A manual of information and suggestions for object lessons, in a course of elementary instruction. Adapted to the use of the school and family charts, and other aids in teaching

Front matter

MANUAL

OF

INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS

Part I. First Lessons In Drawing

Some teachers begin their lessons in drawing with the formation of straight lines, vertical, horizontal, oblique, and

* We have represented the letter lu in two forms : one in the word Old, and the other as seen in the alphabet. We prefer the latter. We have given on the Chart the ' ' Spencerian" form of the letters. If the teacher should prefer any other forms, there is no objection to his using them, if he can make them very neatly.

angular, and these they follow with exercises in forming curved lines. Chart No. XI. will furnish an abundant variety of such lessons, if teachers think best to follow this system.

Others very justly object to this mode of teaching drawing as unnatural and devoid of interest to the pupil, and prefer to begin simultaneously with both kinds of lines, as they are found combined in the outlines of the forms of real objects, as we have represented them in the upper part of Chart 'No. X. It is not often that we are required in drawing to make a continuous straight or curved line with one stroke of the pencil, and hence there is little reason for practicing upon such lines.

If the picture of a cap like that on Chart No. I. be given 0. child for a drawing lesson, the child, if it has had no previous instruction in drawing, will be very apt to begin with making heavy black marks for the outline, and these marks will be very certain to be wrong. They are then so heavy that they can not be corrected, and the child has to begin a new drawing. This will, perhaps, be equally faul^, and another drawing Avill be begun ; and so on until half a dozen or more attempts have been made, and the child becomes discouraged.

The child should be taught to begin with making the faintest outline iwssible of some important part of the picture : it shoulu then examine this outline carefully, and, without rubbing out any thing, correct it by a new light tracing. Let it continue thus \\x\t\\ the outlines of the Avhole picture are satisfactory. The correct tracings may then be made a little firmer, like the outlines of the cap as given on this Chart. It will then be easy to fill up with lines of shading, as they are seen in the picture of the same cap on Chart No. I. These pencil lines of shading, however, should be made ')nuch lir/hter than they are in the engraved and printed picture. Children are inclined to go to the extreme of making a jiicture as black as possible. They should be encouraged to make all their drawings light., even when they are fully shaded ; and they should be shown that the most striking parts of a picture are usually those which are left almost or wholly white.

After the pupil has drawn an outline of the cap, as in Chart No. X., and shaded it, as in Chart No. I., he should be required to make a drawing, in the same order, of a real cap.

After this introduction of the subject, we would advise that pupils should be required to make drawings from Chart No. XIX. of the forms of leaves, stems, roots, and flowers represented there, being careful to sketch the outlines very lightly at first ; and that after each drawing — if it be of a leaf, for example — a similar real leaf should be placed before them as a coj^y, that they may thus be continually drawing from Nature.

They may next return to Chart No. X., and copy, in order, the outlines of objects there represented. After making one of these outlines, as directed with reference to that of the cap, and then shading it as shown elsewhere in the completed picture, the object itself, or some other familiar object, and a similar one if possible, should be placed before them to copy. In all cases the picture should be used merely to teach the children hoio to draw similar natural objects.^

The complete picture of the pear, jug, and face will be found on Chart No. I. ; that of the fish in the Fifth Reader, page 227 ; but that on Chart No. I. may be drawn as well. The completed picture of the cat may be found on Chart No. VI. ; that of the boy reading on Chart No, V. ; domestic folds on Chart No. XVII. ; and the horse, etc., on Chart No. XV. In drawing a picture of the human face,

* Drawing, as usually taught in our schools, is little more than copt/- ing pictmes — a very profitless exorcise, except as it does cultivate a taste for pictures or paintings generally ; but it fails in cultivating a taste /or Nature ; and its utility is the very doubtful one of copying a copy, instead of copying the originals. Drawing and painting lessons should have direct and constant reference to drawing and painting from Nature ; and if the system we have here so briefly sketched be tenaciously adhei'ed to, the desired results will not be difficult of attainment.

tlie eye should be first drawn, as, if that should be wrong, all the rest would be spoiled.

The teacher will find on the Charts, and throughout the School and Family Readers, a great variety of pictures, from which he may select copies for his pupils ; and he should be careful to select, in the early lessons, such as they are most familiar with, and of which they can find representatives in real objects in Natixre to copy from. Let them copy from the upper part of Chart No. XX. the parts of flowers as there represented, and then find similar parts to copy from in the natural flowers. Let them copy, from Chart No. XXI. the forms of the roots of Avell-known plants, and let them bring in drawings of similar roots from Nature. Be careful to have them begin each picture by sketching the oidlines very lightly / and do not let them shade any of them too heavily. Accustom them to cojyy much from Nature. Let them make drawings of books, tables, chairs, and desks, and of old fences, the stumps of trees, rocks, etc. They should not attempt hidldings until they have learned something of Perspective.