"I will sit to you if you will sit to me," my brothers would say. As there were two brothers and one sister, all fond of drawing, we formed a Triple Alliance, and posed to each other in turn.
So we will begin with simple poses.
A hint here as to the size of our sketches may not come amiss. Do not draw on too small a scale. A sketch of a figure the height of your thumb will not teach you very much. Moreover, one is too apt to adopt a niggling, worried style of drawing. Take a good-sized sheet paper and try to make your sketch as large as the length of your hand.
Shall we assume that Kathleen has kindly agreed to sit to us for fifteen minutes? Let us place her on a stool on which she can sit upright and in a steady suffused light—not too near the window, the fire, the electric, gas, or lamp light, all of which tend to throw confusing lights and shadows. Then we give Kathleen a searching look—not too long—and we ask ourselves what shape does Kathleen, roughly speaking, present? She forms a triangular shape. Yes. See the line of the back, the line of the upper leg, the line of the leg from the knee to the foot, and the upright supports of the stool.
Having seen, we record our impressions—lightly—for after all they are but impressions, and we don't want to make harsh lines that can be erased only by much rubbing and spoiling of paper.
Next we consider the angles we have made and compare with Kathleen. We see that the angles are softened into curves, the forward thrust of the neck, the curve of the spine and upper part of the leg. We might note the position of the hands on the lap (they are not on the extreme edge of the knee), and we could look again at the head and indicate the roundness of the upper side, the comparatively flat oval of the face, and the hood-like shape of Kathleen's short mane.
Now we are searching for more detail. I know you are dying to give her a nose, eye, and mouth. Well, trace these details lightly and do not labour the eyelashes—we have something more important in hand.
