the artist's memory is to be of use to him in his work,
both these aspects must be memorised, and of the two the second will
need the most attention. But although there are these two aspects of the
subject, and each must receive separate attention when memorising it,
they are in reality only two aspects of the same thing, which in the act
of painting or drawing must be united if a work of art is to result.
When a subject first flashes upon an artist he delights in it as a
painted or drawn thing, and feels instinctively the treatment it will
require. In good draughtsmanship the thing felt will guide and govern
everything, every touch will be instinct with the thrill of that first
impression. The craftsman mind, so laboriously built up, should by now
have become an instinct, a second nature, at the direction of a higher
consciousness. At such times the right strokes, the right tones come
naturally and go on the right place, the artist being only conscious of
a fierce joy and a feeling that things are in tune and going well for
once. It is the thirst for this glorious enthusiasm, this fusing of
matter and manner, this act of giving the spirit within outward form,
that spurs the artist on at all times, and it is this that is the
wonderful thing about art.

XIX

PROCEDURE

In commencing a drawing, don't, as so many students do, start carelessly
floundering about with your chalk or charcoal in the hope that something
will turn up. It is seldom if ever that an artist puts on paper anything
better than he has in his mind before he starts, and usually it is not
nearly so good.

Don't spoil the beauty of a clean sheet of paper by a lot of scribble.
Try and see in your mind's eye the drawing you mean to do, and then try
and make your hand realise it, making the paper more beautiful by every
touch you give instead of spoiling it by a slovenly manner of procedure.

To know what you want to do and then to do it is the secret of good
style and technique. This sounds very commonplace, but it is surprising
how few students make it their aim. You may often observe them come in,
pin a piece of paper on their board, draw a line down the middle, make a
few measurements, and start blocking in the drawing without having given
the subject to be drawn a thought, as if it were all there done before
them, and only needed copying, as a clerk would copy a letter already
drafted for him.

Now, nothing is being said against the practic