid them1 otherwise your work is spoiled4 ,therefore1 if you like ,bristol board1 use it1 and use it whether you like it or no1 if you are doing work for ordinary printing4 ,but if your illustration is to be well engraved and well printed1 use what paper you like4 ,but to get satisfactory results from rough paper requires much experience1 and you had better arrive at that experience by doing simple things1 in a fashion which will engrave well2 go to printing offices and engravers' shops1 find out what is necessary1 try to work in harmony with the engraver and printer1 and they will do their best for you3 most of them care about their work1 and are genuinely sorry if they cannot make yours look well1 so work with them1 and they will work with you4 ,as to the ,bristol board1 get the best2 if the drawing is large and has to be rolled up1 the thin1 if not the thicker quality2 it is known as so many sheets1 two1 four1 six sheets the heaviest4 ,you must get the best quality1 otherwise there is a risk of bad spongy places in it1 which may almost ruin the drawing1 at any rate its appearance1 and necessitate patching up which is delaying and annoying4 ,bristol boards1 too1 may always be made up into books or blocks4 ,some boards are now mounted so that they can be stripped off the mount when the drawing is finished1 among them are ,turnbull's ,art ,tablets2 while the best surface of all1 which is like marble or ivory to work on1 a surface which may be rubbed or scratched without harm1 is the old mounted thin ,whatman or ,bank ,note paper prepared by ,messrs4 ,roberson and ,newman4 ,these thin papers are mounted on heavy boards and kept under hydraulic pressure for weeks1 until the whole becomes a solid mass4 ,this mounted ,whatman1 when well made1 is the best paper in the world2 it is also the most expensive4 ,thin foreign correspondence paper may also be used1 putting it over the sketch like tracing paper1 and when the drawing is finished mounting it on card board2 tracing paper may also be mounted4 ,one scheme not much in vogue yet is to draw upon black paper with ,chinese white1 making the drawing in white lines instead of black4 ,any sort of writing paper1 or all varieties of rough or smooth ,whatman are useful4 ,of course in drawing on rough paper you are bound to get a rough broken result in printing2 however1 if you know what you are after1 no one will object but the engraver4 ,in fact any sort of white paper may be used for pen and ink work2 only1 the smooth gives the most certain results4 ,there are also many grained papers which give a tint2 that is1 a mechanical tint is printed on the paper1 lights are scratched in it1 blacks are put in with a pen or brush1 another tint in pencil or chalk is added1 and many tricks may be played1 one usually only a little less satisfactory than the other4 ,these papers are made by ,gillott1 of ,paris1 and ,anger and ,goeschl1 of ,vienna1 and generally supplied by colourmen2 they are called ,gillott or scratch papers4 ,there are also various clay or chalk surfaced papers which1 after being drawn upon1 may be scratched to get light in the design4 ,the results are1 however1 rarely satisfactory4 ,in fact1 it is best to use a good handmade white paper2 you will be surer of your result1 and that is what you are working for4 ,having given you a list of the necessary materials1 ,i will try to tell you how you should use them4 ,i shall not try to compel you to make short lines or long lines1 black blots or white lines3 work in your own fashion1 only that must be good1 and capable of being engraved and printed4 ,i shall not tell you how to draw1 but how to draw so that your work may reproduce and print best4 ,you may commence your drawing in either one of two ways1 by making a pencil sketch on your sheet of paper which is to be sent to the engraver1 preferably in blue pencil which does not photograph1 and in as few lines as possible2 or by commencing straight away at your final work1 in ink2 if it is a drawing from nature1 ,i do not see why you should not do this1 for it will teach you care in selecting your lines and putting them down4 ,and as you have an ink eraser in metal and rubber you should be able to remove those which are wrong4 ,but if your design is more in the nature of a composition with elaborate figures1 or figures in action1 it will be almost impossible to do this4 ,true1 most interesting sketches may be made1 and should be made and must be made direct from nature4 ,but your final design will in nearly every case have to be built up from these4 ,therefore1 unless you can see the whole thing in your head before you put it on paper1 so clearly that you only want a model to keep you right1 ,i think you had better make sketch after sketch1 and then transfer the best to the sheet on which it is to be completed by putting transfer paper under the sketch and tracing paper over it4 ,probably you will pencil on the final drawing1 but do as little as you can1 for the camera1 when the drawing comes to be photographed1 pays just as much attention to smudges1 finger marks1 pencil lines1 and meaningless accidents as it does to those portions which are brim full of meaning4 ,by neglecting these matters all artists give engravers much trouble1 and unless the engraver is an artist too he not infrequently bestows great pains on the reproduction of an accidental line1 even though in order to do so he ruins the entire drawing4 ,and again1 in all cheap work your drawing is placed with a number of others and no special attention is paid to it1 and it reproduces somehow1 or don't1 which is much the same thing4 ,but in case of failure you will be blamed by the public4 ,the first thing to remember in putting your drawing on the paper is the space it is to fill2 if it is to be a full page1 it must be made the size of that page or twice as large2 at any rate it must have some definite relation to it4 ,in the case of half a page1 it is only necessary that the top or bottom of the drawing should fit across the printed matter2 still1 the drawing should not be made so high that it will not fit in1 or so narrow as to be ineffective1 but if you will look at any book or magazine you will see what ,i mean4 ,again1 for cheap rapid work as little cross-hatching as possible should be indulged in1 for all cross-hatched lozenges become smaller lozenges in reduction1 and the smaller they are the easier it is for them to fill up and clog with ink4 ,draw your shadows with parallel lines whenever you can without being mechanical2 they engrave and print well4 ,after several years' experience ,i am quite unable to say how much or how little a drawing should be reduced1 for there is no reason why it should be drawn the same size it is to be engraved1 save that the nearer it is the same size1 the nearer the result should be to the original2 if the reduction is to be great1 it is easier to make the design larger and have it mechanically reduced4 ,the excessive reduction of a drawing tends to make the lines run together into a black mass sometimes1 and the enlargement of a drawing--this1 too1 may be done--makes the lines at times look crude and clumsy4 ,but it is impossible to foretell results in any two cases4 ,only there is one matter3 a good drawing in line will1 with good engraving and printing1 look well1 whether the artist knew anything of process or not4 ,but there are some things to be observed1 if certain results are wished for4 ,in simple cheap work the ink should be uniformly black1 for the engraved block will be put with type1 and inked with the same amount and strength of colour all over2 therefore1 in order to get variety1 distance1 effect1 you must use lines of different widths1 placed at varying distances apart1 not of different degrees of colour4 ,in theory at least1 then1 the foreground should be drawn with a firm bold line1 the middle distance with a medium-sized line1 the lines themselves closer together1 and the extreme distance with a thin line4 ,but there is no rule1 only get variety in your line and this will produce variety and interest in the engraved result4 ,if you make your drawings much larger than they are to be reproduced1 you will often be greatly surprised at the change in their appearance4 ,greys will1 by filling up1 become darker1 and lights lighter owing to the concentration around them of masses of colour2 that is1 blacks become blacker1 and whites whiter in reproduction4 ,but do remember that though the drawings by ,boyd ,houghton1 ,millais1 ,f4 ,walker and ,pinwell were made the size you see them1 on the wood1 in the books of twenty-five years ago1 the drawings made to-day by ,abbey1 for example1 are four or five times as large as the published engravings1 and are not1 in the originals1 filled with that microscopic work which appears in the reproductions4 ,but do not make crude lines under the impression that they will ever be anything but crude4 ,try to make a beautiful drawing1 a beautiful line--unless you can do this you will never get a beautiful reproduction2 and once you have learned to draw1 study the best books and the best magazines1 always remembering that drawings to-day are made much larger1 as a rule1 than you see them on the printed page4 ,again1 in reproduction you will often find that some parts of the same drawing change more than others2 some places1 for example1 become too weak1 others too strong4 ,i cannot explain this1 but you will find that it does happen4 ,at times it may be because the photograph is bad1 or the etching is rotten1 but even with good photography and etching the final result is often disappointing4 ,in pen work you may run the gamut from solid blacks to the most delicate grey line4 ,do not try to always1 but select a colour scheme which is restrained and appropriate to every drawing4 ,solid black will reproduce best because it is a solid mass1 excepting in cheap rapid printing1 when solid blacks either get too much or too little ink4 ,a number of black lines close together will reproduce almost equally well1 because in engraving and printing these lines support the paper and do not take up too much ink4 ,a single thin line1 on the contrary1 always thickens in the engraving1 and often prints badly because in the printing press the ink and paper bear down too heavily upon it and it receives too much ink and thickens up4 ,i have recommended you to use only black ink and white paper2 before you have worked much you will try experiments1 ,i am sure1 in greying ink1 putting water with it1 and leaving pencil marks1 or adding lines with lithographic chalk1 or crayon2 but you will find out the moment the drawing is printed that everything comes quite black1 and if you have made your distance in broad grey lines it will possibly ruin your whole scheme4 ,greys may be obtained by engraving the blocks by hand1 rouletting1 or a number of other ways which ,i shall explain4 ,line drawings may also be made altogether in pencil1 on rough paper1 in chalk or crayon1 reinforced1 if necessary1 with a blot of ink1 or a wash1 or a line with a pen here and there2 but for line work with these materials you must employ a grained paper in order to get a proper mechanical direct reproduction of the work4 ,bristol boards must not be used4 ,sometimes these combinations of pen and pencil work are excellent2 but they must harmonise1 otherwise the result is unpleasant4 ,some idea of the effect your drawing will present when engraved may be obtained by the use of a diminishing glass2 and1 vice vers1 you might study some of the engravings in the books and magazines around you with a magnifying glass4 ,corrections in line drawings with pen should be made either with an ink eraser1 a razor1 the razor knife1 or by painting over the place with ,chinese white1 or1 if it be large1 by pasting down a bit of paper on it4 ,this is the most usual way2 if the paper is thin and the edges well joined1 it is the best4 ,or you may cut a hole from the back and let in a bit of paper1 paring down the edges1 or scraping them down2 but be careful about the edges1 because they make a nasty line when the drawing is photographed4 ,in pencil1 crayon1 or charcoal work1 remove imperfections in the ordinary way with a bit of rubber4 ,you will not1 of course1 lose your head and elaborate a pen drawing1 any more than you would a chalk or charcoal drawing or etching4 ,you will select your lines with the utmost care1 put them down with the greatest