ating, by a blue pencil mark, the
parts of a drawing to 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 example taken from an English magazine, by
which it may be seen that all daylight has been taken ruthlessly from
the principal figure, and that it is no longer in tone with the rest of
the picture, as an open air sketch. The system is tempting 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.)

(_Example of mechanical grain._)

No. XXII.]

In the illustration on the last page (I have chosen an example of
fine-grain dots; those used in newspapers and common prints are much
more unsightly, 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 mechanical addition to an incomplete
drawing; and it must be remembered that these inartistic results are not
the fault of the process, or of the "process man." But the system is
growing in every direction, to save time and trouble, and is lowering
the standard of topical illustrations. And it is this system (_inter
alia_) which is taught in technical schools, where the knowledge of
process is taking the place of wood engraving.

The question is again uppermost in the mind, are such mechanical
appliances ("dodges," I venture to call them) worthy the serious
attention of artists; and can any good arise by imparting such knowledge
to youthful illustrators in technical schools? Wood engraving was a
craft to be learned, with a career for the apprentice. _There is no
similar career for a lad by learning the "processes;" and nothing but
disappointment before him if he learns the mechanism before he is an
educated and qualified artist._

Mention should be made here (although I do not wish to dwell upon it) of
drawing in 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 common work; but it is seldom used for good b