Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/255

 CHAPTER XVI

Correcting our Drawings

OW many times do we cast our pencil down and exclaim, "Oh for a little help!" Or we take up our drawing and despairingly rend it in half.

If we have landed in a hopeless morass of difficulties, we had far better tear up our drawing or fling it aside&mdash;and begin again. To begin again, however, on the same object, round which clings the flavour of defeat, is disheartening. Personally I prefer to start on quite another subject.

On the other hand, if you are pluckily determined to discover your mistakes you should put your pride in your pocket and seek out your nearest available friend, who, though ignorant of drawing, may detect the something that is wrong. He or she will probably laugh (how easy it is to laugh at the mistakes of other people!); but try to find the reason for that laugh.

"Why laugh?"

"Oh, I don't know why, but it is so screamingly funny."

"Where does the scream come in?"

"I don't know."

"You must know. Is it the face, or the eyes, or the hand? I am sure the hand is quite good."

"N-no, but, oh!"&mdash;another explosion of merriment&mdash;"oh, dear! did you ever see such a leg in all your life?"

And in all probability you have taken more care with the drawing of that leg than with the rest of the drawing put together.

Now that your attention has been drawn to the leg, look at it carefully; something may strike you as peculiar. It may&mdash;you possibly concede&mdash;look a trifle 'out,' but where is it