intelligence1 and the more care and intelligence you exercise the better will be your illustrations2 however1 this is what you are trying to do every time you make a drawing in line from life or the antique1 and ,i will not bore you by repeating what you hear every day in your ordinary school work1 nor will ,i do more than remind you how careful you must be in your composition1 in your arrangement of lines1 in your placing of blacks1 in making up your picture2 only exercise the judgment necessary to compose any other work of art4 ,your drawings should be works of art2 be proud of them2 but also regard them as a means to an end1 and1 as ,i have said1 for cheap and rapid printing draw on smooth white paper with good black ink1 and do not use big solid blacks1 or single thin lines4 ,keep your work as open as possible and do not have it reduced4 ,that is1 draw as near the size it is to appear 7if you can find that out7 as possible4 ,for the best engraving and printing1 draw as you like4 ,anything to-day can be photographed and engraved2 the great difficulty is in the printing4 ,remember that if you do not put distinction and character into your work1 the engraver and printer cannot4 ,they will take much away in any case4 ,as you are working for an editor1 you will have to please him4 ,do so if you can without hurting your work and your own standard of right and wrong4 ,but always work in your own way1 if that is at all possible for reproduction and printing1 if not1 you will have to change your methods4 ,for you are working for a definite purpose1 illustration2 therefore your work must engrave4 ,if you wish to succeed you must see all the illustration you can1 you must talk to editors and illustrators1 and you must go down into the printing office and the engraver's shop4 ,you must learn your trade1 for if you have not passed through the drudgery of the apprentice1 you will never become a master of your craft4 ,,lecture ,,iv4 ,,the ,,reproduction ,,of ,,line ,,drawings4 ,as illustrators1 or would-be illustrators1 your work is not at an end with the completion of your drawings2 you must look after them while they are being engraved1 and you should see them through the press4 ,from the time you are given a commission to illustrate a subject until the printed result is in the hands of the public1 the work in all its stages should be the object of your untiring attention4 ,it is true that at present the fact that you take an interest in your profession will be counted against you in some quarters1 for should you happen--as is not unlikely--to know more of drawing1 engraving1 and printing than the art editor1 the engraver1 or the printer1 your suggestions will not be received with enthusiasm1 nor your criticisms with delight4 ,suggestions mean changes1 and criticism means objections to the routine way of doing things4 ,then you may not feel a great interest in the scientific side of your work1 yet chemistry plays an important part in illustration4 ,the mechanical reproduction of drawings is based entirely on chemical action1 and you must know something of this matter if you would get good results4 ,but let us consider the whole subject4 ,drawings in line were originally1 in the fifteenth century1 reproduced by wood cutting2#a that is to say1 the drawing was made in line with pen1 point1 or brush on the side of a plank1 and all those portions of the block which were not drawn upon were cut away with knives and chisels1 the design only remaining in relief2 this relief was dabbed over with ink or paint1 and a piece of damp paper was laid on it4 ,the back of this paper was rubbed1 burnished1 or pressed on to the inked surface of the block and took up the ink from it2 on removing the paper an impression in reverse of the inked block was found on the under side of it4 ,and this was the method1 with improvements1 employed in printing from type1 for three hundred years4 #a ,of course ,i shall refer to metal engraving in another lecture4 ,about the beginning of this century the design began to be drawn upon the end of a block of box-wood--a cross section of it--and the parts left blank were cut away with gravers1 tools used by engravers in metal1 or else lines were engraved on the surface of the block1 which printed as whites in the blacks2 the grain of the cross section of box-wood was firmer and finer1 and with the gravers more delicate lines could be engraved and more true results obtained2 and at the same time continual improvements were being made in the presses1 steam being substituted for hand power1 and the manufacture of paper and ink totally revolutionised4 ,these methods were employed until about #ahfe1 when1 instead of the drawings being made by the artists on the block of wood1 they began to be drawn on paper in line1 and then photographed on to the wood4 ,this was a great improvement1 because the artist could now make his designs of any size he wished and have them photographed down to the required dimensions and reversed for him3 the mere reversing in many cases was both tedious and uninteresting4#b #b ,if the drawing is a portrait of a place1 it must be reversed on the wood or metal in order that the print may appear as the original does in nature4 ,the final step which brings us to the present1 though not by any means1 ,i am sure1 to the end of the chapter1 is the superseding of the woodcutter or wood engraver in line1 by the mechanical engraver in metal or gelatine4 ,now you may do your drawings1 if you wish1 in line with a pencil or brush upon the prepared piece of box-wood1 and the engraver may cut away all those portions of the wood-block which you have not touched1 remembering always that though you draw freely he must engrave laboriously1 and the more free your drawing becomes1 the more complicated must his engraving be4 ,so when you make a sketchy drawing on wood1 none but the most accomplished engraver can retain that look of freedom and sketchiness2 if the lines of the drawing become really complicated1 in cross hatching1 for example1 he cannot follow them1 he must suggest them4 ,hence1 unless the engraver really loves this sort of work1 it is but drudgery1 and the better the reproduction the more skilled labour wasted4 ,now photography has changed all this4 ,a photograph of the drawing1 of the required size it is to appear on the printed page1 is taken4 ,the drawing may be enlarged or reduced to this size1 and the negative thus obtained is placed in reverse in a photographic printing frame1 in contact with a sensitised zinc plate1 coated with a thin film either of albumen or bitumen1 or it may be that a gelatine film is the material used for printing on4 ,in the first method the albumen coated piece of zinc is removed from the printing frame as soon as the photographic print has been made2 it is then coated with ink and placed in water1 the albumen and ink upon it adhere to those parts of the zinc which have been exposed to light1 and may be washed off the other parts1 thus leaving the picture on the zinc in ink4 ,by the bitumen process the picture is printed in the same way3 the plate is placed in a bath of turpentine1 the picture appears on the zinc1 and the bitumen dissolves off the other parts4 ,if these two prints are now covered with powdered rosin1 gum1 and ink1 they may be placed in a bath of nitric acid and water1 and the exposed parts bitten or etched away4 ,this is a most interesting and delicate process1 and success depends in good work more upon the skill and artistic intelligence of the etcher than the chemicals used4 ,the object is to remove all the whites as in wood engraving1 half remove the greys1 and leave the blacks4 ,after the zinc has been bitten a short time it is taken out of the bath again1 covered with gum1 resin and ink to protect it from the acid1 heated1 when the protecting mass melts and runs down the sides of the bitten lines and protects them also2 this process is continued until the block is sufficiently etched4 ,when the exposed parts are all eaten away the picture appears in relief4 ,this occupies a few hours1 maybe but an hour or less4 ,when completed1 the zinc picture is mounted upon a piece of wood1 to make it the same height as the type1 placed in a printing press and copies are made of it1 or from electrotypes or stereotypes1 at the rate of from twenty to #bj1jjj an hour4 ,this is1 ,i hope1 an intelligible outline of the photo-engraving process2 every mechanical engraver has some variation which is his carefully guarded secret4 ,the blocks may be of zinc or copper or other metal1 and all sorts of chemicals are used4 ,but ,i cannot too strongly impress upon you that good work in mechanical engraving is only to be obtained by artistic workmen2 still1 remarkable results are to be seen all about1 even in the cheapest prints4 ,but the very best process engravings are produced only by men who are artists and care for each block4 ,in the case of the best engravers they will know better than you which process to use1 and there is no more necessity for you to try to tell a mechanical engraver how the work is to be done1 than for you to tell a wood engraver what tools he shall work with4 ,bad drawings may look better by one process than another1 and good illustrations may be spoiled more by one method than another4 ,but every intelligent engraver will try again and again until he gets the best result he can4 ,the gelatine process consists in printing the picture on a sensitised film of gelatine4 ,now if this gelatine is soaked in water the parts representing the whites swell1 and the darks1 really the picture1 remain as they were1 as the light has rendered them insensible to water2 from this swelled gelatine mould a cast in plaster of ,paris can be taken1 from this a wax mould is made1 and finally an electrotype4 ,the process is only used1 ,i believe1 by one firm2 the results are good1 but no better than the others4 ,let us consider for a moment what are the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical reproduction4 ,the first advantage is rapidity of production--a facsimile wood engraving may take weeks to produce1 a mechanical engraving takes a day or so2 this is not an artistic but a commercial gain4 ,the wood engraving loses1 the more intricate and complicated and close the details become2 the mechanical or process engraving not infrequently gains4 ,the wood engraver may make mistakes in cutting the lines in the wood block1 but if the lines are properly put down1 the camera and the process engraver should not2 and if they do1 much less time is lost and labour wasted than with wood engravings4 ,mechanical engraving is a much less costly method4 ,these are not any of them very artistic reasons1 but they count with publishers1 and they count with you4 ,but the great artistic advantage is that the artist may make his drawing of any size he wishes2 it is not cut to pieces but preserved1 and if it is properly drawn1 as ,i have explained to you1 it should produce in complicated work a more faithful result4 ,in simple line work it is almost impossible to tell a wood engraving from a process block4 ,the drawbacks are that the line is sometimes too faithfully copied--that the engraving is shallow1 and that the wood yields a richer1 fatter effect than any metal1 mechanical block4 ,these are artistic drawbacks1 but they may all be overcome by the artist4 ,the line1 if good1 cannot be too faithfully copied2 the engraving1 if shallow1 can be made deeper1 engraved anew by the wood engraver4 ,the fat line so much prized was made with a brush1 and1 as ,i have said1 brush work reproduces perfectly4 ,and in the majority of cases the original wood or process blocks are never printed from1 but casts of them called stereotypes or electrotypes are used2 therefore the fat line of the wood is more or less the product of the imagination4 ,i do not mean to say the original wood or metal block will not give a richer impression than any cast from it1 but ,i do say it is only in the case of proofs that the original is used4 ,if a pencil or other drawing in line is to be reproduced1 in which the varying colour of the pencil mark is to be retained1 its greyness for example1 or if the pen line is very delicate1 or there are many single unsupported lines in the drawing1 another method must be employed4 ,a microscopically ruled glass screen1 ruled with fine lines made with a diamond and filled in with ink1 is placed in the camera