Page:Pencil Sketching from Nature.djvu/14

 and a 5H.) for the beginner, the HB, F, and 5H will suffice, the first for the dark shadows and accents and the last for the broad "washes" of tint. The full length pencil should be cut in half and sharpened to a blunt point well supported by wood and chiseled off at the end so that lines of all widths, from hair-like strokes to broad brush-like marks may be made with the protruding lead (See Figure 1).

For sketching purposes a good drawing paper with a slight grain is best. A smooth paper is unsatisfactory, while one of coarse tooth will render delicate effects impossible. For practice work any cheap paper will answer: but when one goes to work in the field, one

should have the best procurable. For convenience a small smooth covered port-folio is recommended, say one 12 X 15 inches. This will serve to hold the paper cut to a convenient size and will offer a good surface on which to draw. One or two spare sheets should be placed beneath the sheet drawn upon, that its surface may be made more resilient, while a broad elastic band stretched about the portfolio will serve to hold down the extreme upper edge of the sheets which may be slid beneath it.

That the student may learn control of his medium, he is urged to devote some time to preliminary practice in making smooth and forceful lines and building up masses by strokes so close together that the penciled surface when completed shows atone as even as a wash of water color. This trick cannot be learned in an hour or a day, but the learner must persevere, holding his