Whittock, Nathaniel: The Art Of Drawing And Colouring From Nature, Flowers, Fruit, And Shells: To Which Is Added, Correct Directions For Preparing The Most Brilliant Colours For Painting On Velvet, With The Mode Of Using Them, Also The New Method Of Oriental Tinting ; With Plain And Coloured Drawings (London, 1829)

LESSON II.

TULIP.
Tulips are so varied in their colours and forms, that while some are the
easiest subjects that can be executed, others require the greatest skill in
the management of their colours. Of course this, which is introduced as
the subject of the second lesson, is one that will require but little trouble
in its imitation. The stalk must be drawn first: this in a tulip is
nearly straight; but in drawing ssowers nothing is so much to be
avoided as a hard stiff line, as though it were formed with a ruler.
This line is made to curve a little to take away the ungraceful appear-
ance of a straight line, but not so much as to destroy the character of
the ssower. Keep the lines of the stalk very light with the pencil at
first; from the stalk make a small point at the place where you sup-
pose the upper part of the ssower will appear; and in the same way
measure the outline of the sides of the ssower.
When the points are properly marked, so that the outline may not
be too large or too small, proceed to draw the faint outline of the
centre leaf, taking care that the point at the top of the leaf is inclined
the same way as the end of the stalk. In drawing the outline of a
ssower, it is not of so much consequence that every turn is so accu-
rately drawn as that the general character of the subject is attended
to. Thus if, in copying this leaf, there should be a slight variation in
the form, or even if it is a little larger, provided it is gracefully drawn,
and the whole, taken together, is like the tulip, it will be advisable to
proceed. As soon as the light outlines of the centre and side leaves are