in front of the glass plate on which the picture is to be photographed4 ,there are various ways in which this is done1 with the object of breaking up into line the tones which would otherwise print perfectly black1 or1 of supporting those weak lines which would print too heavily4 ,this negative thus obtained is printed on to the zinc or copper plate1 is then etched much as in the case of the simple line block4 ,this process1 usually called half-tone1 was invented for reproducing wash1 but is much used now for line1 especially when the dots or line of the screen are cut away by the wood engraver in the whites4 ,the photo engraver is now endeavouring so to shift or adjust his screen that the dots will come only where they are wanted to break up the solid black1 and some most interesting results have been obtained4 ,when ,i am describing the reproduction of wash drawings1 ,i shall return to this subject4 ,spaces of tint on line drawings can be and almost always are obtained by the use of what is known as shading mediums2 that is1 pieces of gelatine or copper with lines or dots engraved in them are filled with printer's ink1 and these lines or dots are transferred by the engraver to the parts of the picture on the zinc plate where they are wanted before the plate is etched4 ,there are many ways in which the artist can get the same effect by inking bits of silk and pressing them on the drawing1 by inking his thumb1 or by drawing with a pencil or chalk or even pen over a rough book-cover1 the only object is to get a bit of tone in a line drawing3 in cheap work it is often very effective1 in the best work it is usually out of place4 ,all the artist need do is indicate the spot1 or the outlines of the parts where the tint is wanted1 by a blue pencil4 ,if the engraver knows how the block is to be printed he will use the tint that will print best4 ,they are all useful1 but not very sympathetic4 ,photo-,lithography and kindred methods are either of little importance or will be referred to under ,lithography4 ,finally1 if the lines are too black or too strong they can be cut away or thinned1 or darks opened up by the engraver1 just as on a wood block2 or a little wheel in a handle called a roulette may be run over parts of the engraving which are too heavy--the teeth of the wheel break the lines into dots and lighten them4 ,,lecture ,v4 ,,the ,,making ,,of ,,wash ,,drawings ,,and ,,their ,,reproduction ,,by ,,mechanical ,,process4 ,when ,i speak of wash drawings1 ,i would really refer to all painting or drawing1 in colour or monochrome1 in tone1 as distinguished from work in line1 which was the subject of my last lecture4 ,many persons do not like line work1 never master it1 and are insensible to its beauty when they see it4 ,for these there is another method of expression1 although1 ,i cannot repeat too often1 an illustrator should be able to work in more ways than one4 ,one may make one's illustration in colour in oil1 in gouache1 in body colour1 in wash2 in fact paint a picture in the usual way1 though1 even with the best and most careful methods of reproduction1 it will be almost invariably found that in the various stages of photographing1 etching and printing1 very much1 if not all1 the charm has disappeared1 even though the result be printed in colour1 for up to the present no colour can be perfectly reproduced1 or rendered into black and white1 even by the best engraver in the world4 ,and no colour can be reproduced except by the artist himself4 ,a few men like ,detaille1 ,de ,neuville1 and ,lynch have1 ,i believe1 invented a special colour scheme for the requirements of colour reproduction1 and some of the engravings made from their pictures by ,messrs4 ,boussod1 ,valladon ,co4 are very wonderful2 but in the best examples ,i imagine there is an enormous amount of careful touching up and going over by hand1 which places these reproductions in the category of proofs rather than of prints4 ,certainly there is a vast difference between them and the colour work usually seen in the same firm's commercial publications1 good as they are1 and there is a yawning gulf between these and the colour print we have with us always4 ,therefore1 if you wish to work in oil ,i would suggest that you work in monochrome1 and further ,i would advise you to make your designs in simple black and white--that is if the reproduction is to be printed with black ink2 for the nearer your original is to the colour in which it is to be printed1 the nearer will the engraver and printer be able to approach it4 ,i would also suggest that perfectly dead colours should be used1 because varnish or any sort of glaze1 shine or glitter1 will tell in the photograph1 and even the most careful engravers are rather given to reproducing the photographic copy than the original1 even though the latter be at their side4 ,one method1 that has been successful lately1 is mixing oil colour with turpentine until it flows like water1 and then working on paper2 this reproduces most excellently1 the only drawback being that the colour rubs off easily4 ,body colour and gouache are much used2 the only thing to be remembered is that you should keep to the same colours and the same method of work all the way through each drawing4 ,it is very interesting to combine body colour with wash2 often in the original design the combination is most pleasing1 but the camera does not approve of it1 and frequently plays the most unexpected tricks with these combinations4 ,therefore1 either stick to body colour1 lamp black1 ivory black and white1#c or pure wash2 in the latter case there is nothing which photographs so well as charcoal grey1 made by ,newman ,co4 ,the most delicate washes reproduce beautifully4 ,it is rather hard to manage1 but once you can manage it1 it is almost perfect4 ,it is best for work in a very light key1 in the extreme darks it is liable to get heavy and sombre and gritty2 and if you want a positive black it is well to put it in with ink or some stronger black1 even at the risk of knocking things rather out of tone4 ,the only objection to charcoal grey is that it is rather difficult to work over it4 ,still1 in illustration in wash you will always get a cleaner1 sharper effect by doing your drawing at once1 getting your effect right with the first wash1 than by any amount of tinkering at it4 #c ,winsor ,newton and ,reeves have lately been experimenting in this way1 and their ,albanine and ,process black are well spoken of by photo engravers4 ,in this pure wash work you should be careful1 very careful1 not to let any meaningless pencil lines show through1 as they always photograph1 cannot be taken out1 and at times spoil the whole effect2 in fact1 imperfections in wash drawings always reproduce more perfectly than the perfections themselves1 and it is well to keep your paper reasonably clean1 to avoid smudging1 blots and lines1 or otherwise you will be disappointed in the result4 ,it is often very effective in an original drawing to put in a lot of colour1 but it nearly always comes out wrongly in the reproduction4 ,on the other hand1 although body colour often comes badly with wash1 if you work over or into either your wash or body colour with pen1 chalk1 or pencil of the same substance as the wash1 the result is harmonious often and excellent4 ,i mean1 if you make a drawing in wash with ,indian ink and work on it with liquid ,indian ink in a pen1 the result will be right4 ,if you touch up charcoal grey with charcoal1 the wash and line unite--these things1 however1 you will soon learn by experience1 even though that experience is gained in a rather painful manner4 ,still1 at present the better magazines and papers are not a practising ground for students1 as they were some time ago1 and you must be able to do good work before you can expect any intelligent editor to print it4 ,drawings or paintings--in fact all work in tone is reproduced mechanically by what is known as the half-tone process1 which ,i referred to briefly in my last lecture4 ,the drawing is photographed1 but in front of the sensitised glass1 a microscopically ruled screen is placed to break up this tone into dots or lines1 really to get the same effect as the wood engraver obtains with his dots and lines4 ,otherwise1 the tones being flat1 or even if they are gradated1 would print as a black mass2 but these screens break up the masses into little squares1 which receive the printing ink on their faces1 and the colour or original effect of the picture is thus preserved4 ,it is rather difficult to explain this1 but the screen produces white lines in the darks and dark lines in the whites2 you can see them by looking at any block4 ,afterwards1 the process is exactly the same as for line drawings4 ,this reproduction of wash work is very uncertain2 good effects are obtained1 about as often as failures4 ,the delicate tones are not infrequently altogether lost4 ,there are no positive blacks or whites1 but a uniform grey tint covers the entire block1 in which all delicacy is often hidden4 ,therefore1 to get a good effect1 when printed1 the drawing should be simply made1 that is if it is for cheap engraving and rapid printing2 but if for the best books and magazines1 wood engravers may be employed to remedy the imperfections of the photograph and the mistakes of the etcher4 ,that is1 whites may be cut1 blacks toned down1 lines thinned1 or large spaces on the block may be left for the engraver to work upon3 most remarkable results may be seen in the better ,american magazines4 ,there are many qualities in a drawing which that senseless machine1 the camera1 will never reproduce4 ,there are also a few points which it is very difficult 7in tone work7 for an engraver to render1 but they may both combine and obtain most interesting effects4 ,for instance1 it is very difficult to give in a wood engraving the look of paint on canvas1 without losing much of the picture itself1 for if the wood engraver begins to try to imitate texture he not infrequently loses the subject4 ,the mechanical process seems to do this very easily1 especially if the brush marks on the canvas are at all prominent4 ,but the delicacy is frequently lost2 so1 too1 are the strong blacks1 though a good wood engraver can remedy these defects by treating the metal block just as though it was wood1 engraving on it1 cutting out1 save where it is right1 all the mechanical look4 ,but two factors are necessary1 first a good engraver1 and1 second1 a publisher who is willing to pay for this engraving1 which is expensive4 ,the majority of publishers will not do so1 though they will pay for the work of a good or notorious author4 ,they will employ a feeble artist1 a poor engraver1 and a cheap printer1 and talk of how much better the work was done thirty years ago4 ,of course it was2 it was decently drawn and mostly badly engraved1 vilely printed1 but well paid for2 now the photograph is the standard and the results are all about us2 therefore you must think of the results4 ,so make broad simple masses1 keep your work as flat as you can1 remembering that all blacks will have the little white dots of the screen more or less showing through them--these can be kept out by the engraver1 but they certainly will appear in the cheapest work2 remembering that all delicate grey tones will be eaten up by the screen1 therefore don't put them in if you can help it2 and1 finally1 that unless whites are cut out they will never appear1 instead you will have a dotted grey effect4 ,in the very near future many of these imperfections will disappear1 for you must remember that it is scarcely ten years since half tone began to be used at all4 ,but look1 whenever you see them--and they are everywhere--at the reproductions of half-tone work2 try and study out how the artist got his effect2 go to the art editor who published the drawing and ask to see the original4 ,talk with artists who do good work in black and white2 they are mostly human1 intelligent1 and willing to help and advise you4 ,go to the engravers' shops and find out what the engraver will tell you1 and to printing offices and see your work on the press4 ,i have already spoken of the reproductions of line drawings by the half-tone process4 ,one is sometimes tempted to wish that all line work could be reproduced by half tone and tone work could be reproduced by line1 because if the line is delicate or the drawing is thin1 the screen over it gives a tint which