Part 7 (1/2)

A the hurried or feeble illustrator, is the systeive shadow and colour to a pure line drawing, by process It is a practice always to be regretted; whether applied to a necessarily hasty newspaper sketch, or to one of Daniel Vierge's elaborately printed illustrations in the _Pablo de Segovia_ One cannot condely this system, so freely used in continental illustrated sheets, but which, in the radation of the art of illustration These dots and lines, used for shadow, or tone, are laid upon the plate by the , by a blue pencilto be so manipulated; and as the illustrator _has not seen the effect on his own line drawing_, the results are often a surprise to everyone concerned I wish these ingenious contrivances were more worthy of an artist's attention

On the opposite page is an exaazine, by which it ht has been taken ruthlessly froer in tone with the rest of the picture, as an open air sketch The syste to the hurried illustrator; he has only to draw in line (or outline, which is worse) and then mark where the tint is to appear, and the dots are laid on by the maker of the blocks

[Illustration: ”THE ADJUTANT'S LOVE STORY” (H R MILLAR)

(_Exarain_)

No XXII]

In the illustration on the last page (I have chosen an exarain dots; those used in newspapers and cohtly, as everyone knows), it is obvious that the artist's sketch is injured by this treatment, that, in fact, the result is not artistic at all Nothing but high pressure or incompetence on the part of the illustrator can excuse this ; and it must be remembered that these inartistic results are not the fault of the process, or of the ”processin every direction, to save ti the standard of topical illustrations And it is this systeht in technical schools, where the knowledge of process is taking the place of wood engraving

The question is again upperes,” I venture to call theood arise by ie to youthful illustrators in technical schools? Wood engraving was a craft to be learned, with a career for the apprentice _There is no si the ”processes;” and nothing but disappointment before him if he learns the mechanism before he is an educated and qualified artist_

Mention should bein line on prepared transfer paper with autographic ink, which is transferred to zinc without the aid of photography, a process very useful for rapid and coood book illustration, as it is irksoood results;has often to be inal It is one of the processes which I think the student of art had better not know much about[15]

That it is possible, by the coraving, may be seen in some process illustrations by Mr Lancelot Speed, in whichthe free use of white lining

Mr Speed is very daring in his experiments, and students may well puzzle over the means by which he obtains his effects by the line processes

[Illustration]

The illustration opposite froenious treatment of the black-lined papers Technically it is one of the best examples I know of,--the result of much study and experi's ”Blue Poetry Book”_ (LANCELOT SPEED)

No XXIII]

[Illustration: No XXIV

”_The Armada_,” by LANCELOT SPEED

This extraordinary exa's _Blue Poetry Book_, published by Messrs Longmans

In this illustration no wash has been used, nor has there been any ”screening” or engraving on the block The reat extent the artist's own invention This illustration and the two preceding lead to the conclusion that there is yetfor process_ by those ill study it The achieves to reproduce, is quite another matter Here all is easy for the reproducer, the co employed, and the required effects obtained withoutof the printer, or of the maker of the blocks

Thus far all the illustrations in this book have been produced by the common line process]

[Illustration: ”SEINE BOATS” (FROM THE PAINTING BY LOUIS GRIER)]

”HALF-TONE” PROCESS

The next process to consider is the raphs on blocks suitable for printing at the type press, commonly known as the Meisenbach or ”half-tone process;” a enious and valuable invention, which, in clever hands, is capable of artistic results, but which in coloom over illustrations in books and newspapers

First, as to thethe blocks As there are no lines in a wash drawing or in a photograph frorain, or interstices of white, on the zinc plate, as in a raph to be reproduced and the calass screens, covered with lines or dots, are interposed, varying in strength according to the light and shade required; thus turning the i practically into ”line,” with sufficient interstices of white for printing purposes

[Illustration: ”THERE IS THE PRIORY!”]

Thus, all drawings in wash, chalk, pencil, etc, that will not reproduce by the direct line processes, already referred to, are treated for printing at the type press; and thus the uniform, monotonous dulness, hich we are all fa for this process have to be carefully studied, to prevent the enerally of ure nearly every azine and newspaper we take up There is no necessity for this degradation of illustration