PREFACE.

THE following Letters were written agreeably to the advice of a friend of highly cultivated taste in the Fine Arts; and my motive for making them public arose from a desire to aid those persons, and more particularly young aspirants, who feel a strong inclination to practice so fascinating an art as Water Colour Painting. But they being in many instances so situated as to deprive them of the assistance of a master, the difficulty which they experience as regards the means is therefore such as either to

induce them to relinquish the pursuit, or to waste their time in unsuccessful efforts. The instructions, however, that are conveyed in these Letters are so simple, and the language so familiar, that almost any young person who is desirous of information, will, I trust, readily comprehend them.

When I commenced these Letters, it was my intention to have included Oil Painting; but on further consideration it appeared to me that this style of art had better be treated separately in another attempt, should the present Work meet with encouragement.

THEORY AND PRACTICE

OF

WATER COLOUR PAINTING.

MY DEAR SIR;

LETTER I.

AGREEABLY to your suggestion, I take up my pen to convey to you a few practical hints upon landscape painting, both in oil and water colours. But as a foundation must be laid before either can be used to advantage, and as these remarks are intended for those who are about to commence so delightful a pursuit, as well as for others who are somewhat advanced in the art, I will begin with drawing, which, as you know, signifies the true form given to one or more objects, with their relative proportions, by means

B

of a correct outline. To begin, therefore, to paint before this most essential part of the art is well accomplished, is an idle waste of time, as disproportion and bad forms will only be brought more into notice by the attractive display of colour. For this reason I will for the present confine myself to such remarks as will enable the beginner to acquire so desirable a power. In the first place, I would recommend him to draw some portion of a subject (a single object perhaps at first) from an engraving after one of the old masters; and I think those either from Nicholas or Gaspar Poussin are the best both for beauty of forms, correctness of drawing, and grandeur of composition. He will also, by having the best works before him, imperceptibly imbibe a good taste, on which, in a great measure, will depend his ultimate success in the application of the acquired means. And I would advise him to avoid copying any thing from commonplace drawing books, because the examples happen to appear easy; for he only can succeed, who is re