is pleasing1 at times makes it look like an etching somewhat1 especially if the tint be judiciously cut out4 ,you might look at some of ,c4 ,d4 ,gibson's work1 where very great delicacy has been obtained in this way4 ,engravers are now endeavouring to get the tint just where it is wanted1 and ,i have no doubt they will succeed4 ,when they do1 photo-engraving by the half-tone process will be greatly improved4 ,finally1 study the requirements of the process not only as artists1 but from the point of view of the engraver2 go down to his shop and find out how the work is done2 make him show and tell you2 insist on seeing proofs of your drawings--good proofs1 too2 make corrections on them1 first learning what corrections can be made4 ,you cannot have blacks put in your engravings if they did not exist in the drawings1 and1 roughly speaking1 you can only tone down1 not strengthen any engraving2 but you will find1 save in cases of blacks1 it is only toning down that the engraving wants1 thinning and greying of lines4 ,all this1 ,i have no doubt1 is very dry and uninteresting and tedious1 but unless you get these things into your heads in the beginning1 your drawings will not photograph well1 engrave well1 or print well2 and if they don't1 you will not get any illustration to do1 and you may have yourselves to blame for it4 ,,lecture ,,vi4 ,,reproduction ,,of ,,drawings ,,by ,,wood ,,engraving4 ,wood engraving1 as a fine art1 has been virtually invented1 developed1 brought to apparent perfection1 and yet ceased to exist1 temporarily1 almost1 as a trade1 in this century4 ,a wood engraving is an engraving made with a graver1 upon a cross section of box-wood1 that is upon the end1 and not the side1 of a plank1 in relief4 ,as in the case of mechanical engraving1 all the wood1 excepting that underneath the design upon the block1 is cut away1 and the picture remains alone in relief1 raised upon the surface of the block of the same height as the type2 thus the block may be placed on the press and printed with the type4 ,the first great wood engraver was ,thos4 ,bewick1 and he1 unlike many of his followers to-day1 was an artist1 and mostly made his own drawings on the block and cut them as he wished4 ,he saw that wood engraving was a substitute for the slower1 more tedious1 and more expensive method of steel engraving2 that1 most important1 many of the qualities of steel could be imitated in wood1 as the same tools were used2 that it could be printed with type2 and1 save that the richness of colour could not be retained1 that it had most of the advantages of metal and few of its disadvantages1 and was vastly cheaper4 ,from the first1 the imitation of steel was considered the proper aim1 and though early in this century ,stothard drew with a pen upon the block1 and his designs were facsimiled in the wood by ,clennell1 the prevailing fashion was the imitation of steel engraving1 even by ,bewick himself4 ,many of his lines are exactly those used by the steel engravers4 ,by the middle of the century steel engraving virtually disappeared1 its practitioners being unable to compete with wood engravers4 ,there have been but few original engravers in this form of art1 and though the work of some of the steel engravers who reproduced ,turner and ,roberts1 ,wilkie and ,landseer1 is marvellous1 the art is almost dead at present4 ,cheapness has killed it4 ,wood engraving also killed lithography--a lithograph cannot be printed with type--and consequently the wood engraver became a most important person4 ,he ran a shop with many assistants2 he commissioned artists to make drawings for his assistants to engrave1 he dictated the way in which these drawings were to be done1 the way in which the lines were to be drawn and washes made1 so that they could be cut most easily4 ,he commissioned writers to work up or down to the artists2 he printed the books and sold them to the publishers1 who were content to put their names on the title pages4 ,and by this method much good and more bad work was accomplished1 but the engraver finally became supreme1 autocratic1 dictatorial1 insufferable2 and then he vanished1 as a shop4 ,process stepped in1 in its turn1 on account of its cheapness2 and to-day1 unless the engraver is an artist1 he is but the slave of the process man1 a hard fate--but his own4 ,before the introduction of photography1 artists had to make their designs for the wood engraver the size they were wanted upon the block of wood1 if portraits of places1 reverse them1 in pen1 brush1 pencil1 or wash2 the engraver cut around and through these designs1 making a translation of them in relief on the block which could be printed from4 ,but the drawing had disappeared1 and the artist had nothing but the engraving to show for it1 hence endless difficulties arose2 good artists hated to have their drawings cut to pieces2 good engravers hated to have their work criticised unfavourably2 also1 drawing of a small size1 and in reverse on the block was difficult to learn1 and only a mechanical craft of no artistic advantage when learned4 ,therefore1 as soon as it was possible to escape from the drudgery1 to draw of any size on paper and have that drawing photographed on to a sensitised wood block1 of the size it was wanted1 in reverse1 all artists took to it4 ,and a new school of engravers arose1 men who tried to invent new methods of engraving so that they could express the medium1 as well as the subject1 in which a picture was produced4 ,true from ,stothard onward1 through ,meissonier and ,menzel1 engravers had tried to render pen and pencil drawings in line on wood2 now everything began to be attempted1 charcoal1 etchings1 steel1 water colours1 lithographs1 oils4 ,all the imperfections1 accidents1 and blemishes were preserved1 even if the picture disappeared4 ,but a number of most distinguished artist wood engravers appeared1 especially in ,america1 though few of them learned their trade in that country4 ,but they received more encouragement1 better pay1 better printing1 and better artists worked for them4 ,and so the school of ,american wood engravers1 many of whom are not ,americans1 was born4 ,now how is the modern work done8 ,the artist's picture in any medium1 of any size1 is given to the photographer1 who copies and reverses it1 prints it on the block of wood which has been sensitised for that purpose4 ,the print is usually not very good1 that is1 it is darker1 with many of the qualities of the drawing lost2 but it serves only as a guide or a tracing for the engraver1 who takes his tools1 and with the drawing behind him1 reflected in a mirror to reverse it1 proceeds to cut the photograph of the drawing into relief1 at the same time trying to preserve the look of the canvas1 paper1 or metal on which it was made1 and the feeling of the colour1 wash1 or paint with which it was executed4 ,all this is most difficult1 but a most artistic result may be obtained1 and one has but to refer to the magazines of ,america and some of the weekly papers of ,germany1 ,france1 and ,spain1 for a proof of it4 ,here1 though much good wood engraving has been printed1 outside the offices of ,messrs4 ,macmillan1 ,cassell and ,co41 and the ,graphic1 it has of late years been mostly in the form of copies1 electrotypes1 clichs from foreign blocks which are supplied by their makers1 all over the world1 at a very low price1 because they are not reserved for any one paper or book4 ,and when you begin to see a man's painting1 or drawing1 or engraving in every paper1 you begin to tire of him and his work4 ,the editors of papers which publish clichs seem to be the only people who like the multiplication and cheapening of art1 but then there is no accounting for their tastes4 ,the tools and appliances for making wood engravings are simple enough1 but to engrave anything but facsimile work1 or your own designs1 will necessitate your going through considerable practical training2 probably some years of apprenticeship4 ,to cut line drawings on the wood1 or to cut designs in large simple masses1 you do not require so much practice4 ,all the tools you need are different sized gravers and gouges1 a small chisel to cut large spaces1 an engraver's rest for the block1 so that it can be turned freely and easily about1 and a whetstone to sharpen your tools4 ,lamps and globes for water1 shades for your eyes1 you will scarcely need1 but a magnifying glass1 something like that which watchmakers use1 may be useful4 ,with these simple tools and some box-wood--they can all be bought in ,east ,harding ,street or at any colour maker's--you have the necessary appliances4 ,if you draw on the block1 a slight wash of ,chinese white will help to make it work easily4 ,draw with a brush or pencil2 or if in wash1 without body colour1 as that will chip off4 ,you have only to remember that the block1 either plain or with the drawing on it1 would print perfectly black1 and that every line you make with the graver in the surface of it1 will print white4 ,therefore1 as ,i have said1 to get an outline engraving1 you simply cut away everything but the drawing1 which is left in relief on the surface of the block1 and which alone prints1 the rest of it being cut away4 ,it is not necessary to engrave the surface very deeply1 only so much that neither the ink nor the paper will touch in the hollows between the lines or masses4 ,mistakes are not easy to remedy1 except by making a hole in the block and inserting a plug of wood1 and then engraving that afresh4 ,the art of engraving in facsimile1 that is1 of engraving around lines made with pen1 or brush1 or pencil1 is comparatively easy1 it only requires much training and a steady hand4 ,but the ability to translate a work in colour into black and white1 on a wood block1 so that it shall give a good idea of the original1 is far more difficult4 ,to do it well1 the engraver must not only have the knowledge of the technical requirements of his craft at his finger ends1 only to be gained after years of apprenticeship1 but he must be a trained artist as well4 ,if he wishes to get the best results1 he must have the original before him1 he must understand it and appreciate it4 ,and finally1 he must have the technical skill to engrave it4 ,even then1 most likely1 the artist will not like the block4 ,it is a difficult art1 a thankless art1 save in the rarest cases3 one which requires years of special training1 and at present in this country1 no matter how great an artist one is1 there is very little chance to practise it4 ,work of this sort you cannot expect to be able to do without years of training2 if you care for it you must apprentice yourself to a wood engraver4 ,still there are forms of wood engraving which you may take up1 from the most primitive to the most complicated1 and you may carry out the work from the designing of it to the printing of it yourselves1 or1 you may draw on the block and cut away1 as in engravings by the late ,r4 ,l4 ,stevenson 7or were they done by ,lloyd ,osbourne or some other ghost871 and possibly you will have an experience like this3-- ,a blemish in the cut appears1 ,alas1 it cost both blood and tears4 ,the glancing graver swerved aside1 ,fast flowed the artist's vital tide1 ,and now the apologetic bard ,demands indulgence for his pard4 ,or ,i imagine without much trouble you might invent something in the style of ,valloton1 a ,frenchman1 who is resurrecting wood cutting in a manner of his own1 while carrying on the traditions of the old men4 ,i hope you may be able to get as much life and go in it as he has4 ,make your drawing on the wood1 or on paper1 have it photographed on the wood in the latter case1 and cut around the lines1 leaving only the drawing4 ,the greatest difficulty is with fine lines1 and you see how cleverly ,valloton has avoided making them4 ,or1 like ,lepre1 another ,french artist--he would be a man to study with--do big1 bold1 effective things2 or again you might attempt1 as he does1 colour work on wood1 like that done by the ,japanese1 drawing it1 engraving it1 and printing it all yourselves4 ,or1 take up drawing and engraving in the manner of ,caldecott1 ,crane1 or ,kate ,greenaway1 when they were reproduced and printed by ,edmund ,evans4 ,process is fighting for colour too1 but wood1 at least in proofs1 and that is all you would care for1 gives some qualities far beyond process4 ,in colour printing from wood blocks as many blocks must be made as there are colours1 