Studio: international art (2.1894)

Drawing for Reproduction

line, symbols may be replaced by the actual object
and Art be a gainer thereby. Dolls and lay
figures—gracious and decorative though they be—
will never move humanity that has known life
itself mirrored whether in a statue by Praxiteles,
a pastel by Degas, or a pen-drawing by Charles
Keene. Not that we would close this first notice
of the Birmingham School by even an insinuation
that it was satisfied with still-life, but despite its
vigour, its energy and its successes, it must needs
come into the life of to-day if it would be really a
power in England of the twentieth century, other-
wise it will but result in creating an esoteric body
of artists, too absorbed in ministering to the tastes
of a few to care for the large mass of people—not
all ignorant, by the way—who cannot make-believe
that Chaucer's England is to be brought back by a
revival of a few decorative industries, or forget that
" six counties overhung with smoke" represent
factors in our daily life not easily explained away.

The work of the School in other branches will be
fully illustrated in a future article.

ON WHATMAN'S "NOT" PAPER (6i X 3i)

DRAWING FOR REPRO-
DUCTION BY PROCESS:
LITHOGRAPHIC CHALK ON
VARIOUS PAPERS.

It has been clearly demonstrated that neither a
pencil nor grey ink line can be trusted to reproduce
well by any of the cheap photo-zinco processes.
Whether the ordinary " zirico-man " will not repro-
duce a grey or pencil line, or whether he cannot,
is immaterial. It may be the former or the
latter, or mayhap a bit of both; the fact remains—
faint ink or pencil lines are not reproduced well,
in average work. Still, a writer must not be
accused of showing guilty sympathy with the
zincographer because he understands that a soft
grey line will persist in coming out either terribly
black, or else bitten up into ugly little blotches;
for an acquaintance with the mere rudiments of
zincography makes the reason unmistakably ap-
parent. Nor should an artist be blamed if,
knowing this, he bears in mind during the pro-
duction of his drawing the necessity of its making
a good block, with as little sacrifice of artistic
quality as may be.

Just now, the unfortunate zinco-engraver is
denounced as an ogre who takes fiendish delight

in producing bad work. It is manifestly absurd to
waste time trying to propitiate an ogre; but is it
impossible to provide the savage zincographer with

ON ALLONG15 PAPER (RIGHT SIDE) (5 X 2j)

a drawing impervious alike to his malignity and his
acid bath ?

It is remarkable that lithographic chalk, a sub-
stance eminently adapted to process work, should
be so little used in England. It is as black as
Conte or Wolff crayon, and does not rub or blur
—a marked advantage when the risk of " fixing" a
drawing made in Conte' is considered. Besides
this, the waxy litho-chalk, when passed over
the paper, clings to the raised portions without
filling and clogging the indentations. This results
in each line of the drawing being split into a multi-
tude of black dots quite safe for reproduction by
cheap process. Its drawbacks are that erasures can-
not be made with india-rubber, but must be cut out,
and that it is not easy to work hard, thin, definite
lines upon it. Clean-cut outlines are also difficult
with this material, so it is sometimes wise to use a
brush, or pen, to sharpen and accentuate certain
portions of the work, or a thick wash of Chinese
white can be employed for high lights or for clean
ing the rotten edges of a chalk line.

The chalk used in the examples here shown was

ON ALLONG£ PAPER (WRONG SIDE, 4i X 3), FINISHED
WITH THE PEN

a No. 1 Lemercier, chosen on account of its hard-
ness and susceptibility to a fair point. It is
readily sharpened with a penknife, and "gives"
freely.

Of papers especially suitable there are several—
Allonge^ a French charcoal paper with a fine, even

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