and there must be as many separate printings made from these blocks as there are colours in the printed picture4 ,there must also be an outline block called the key block4 ,usually in ,european colour printing1 whether from wood blocks1 or by lithography1 or even process1 the colours are printed on top of each other2 for example1 a blue is printed over a yellow to get green1 and at times several colours are superimposed1 with the result that colour is lost and mud obtained4 ,the ,japanese have shown us how to make colour prints1 however1 and their method is now adopted by all intelligent colour printers4 ,it consists in making the right colour before it is put on the block1 and in placing the colours side by side like a mosaic4 ,the work is done somewhat in this way2 the artist makes his drawing1 several tracings 7as many as there are colours7 are made from it1 and one extra tracing must be made of the outline only4 ,or rather the outline alone is cut on the block1 other blocks are then made for each colour1 or the parts cut out of the same block2 one will contain all the red1 another all the blue1 a third the yellow1 and so on4 ,they must be very accurately cut1 so as to fit together and print truly1 and you can see from ,japanese prints how wonderfully well the work is done4 ,of course the editions from such blocks are very limited1 and on this account1 like etchings1 often vary1 the printers having tried experiments in colour4 ,the grain of the wood is taken advantage of in printing1 as it often gives a lovely pattern2 a good printer will wash in gradated skies with the backgrounds1 and no matter how wonderfully they are worked1 if of the same colour1 are printed usually from the same block4 ,the ,japanese1 ,i believe1 use water-colours2 certainly the ,french and ,english1 who have tried to imitate them1 do1 putting the colour1 mixed with a little size or gum1 on the face of the block with a sponge2 in fact they are printed water-colours4 ,several ,frenchmen have obtained in this way most notable results4 ,very similar was the fashion of colour printing called chiaroscuro1 used in the early part of the century4 ,the trouble with this was that the oil with which the inks were mixed1 either ran1 or spoiled the pages1 or did not dry well4 ,drawings on grey paper in chalk can be wonderfully imitated in this way1 and there are methods of using steel and copper plates1 bitten into relief to get outlines or tints1 which were also employed4 ,to-day in the printing of wood engravings and process blocks by steam1 at many thousands an hour1 the same system of colour printing1 by placing the colours side by side1 is being attempted1 for it is impossible to obtain fine tone or rich effect by placing one colour on top of another1 even in slow printing by hand1 while it is absurd to attempt it rapidly by steam4 ,in the most successful attempts yet made1 those of the ,le ,quotidien ,illustr and ,le ,rire1 ,paris papers1 colour printing from process blocks has been most successfully done1 and ,i do not doubt that in a very few years colour printing in magazines and newspapers will be very general4 ,as ,i have said1 all intelligent printers have now come to the conclusion that simple flat colours1 put on side by side1 will alone give good artistic results2 they have only learned this1 however1 after going quite to the other extreme3 after trying to get pure colour and rich effects by using the three primary colours on top of each other1 they obtained but crudeness1 vulgarity1 and mud4 ,photography and chemistry are useful in art1 but art cannot be created by these means4 ,it may be that some one1 some day1 will be able to photograph a picture in colour1 but there is as yet no evidence of it4 ,wood engravings may also be made by scraping or lowering the fronts or backs of blocks1 and rich1 soft1 fat effects can be produced4 ,very little has been done1 ,i think1 with these lowered blocks1 some remarkable examples of which can be seen in ,chatto and ,jackson's ,history of ,wood ,engraving4 ,photography has aided the artist very much in wood engraving 7though most engravers say it has not71 and especially in colour printing it can be made great use of2 as1 instead of tracing a design on to several blocks1 it can be photographed1 thus ensuring accuracy--though the ,japanese obtained this without any photographic aids--and saving much time4 ,still1 that is about as far as it goes at present1 and photography will never supersede art1 though it is engaged in a famous struggle with artlessness4 ,,lecture ,,vii4 ,,lithography4 ,lithography1 for some time the rival of metal engraving and even for a time of wood1 was invented at the end of the last century1 and1 as its name implies1 is the art of drawing or writing upon stone4 ,briefly1 a peculiar grained stone1 found in ,germany1 may be drawn upon with greasy chalk or ink2 afterward it is slightly etched1 only washed really1 with weak nitric acid and water to fix the drawing and somewhat reduce the surface of the stone2 if the stone be now covered with gum1 allowed to dry1 and then inked1 the ink adheres only to the drawing2 and if a sheet of paper is placed on it1 and the whole passed through a press1 a print1 or rather the drawing in ink1 will come off on the paper4 ,this is roughly the art of lithography4 ,the most important consideration for you1 however1 is the making of the drawing4 ,this may be done in one of two ways3 either upon the stone itself1 or upon transfer paper specially coated1 so that the entire drawing is transferred from the paper on which it is drawn1 by mechanical means1 to the stone1 and not merely a print from the original drawing4 ,for many reasons it would probably be best to draw upon the stone itself always2 because1 first and above all1 the less intervention--even mechanical intervention--there is between the artist and his work1 the better2 and in many cases it is not possible to get good results unless the artist works on the stone4 ,but if one has to make a large drawing out of doors1 it is obviously impossible to carry about a big and heavy stone with one2 therefore lithographic transfer paper must be used if the work is to be done from nature4 ,before this paper was perfected 7it is very good now1 and can be obtained from ,hughes ,kimber of ,west ,harding ,street1 though ,belfont's of ,paris is the best71 the artist either copied his sketches1 studies1 or pictures himself1 on the stone1 if he understood lithography2 or else his drawings were copied for him by some other artists who were trained lithographers4 ,one most notable example of this is to be found in ,j4 ,f4 ,lewis's ,alhambra4 ,the originals by ,lewis were redrawn on the stone by ,j4 ,d4 ,harding1 ,j4 ,lane1 and ,w4 ,ganci1 as well as by ,lewis himself2 inevitably some of these men's individuality was apparent1 and even in the case of ,lewis1 much must have been lost by copying his own designs2 and if original work is given to professional lithographers1 in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred all the real character is taken out of it4 ,to-day1 however1 one may draw upon transfer paper1 being careful only not to touch it with one's fingers1 either in lithographic chalk or lithographic ink1 which is only the chalk rubbed down and put on with a pen or brush1 on this paper1 which should be fastened down like an oil sketch1 in a box having a cover1 by drawing pins4 ,take the drawing to the printer2 he will put it on the stone and print it for you far better than you can do it yourself2 still this is rather expensive1 as the transferring of the drawing to the stone and pulling a few proofs will cost you about a guinea4 ,but if your design can be drawn in your own studio1 or at the lithographer's1 on the stone1 it is not only much simpler1 but the result may be better1 and you can employ more varied methods of work4 ,for example1 you may draw with the lithographic crayon--,lemercier's are the best2 get them at ,lechertier ,barbe's--just as you would with ordinary chalk or crayon4 ,for if the stone is grained like paper1 the design1 if well printed1 should look almost exactly like a drawing on paper4 ,on a smooth or ungrained stone you may draw or write with pen or brush and lithographic ink1 which is only the crayon rubbed down with gum arabic1 or ammonia and water1 as you would rub down ,indian ink1 only you must heat the saucer in which you are rubbing it1 a little4 ,when you have done this1 use ,gillott's lithographic pens1 putting the ink on the pen with a brush1 or use a trimmed sable brush brought to a fine point2 you must make your lines carefully1 and get your ink of the right consistency1 otherwise it tends to blot and spread or smear4 ,again1 you may mix more of the medium with the rubbed-down crayon4 ,i should say it rubs1 when warm1 without water2 this medium may be obtained ready mixed from ,way ,sons1 ,wellington ,street1 ,strand2 paint with it as you would in water colours1 adding more of the medium or more ink as you wish little or much colour4 ,i have tried only a couple of experiments in this way1 and they were both complete failures4 ,the trouble ,i found was this3 in making light tones1 the moment the brush charged with colour touches the stone1 the stone itself turns much darker than the colour you are putting on it2 and as it dries out very slowly1 the making of a wash drawing is a most tedious process1 unless one has had enough experience of the work to know just the effect of the finished drawing1 or rather just the effect of the wash applied1 which cannot be seen in its proper tone1 while working on the stone1 since the appearance the stone presents so long as it is wet is absolutely different to what it will look like when dry1 and it is almost impossible to work over washes1 because the colour floats off if they are gone over again1 or at least smudges and smears2 still1 corrections and additions can be made with the crayon point1 and the whole design brought pretty well together4 ,the best work in wash has been done by ,lunois1 a ,frenchman4 ,corrections are at all times difficult to make in lithographs1 the error having to be scratched out and the stone repaired in that spot1 before the new work can be put in again4 ,stump drawings may be made by getting the crayon in powder and smearing it on the stone in masses with a rag4 ,effects can be obtained by removing too much colour with ordinary scrapers and putting in modelling with stumps and the point of the crayon2 or all three of the methods ,i have mentioned may be combined1 as they often are1 on the same stone1 notably in the work of ,hervier4 ,tints may be obtained by stippling and splatter work1 as in pen drawings4 ,there is a machine called an air brush1 used by lithographers for this purpose1 but the introduction of mechanical dodges has done much to harm lithography4 ,zinc may be grained and drawn upon in the same way2 why this metal is not more generally used1 ,i do not know1 for it is much lighter1 more portable1 and can be easily mounted on a plain stone to print from4 ,until lately it was maintained that only what was drawn on stone could be got off it in a print4 ,but ,mr4 ,goulding1 the etching printer1 who has been making a series of experiments1 says he can get almost as much variety of effect1 by wiping the surface of the stone carefully1 in a small number of prints1 as he can from a copper plate 7see ,lecture on the printing of ,etchings74 ,still1 for you1 the process ordinarily will end with the drawing4 ,even the transferring is only to be successfully done by skilled workmen1 and until you can print an etching decently1 it would be scarcely worth while to try a lithograph4 ,considering that the process is perfectly autographic1 that the materials are few and cheap1 it is strange that it is so little employed at present4 ,but a very serious attempt is being made to revive it1 and as an artist like ,mr4 ,whistler is the leader and initiator1 ,i believe it will be successful4 ,colour printing by lithography1 though very complicated1 might be tried by you2 as many stones must be prepared for transferring the design1 made either on paper or stone1 from the paper to stone1 or from one stone to another1 as there are colours1 and only that part of the design which is of one colour must appear on one stone2 if you try to get colour prints in the usual fashion by printing one colour over the other1 you will obtain the usual commercial muddling lithographic appearance4 ,but if you mix your own colours for the lithographer1 and have the colours placed side by side1 in flat masses like the ,japanese block prints 7see ,wood ,engraving ,lecture71 you should get good results4 ,there are endless other processes and methods of work1 but they are all more or less complicated1 and require special training and special tools1 and even machinery1 and one who wishes to pursue the subject further must go to a lithographer and learn the trade4 ,but in order to get artistic effects only1 one has but to draw or paint on paper or stone as one would ordinarily4 ,the means are most simple1 and the results should be most interesting4 ,,lecture ,,viii4 ,,etching4 ,in all the various methods of making illustrations to which ,i have so far called your attention1 it was necessary that some part of the work should be done by a specially trained craftsman1 at least if any practical and commercial result was desired4 ,now in etching1 the more you yourselves do and the less any one else does1 the better should be the result4 ,an etching is1 in its narrowest sense1 a print from a metal plate into which a design has been bitten or eaten by acid2 again1 in most of the other methods1 the printing was from relief blocks like type1 and therefore those illustrations could be printed with type4 ,now we have to consider another sort of work1 namely1 intaglio1 or incised1 or sunken work not printed from the surface1 but from lines cut below it1 and therefore unavailable for letterpress printing4 ,of course it would be easy to make a relief block in metal1 or an incised block of wood1 to reverse the treatment in printing1 but it would not be natural or right4 ,the whole difference is this3 if a wood block has a line cut in the surface and the whole face is inked with a roller1 the line will print white and the rest of the block black4 ,if the etching plate is inked and cleaned off1 as is always done1 it will print white2 if a line is cut in it1 the ink will remain in that and produce a black line4 ,of course they must be printed in appropriate presses4 ,in its broadest sense an etching may be produced in any one of a number of ways1 by the artist1 on a metal plate which may be printed from4 ,it is never a process or mechanical engraving1 and never was and never will be1 and the attempt to palm off mechanical blocks or plates is a swindle and a humbug4 ,etchings are produced in the following manner2 at least this is the best and simplest method4 ,a plate of highly polished copper1 zinc1 or even steel1 iron1 or aluminium is obtained from the makers1 ,william ,longman1 of ,johnson's ,court1 ,fleet ,street1 or from ,messrs4 ,hughes ,kimber1 ,west ,harding ,street1 ,fetter ,lane1 or ,messrs4 ,roberson1 #ii1 ,long ,acre4 ,copper1 however1 is the best and almost universally used4 ,this should be carefully cleaned with a soft rag and whiting2 then it should be gripped by a vice with a wooden handle1 in one corner1 care being taken to put a piece of soft paper between the vice and the plate to keep the teeth of the former from scratching it2 heated1 either upon an iron frame with a spirit or ,bunsen lamp under it1 or over the gas1 until1 if you take a ball of etching ground and touch the plate with it1 the ground melts4 ,this ground is made of resin1 wax1 and gum2 the best is made by ,sellers in ,england and ,cadart in ,france4 ,all these materials can be bought of ,roberson or ,hughes ,kimber4 ,touch the hot plate in several places with the ground4 ,it should melt at once2 then take an ,american etching roller 7which ,i think you can only obtain at ,roberson's7 and go over the plate rapidly with it in every direction1 until the little masses of melted ground have been spread evenly and thinly in a film all over it4 ,with a little practice you should be able to do this in a couple of minutes1 and you can lay in this way 7which is unknown virtually in ,england7 a thinner1 harder1 more even and very much better ground1 with less trouble1 than in any other4 ,heat the plate again a little more1 and take a bundle of wax tapers twisted together by heating them1 light them and pass them under the face of the plate held1 varnished side downwards1 by the vice2 do not touch the plate with the taper1 or the varnish1 being still melted1 will come off1 but go rapidly back and forward1 allowing the flame only to touch the surface4 ,in a few minutes the varnish will have been completely blackened by the smoke4 ,next1 take a bottle of stopping-out varnish 7which you may as well buy2 don't bother to make it7 and cover the back and edges of the plate4 ,if this is done while the plate is hot1 it dries very fast1 and as soon as the plate is cool it is ready to work on4 ,this is the first stage4 ,the waxy ground is put on to protect the plate from the acid with which it is to be bitten1 and it must be so well made and well put on1 that one can draw through it1 without tearing it up and without any resistance2 also it must adhere firmly to the plate1 where it is not drawn through1 and must resist the acid perfectly in the untouched parts4 ,the smoking is done to enable you to see your lines in the copper1 light on dark2 this is rather curious at first1 but you will get used to it4 ,the stopping-out varnish is also to protect the plate1 and is only a cheaper sort of ground dissolved in oil of lavender or ether4 ,when the plate is cool1 it should be of a brilliant uniform black1 and if there are any dull1 smoky-looking places on it1 the ground is burnt4 ,here the ground may be rubbed off1 or will show cracks1 if you touch it1 in these places1 and the varnish should be cleaned off the face with turpentine1 the plate carefully dried and regrounded4 ,otherwise the varnish will either crack while you are drawing on it1 or come off in the bath of acid1 and your work will be spoiled4 ,you draw upon the varnished plate with needles or points2 any steel points will do1 from a knitting-needle to the best big point you can get4 ,the small needles invented by ,mr4 ,whistler ,i find the best2 but this is a personal liking4 ,they are of all shapes and sizes4 ,you may commence and draw in your entire subject1 only remembering that you must leave your foreground lines further apart than those in the distance4 ,you may make your drawing either with the same needle1 all over1 or with needles of different sizes2 for though one half of the art is in the drawing1 the other half1 and the really characteristic half1 is in the biting4 ,there is very little to be said about the drawing1 save that you must draw just as well as ever you can2 you will find out almost immediately that you have the most responsive tool in your fingers1 and that you can work with it in any direction4 ,do not bother1 if you use the same needle1 because the drawing looks flat1 and the lines are of the same width2 the biting will fix all that4 ,draw away2 if you are afraid to tackle the copper straight away with a point1 paint your design on it1 with a little ,chinese white1 or1 if you have a pencil drawing of the subject1 you may make a tracing from it1 and go over that1 transferring it to the plate2 or you may turn the drawing face down and run it through a copper plate press2 the drawing will come off on the varnished surface in reverse1 and if you are doing a portrait of a place you must otherwise reverse it yourself4 ,if you wish to sketch from nature in reverse1 put up a mirror on an easel1 and turn your back to the subject1 drawing from the picture in the mirror1 for1 you must remember1 that any subject drawn1 as you see it1 on a copper plate1 or even a wood-block1 prints in reverse4 ,next1 to bite or etch the drawing into the copper plate1 take equal parts of nitric acid and water and mix them in a glass-stoppered bottle1 some hours before you wish to use the mixture1 for there is enough heat produced by the chemical action to melt the ground if it is used at once4 ,or have a quantity of what is known as ,dutch mordant made2 this is composed of-- ,two parts ,chlorate of ,potash1 ,ten parts ,hydrochloric ,acid1 ,eighty-eight parts water4 ,next1 get an ordinary photographer's porcelain or rubber bath or tray2 lay the plate in it1 pour the acid over it2 in a few seconds bubbles will arise1 in all the lines2 brush them away with a feather2 leave the plate1 if there is any fine work on it1 in the bath for only two or three minutes1 say for a light sky2 take it out with rubber finger-tips or a stick1 for the acid will burn your fingers and a drop will rot your clothes1 staining them light yellow2 wash the plate thoroughly in clean water1 dry it carefully with blotting-paper4 ,take some of your stopping-out varnish1 thin it with a little 7a very little7 turpentine1 paint over the very lightest parts of the drawing with a camel's-hair brush dipped in the diluted varnish1 and thus stop them out--that is1 stop them from biting any more by painting them with the varnish4 ,wait till the places where you have painted the varnish are thoroughly dry2 then put the plate in the bath again and bite the next stronger1 nearer set of lines2 of course1 save where the lines are covered by the stopping-out varnish1 they will keep on biting4 ,continue biting and stopping out till you get to the foreground1 where the lines should now be quite broad and deep2 take off the ground front and back by washing it with a rag dipped in turpentine1 dry it1 and the plate is ready to print from4 ,another method is to commence by drawing in the darks1 biting them1 then drawing in the middle distance1 the darks going on biting all the while1 and finally the extreme distance1 when the whole plate will be biting together2 by this method no stopping out is necessary1 but in working out of doors it is awkward to carry baths and acid around with one1 otherwise one must run back to the studio1 to bite between each stage4 ,but these two methods can be mixed up1 and frequently are1 and you may also work in the bath1 drawing lines through or over others1 thus getting richness while the biting is going on4 ,the bad fumes which are given off during the biting are not dangerous4 ,in working with the ,dutch mordant1 which bites slower than nitric acid and makes no bubbles1 but bites straight down1 while nitric acid enlarges the lines laterally1 you will inhale much of the fumes1 but they won't hurt you4 ,although you do not see any action with the ,dutch mordant1 brush the lines with a feather1 else a deposit is formed and they will bite unevenly4 ,it is very difficult to tell when a plate is well bitten1 the biting is very difficult1 but on taking it out of the bath and holding it on a level with your eye1 you can see the bitten lines2 you can also feel the biting with a needle1 and you may take off a bit of the varnish with your thumb-nail or turpentine and look at the lines1 re-covering them again with the stopping-out varnish2 but after this1 of course1 they will not bite in that place4 ,again1 the lines do not bite evenly2 where they are close together they bite faster1 and1 after the plate has been in the acid some time1 it may change its speed of biting2 differences of atmosphere and temperature affect it even with the same acid on the same day2 if the nitric acid is too weak add more acid2 if too strong pour in water1 and quick1 else the ground will come off3 it is too strong when it boils and bubbles all over2 it is too weak when there are no bubbles4 ,dutch mordant eats always slowly1 and never1 so far as ,i know1 destroys the ground4 ,at the last1 for very strong darks1 you may sometimes use a little pure nitric acid1 but it will most likely tear up the ground1 and if you leave it long enough will spoil all your lines1 giving you only a great black hole4 ,these are the systems employed by all etchers2 the lengthy dissertations about white ground1 silver ground1 positive and negative processes1 need not concern you1 they are never practised1 and mostly unknown to the best men4 ,these simple directions should enable you to produce artistic plates1 if you have the necessary ability4 ,still1 when you have had a proof of your plate pulled--,i will talk of printing in the next lecture--you will find that there are all sorts of imperfections in it1 possibly holes1 places where it is not bitten enough or too much bitten1 or that it is too dark or too light all over2 it is but seldom that a plate is right when the first proof is pulled4 ,if you find a hole bitten in it1 take a burnishing tool1 flatten the hole down as much as possible1 find the place on the back with a pair of calipers1 hammer it up from the back1 placing it on an anvil1 burnish it again and polish the surface with charcoal1 oil1 and rags2 revarnish the place1 redraw1 and rebite it4 ,if it is only a small place you may take up some nitric acid on a feather1 and paint the little spot to be rebitten with that4 ,a few drops of the acid have nearly as much power as a great deal4 ,in fact you may paint the face of your plate with acid and do your biting in that way1 without ever immersing it in the bath at all4 ,if it is too much bitten it must be rubbed down with charcoal and oil1 a tedious process4 ,if it is too light it must be rebitten all over2 then take a rebiting roller1 putting some liquid etching ground on a separate plate1 take the ground up on the roller and roll the face of the plate very carefully2 the ground should cover the face without going into any of the lines2 heat it very slightly to dry the ground1 leave it for a day or so and then bite as before4 ,if there are places where lines want joining or little touches of dark would be effective1 put them in with a graver or a point4 ,you may use a graver altogether1 and produce a line engraving2 or a point1 either steel or diamond1 and make what is known as a dry-point etching1 that is1 merely a scratched drawing on the copper2 the point throws up1 as you draw with it1 a furrow1 which is greater or less as you incline the point1 and this holds the ink1 and is called burr1 and gives for a few proofs great richness2 a steel face can1 however1 be put on the copper plate1 and any number of pulls may be taken4 ,the difference between the cutting of lines with a graver and the drawing of them with a point is this3 the graver1 both in metal and wood1 is pushed from one2 the point in etching1 and even the knives in wood cutting1 are drawn toward one4 ,messrs4 ,roberson have invented a plate of celluloid which1 for dry point work1 seems to be fairly good1 and as this plate is white or cream-coloured1 as one draws on it the lines may be filled up with paint1 and one may thus see the drawing as one works4 ,of course1 the same thing may be done with dry point on copper4 ,the great advantage of the celluloid is its lightness4 ,it must not1 however1 be heated in printing1 otherwise it will be ruined4 ,many etchers are now making experiments with aluminium1 but no certain results have as yet been obtained4 ,there are many other forms of engraving included under the title of ,etching1 although1 properly speaking1 they have nothing to do with it4 ,aquatint3 a ground1 made by depositing powdered resin in solution with spirits of wine1 is poured on the plate1 slightly heated1 and as it dries the resin adheres to the plate and cracks up irregularly2 a drawing may be made on this1 and stopped out in the usual way4 ,or powdered resin may be sprinkled on the plate1 heated1 when it will adhere1 or the plate may be placed in a box containing resin in very fine powder1 heated1 and the box shaken2 the resin will settle on it and produce the ground4 ,a very similar ground may be made by passing the ordinarily-grounded plate through a copper-plate printing-press1 with a piece of sandpaper over it1 three or four times1 then the design may be painted on it in stopping-out varnish1 and at times a very good result may be obtained4 ,lines may be put in1 etched before the ground is laid2 but personally ,i don't like the lines at all2 without them the result is rather like a bitten painting4 ,silk and canvas can also be placed on the grounded plate1 which is then run through the press1 to get tints in the ground4 ,tints may be obtained after the plate is bitten by painting it with olive oil and sprinkling flowers of sulphur on it1 which gives a very charming tint1 but it does not last long2 ,i believe that if acid is poured over it1 it may last better4 ,mr4 ,frank ,short says so1 but ,i have never tried the experiment4 ,soft ground etchings are made by mixing etching ground and tallow together in equal proportions1 covering the plate with this composition by means of the roller3 that is1 put some of the composition on a clean plate1 pass the roller over it till it is covered with the soft ground1 and then roll it on to the plate on which you propose to work1 smoke it and then stretch a piece of rough-grained or lined drawing paper over the face1 as paper is stretched for making water-colours1 draw upon this with a lead pencil and then carefully take the paper off2 you must not rest on or touch the plate with your fingers2 the ground comes away with the paper where the pencil has passed1 and the design is seen on the copper1 and is then to be bitten in as in ordinary etching4 ,mezzotint is also included1 for some unknown reason1 with etching4 ,the face of the plate is roughened in every direction by going over it with a toothed instrument called a rocker1 until it will print perfectly black2 the design is then traced on it2 the drawing is made by scraping down the lights1 and finally by burnishing the whites quite smooth4 ,tint effects can also be obtained by a smooth-toothed wheel1 the roulette1 the same as that used by process engravers2 only here it produces blacks1 while they use it to get lights4 ,monotypes1 that is paintings made in colour or black and white on a bare copper plate in the usual way1 though they must be handled thinly1 may be passed through the press1 and they will yield one exquisitely soft and delicate impression4 ,the electrotyping and duplicating of them changes their character and value entirely3 it is a ridiculous and inartistic proceeding4 ,but after going through all this list1--,i have barely referred to steel engraving in line1 which1 as ,i have said1 is only working with an ordinary graver in steel1 and is slow and tedious1 unsatisfactory drudgery2 or to stipple engraving1 dotting and biting in dots1 instead of lines1 as practised by ,bartolozzi1--one comes back to the simple method ,i described at first1 the method with some improvements of ,rembrandt1 the method of ,whistler1 or in dry point the method of ,helleu2 and what is good enough for those masters should be good enough for you4 ,,lecture ,,ix4 ,,the ,,printing ,,of ,,etchings4 ,which is the more interesting and amusing--the drawing1 biting1 or printing of an etching has never been decided4 ,but no artist is willing1 if he can help it1 to allow any one else1 once he has mastered the method of work1 to perform any part of the operation for him4 ,the printing of an etching is1 in theory1 very simple2 in practice1 it is most difficult1 but most delightful4 ,the plate being bitten1 as ,i have described in a previous lecture1 must now be printed1 for the prints from it1 and not the plate itself1 are the end of etching--really of all illustration4 ,you will have to spend several pounds on an etching outfit1 so you had better get a good one4 ,the small ones1 including press1 ink1 chemicals1 quite complete1 sold by ,roberson1 of #ii1 ,long ,acre1 are most excellent as far as they go1 for small plates1 and taking round the country with one on a sketching tour2 but for serious work1 a more practical set of tools is necessary4 ,therefore ,i would advise you first to take lessons of a good etcher1 who will allow you to work with him1 or to go to a printer and get him to show you how the work is done4 ,this is the method3 the first thing to do is to obtain some good handmade paper1 almost all old paper is excellent2 it should be unruled1 of course2 often the tone of it is lovely1 and it may contain most beautiful water-marks4 ,i am referring to ,dutch1 ,french1 ,english1 or ,german papers of at least a century old4 ,at times you may be able to pick up old ledgers1 account-books1 or packages of unprinted paper2 treasure them up2 if you don't print etchings on them1 there is nothing more delightful to draw upon4 ,there are also ,japanese and ,india papers1 which give most beautiful delicate translucent effect to prints4 ,vellum1 parchment1 and even silk or satin may be printed on4 ,but as a general rule the old handmade ,dutch paper is the most satisfactory1 if you can get it4 ,for ordinary work and experiments1 modern paper is quite good enough1 and very good handmade paper can be obtained from ,roberson's4 ,let us suppose you are going to print2 twenty-four hours before1 take several sheets of paper1 rather more than you want1 in case of failure or for any other reason2 cut the sheets the size you desire them1 a little larger than the plate1 so as to leave a decent margin4 ,cut the paper first2 ,japanese paper1 for example1 cannot easily be cut when it is wet4 ,get a sheet of window glass1 lay it flat on a table1 take the first sheet of paper and damp it on one side by passing a wet sponge over it1 lay it on the glass2 on top of this sheet lay another dry one2 damp the top of that with the sponge2 and continue laying down sheets and damping their upper faces till you have enough2 put another sheet of window glass on the top1 and a heavy weight upon it2 in a day the whole mass should be completely dampened all through4 ,i believe the same thing can be done by a copying press and book1 and ,i have heard it is so done by lithographers1 but the way ,i have described is the usual one that is followed by plate printers4 ,the next thing is the press4 ,a good secondhand one may be bought at ,hughes ,kimber's1 ,west ,harding ,street1 ,fetter ,lane1 for about five pounds4 ,much depends1 however1 on the size and finish4 ,you should have it brought to your studio1 set up and adjusted for you by skilled workmen4 ,then you must buy a heater and a jigger for your plates1 ink1 oil1 canvas1 and a number of other things1 dabbers1 a muller1 an ink-slab1 and a big palette knife2 all these will run up a bill of ten pounds or so4 ,but having your press and other things1 let us go to work3 light the gas-burners under the heater which you have bought2 if too much flame comes out and makes the iron top too hot1 plug up some of the jets4 ,put your plate on the top of the heater4 ,first1 however1 see that your press is adjusted1 so that the plate will fit in4 ,to do this1 put a piece of paper on the top of the plate and run it in the press to try it1 and see if it goes under the roller without tearing the paper4 ,take some of the ink out of the can1 or better1 get it in powder1 put it on the ink-slab and mix it with oil with the palette knife2 then take the muller and grind the ink until it is thoroughly ground and mixed and of about the thickness of paint as it comes out of the tube4 ,but each plate will require more or less oil or colour1 and some brown1 red1 or possibly blue mixed with it to take off the crude raw look which pure black often has in the print4 ,the plate being now warm1 not so hot as to boil or burn the ink1 dab with a dabber the ink from the slab all over the face of the plate 7it is warmed to wipe the ink off easily71 slide it from the heater to the wooden box called a jigger1 which must be placed alongside the former4 ,you should get a printer to arrange your things for you4 ,take a piece of the rag or canvas for wiping1 double it carefully and loosely in your hand--this requires much practice--and remove all the ink which is on the surface of the plate4 ,even after you have wiped it some time1 an oily film will remain1 which1 unless you polish the plate with whiting rubbed on your hand1 you cannot remove1 and you do not want to1 because the oil gives a delicious tone to the print4 ,some ink may be left in places on the surface to increase and strengthen the work1 but what you must learn to do is not to wipe any of the ink out of the bitten lines4 ,this is very difficult1 and if you do wipe it out1 you must commence all over again1 only the chances are that you will know nothing about this until the plate is printed4 ,the colour may also be increased by going over the surface of the plate1 having again warmed it1 if it has become cool1 with a bit of soft taffatas silk with a trembling muscular motion of the arm and fingers4 ,this action1 called retroussage1 which must be seen to be understood1 drags the ink slightly over the surface of the plate without taking much out of the lines4 ,now take off the weights from your paper1 take up a sheet1 which should be thoroughly damped1 first brushing it with a soft brush to remove any drops of water or dirt or dust4 ,the paper should be placed near the press4 ,put the plate face upwards on the press1 on which the blankets have been properly arranged--you must see this done for yourselves--the plate underneath of course2 lay the sheet of damp paper on the face of the plate and run it through the press once2 it is well to put a sheet of ordinary thick paper on the top of the damp sheet1 otherwise the latter will stick to the blankets2 raise the blankets and take up the first sheet of paper1 the print will most likely adhere to that1 if it does not1 take it up carefully by one edge1 it will come away from the copper1 and you will find the print on the under side of it4 ,japanese and ,india prints require very careful handling1 especially the latter4 ,they are usually printed on to a sheet of plate paper by dusting it1 or the back of the ,india paper1 with flour2 this1 on passing through the press1 is made into paste by the dampness of the ,india paper1 and they are thus moulded together4 ,as soon as the prints are taken off the press1 put them between sheets of blotting paper and allow them to dry for some time1 they will come out flat2 if you neglect this1 they will crinkle up very badly1 and are difficult to get smooth again4 ,this is the way a copper plate is printed1 but you must see it done and practise for a long time before you can do it decently4 ,colour prints from copper plates may be made in one or more ways4 ,the various colours may be put on by applying them where they are wanted with stumps1 or the plate may be painted by applying the colours with brushes4 ,several plates may be used1 just as in lithography or coloured block printing1 and these coloured plates wiped as ,i have been describing4 ,many prints1 however1 are coloured by hand after they are printed4 ,mezzotints1 acquatints1 steel engravings1 c41 are printed in the same way as copper-plates4 ,the rubbing with the canvas and the hand1 and the tremendous pressure to which the plates are subjected1 quickly spoil the clearness and sharpness of the lines2 therefore if any large number of prints are wanted1 a coating of steel is put on the face of the copper-plate by steel-plating it2 this protects the copper1 and as soon as the steel facing shows signs of wear it may be removed1 and a new film of steel applied2 hence an unlimited edition can be printed in time from a copper plate4 ,if it is necessary that the printing should be done more rapidly1 electrotypes can be made from the original copper-plate 7see electrotype and stereotype ,lecture71 and several printers can then work on these electrotypes at the same time4 ,the electrotypes are rarely equal to the originals4 ,such is a brief outline of the method of printing copper plates2 but ,i cannot too strongly impress upon you the fact that it is a handicraft which1 though most interesting1 requires long apprenticeship1 with a master printer1 and in one's studio1 before good results can be obtained4 ,,lecture ,x4 ,,photogravure ,,and ,,photo-,,lithography1 ,,etc4 ,these processes or methods of reproduction are the outcome of the endeavour to supersede the artist and engraver4 ,they are quite mechanical1 or should be2 in fact the less evidence there is of any intervention on the part of the operator or maker of a photographic plate1 the better it will be for the work which is being reproduced2 still1 if an artist turns his attention to these processes1 the finest results are obtained1 even though he must completely efface himself in the work4 ,m4 ,amand ,durand made the best photogravures ever produced because he was an artist4 ,no mere photographic or mechanical engraver ever approached him4 ,the theory of photogravure and photo-lithography1 in the best work1 is the same as that of photo-engraving1 which is described in a previous ,lecture4 ,in photogravure a photograph of a drawing is usually made on a sensitised copper plate2 this is coated with some acid-resisting varnish1 but when the varnished plate is washed with water or some acid1 the varnish covering the picture on the plate comes away1 leaving the picture on the bare copper4 ,this is then bitten in exactly the same way as an etching1 the success of the plate depending entirely on the artistic intelligence of the person who does the biting4 ,or else the photographic print is made on the varnish itself just exactly in the same way as for a zinc block2 only in this case the picture is washed away and not the surrounding portions2 the biting is then proceeded with4 ,there are also many other processes of photogravure1 while heliotype1 autotype1 ,woodbury-type1 collotype1 are closely allied to it4 ,the word type is probably used simply because by none of these methods can the plates be used with letterpress4 ,all these processes1 however1 are very complicated1 require expensive machinery1 are quite outside the field of art1 most secret1 and1 except theoretically1 of little importance to you4 ,a good photogravure1 for example1 by ,amand ,durand or ,ch4 ,dujardin is often a most excellent reproduction of a line-drawing or an etching--so good1 in fact1 as to be almost indistinguishable from an etching4 ,but to endeavour to palm off pen drawings as etchings1 when they have been reproduced in some such way1 is to act the part of a common swindler4 ,photo-lithography is exactly the same as photo-zincography--process block-making4 ,the drawing is photographed on to transfer paper1 covered with lithographic ink and transferred to the stone like any other lithograph4 ,this is a mechanical process2 there are a number of ways of getting the drawing on to the stone1 and the results are described under many names4 ,collotypes and other varieties of photographic prints are made from gelatine or other films2 they require expensive machines to produce1 they are all mechanical processes which you could not readily use unless you went into the business1 and are quite outside your art4 ,one is being continually shown processes which are going to revolutionise engraving and incidentally do away with the artist2 this has not yet been accomplished4 ,but just as one sees to-day the momentary triumph of the photographer--or rather of the person who is exploiting the poor photographer--one may remember that chromos have not annihilated painting1 nor can the photograph ever be anything more than a useful aid to illustration4 ,,lecture ,,xi4 ,,making ,,ready ,,for ,,the ,,printing ,,press4 ,having made your drawing1 had it reproduced by one of the methods ,i described1 you must now have it printed4 ,excepting in the case of very limited fine editions of not more than one hundred copies1 the original plates or blocks on which the designs have been engraved are very seldom used1 because if anything should happen to the blocks or plates they would have to be done over again4 ,so copies of them1 called electrotypes and sometimes stereotypes1 are made4 ,the electrotype of a wood or metal block or plate is produced in the same way as an electrotype of any other object1 by usually taking a wax cast of it1 putting the cast in an electrotyping bath1 when a shell of copper is deposited upon it4 ,as many of these wax casts may be made as are wanted1 and as many shells are deposited as desired4 ,these copper shells are then backed up with wood or metal and are ready to print from4 ,they are wonderfully cheaply and quickly turned out1 and in the case of magazines and books1 for which a large circulation is expected1 are always used2 and it is almost1 with good work1 impossible to tell the difference between the electrotype1 and the original2 from a process block or wood engraving1 while the original block is preserved for making additional electrotypes for future editions4 ,in the case of cheap books1 or newspapers with illustrations1 the ,daily ,graphic1 for example--the ,chronicle was printed almost altogether from the original blocks1 or electrotypes--the page of type is set up with the original blocks in it1 and this is stereotyped to print from2 that is1 a papier mach mould is made of the entire page of type and illustrations1 either by pounding down on to it1 with a heavy brush1 a thick sheet of papier mach till the entire page is moulded into the pulpy papier mach1 or by covering it with successive sheets of thin damp paper until a solid mould or matrix of paper is made on the type2 this matrix is hardened and placed in a curved steel case1 and type metal poured into the case upon the paper mould2 as soon as the type metal has cooled it is taken out1 and a perfect cast of the page is seen in metal1 curved so that it will fit on the cylinder of the printing press4 ,if there are no illustrations1 it may be printed right off1 without further preparation2 but if the page contains illustrations1 in order to get the proper amount of colour on the blacks1 and the delicacy of the greys1 little pieces of paper must be put over and under the illustrations1 on the printing press1 to bring out their colour1 by increasing or lessening the pressure4 ,this is the way in which it is done3 a man1 called the overlay cutter1 has several proofs of the illustration given him1 and he cuts them out so as to produce a series of skeleton designs1 one containing only the blacks1 another the blacks and dark greys1 the third the blacks1 dark and light greys1 and so on2 these he pastes on the top of each other1 forming the picture in relief1 and this relief picture is either placed under the block to be printed from1 or else on the opposite cylinder under the paper on which the picture is to be printed--it must be put on very accurately and firmly1 for if it slips it will ruin the whole page4 ,all this work connected with printing is most interesting1 most complicated1 and most wonderfully performed4 ,in order to understand it thoroughly1 you must go and work in a printing office2 all illustrators should learn at least how overlays are made1 how to correct them1 and how to work on blocks or electros1 though this is really the duty of the engraver2 when they are on the printing press1 little things may happen which may make or mar a whole book1 which only the artist can detect1 and which he should be able to set right4 ,therefore if you are making a beautiful book1 you should not only see all the engraver's proofs of your drawings1 but the printer's proofs as well2 all this requires much work and more knowledge1 but unless you care enough about your work to acquire this knowledge1 ,i doubt if you will ever be a great success as an illustrator--that is1 artistically4 ,very much has been said lately about the artist considering the limitations of the printing press1 the paper1 and ink4 ,really to-day with the best engravers1 the best printers and paper-makers1 there are no limits to the possibilities of reproducing and printing drawings4 ,the limits are the depth of the publisher's pocket4 ,almost any drawing whatever can be reproduced very well1 by some means1 provided the editor or publisher will pay the price charged for having it reproduced1 and the engravers and printers have the knowledge of their craft to reproduce it4 ,and if the book or magazine will stand the expense1 it very likely will pay the publisher4 ,but if you are working for a magazine1 it is not likely that the proprietors can afford photogravures1 therefore your work must be made so that it will reproduce well by wood engraving or process4 ,and the necessity for attention to the mechanical requirements of drawing1 engraving1 and printing increase1 as the price of the book or paper decreases1 until when one comes down1 financially1 to the halfpenny papers1 only those drawings can be used which will print at the utmost speed1 and with the least care bestowed upon them1 in poor ink and cheap paper4 ,still1 there is no reason why the artistic quality also should degenerate2 there are men at work to-day whose drawings would look just as well in the halfpenny evening papers as in a three-guinea book1 and these men are to be congratulated on their perfect mastery of the cheaper methods of reproduction4 ,therefore try to do good work in your own way1 and do not bother about anything but whether it will look well on the printed page4 ,,unwin ,,brothers1 ,,printers1 ,,london ,,and ,,chilworth4 ,transcriber's ,note ,archaic and variant spelling is preserved as printed4 ,minor punctuation errors have been repaired4 ,hyphenation has been made consistent4