reproduction. It is not even necessary to draw in black ink, because by photo-process red, brown, orange, and green, or any mixture of these, will reproduce black.

Engravers, whom it should be mentioned are in no way responsible for the new practice by which photo-engraved

blocks are printed in different vivid-coloured inks, thus spoiling the values, allege that bad results are often produced because the draughtsman is not careful in doing his work. They profess their ability to reproduce perfectly any drawing with or without reduction-especially by the gelatine

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relief process-and in the case of half-tone drawings without the necessity of cutting away the lights, which is nearly always necessary in process engravings from photographs. It matters little to them whether a drawing is in pencil, ink, crayon, or paint, or a combination of these. They consider, however, that the pen artist makes a mistake, from the point of view of engraving, if he uses pale broad lines for the distant work, because such print too strong and black. Hence they recommend that the lighter effects should be obtained by thinning the line. For pencil or crayon work they find such materials as Maclure's grained lithographic paper, worked upon by Wolff's duragraph pencils or Conte's chalks, to answer well. Sharp lines they find can rarely be obtained on rough paper without producing а "rotten" effect when printed, and a paper too smooth and enamelled makes the lines spread. The pen-artist must necessarily consider, and try to meet the obstacles in the way of the engraver and the printer.

Art Criticism.

STERNE had a brilliant inspiration when he suggested Garrick, the actor, criticised by means of a grammar and stop-watch, the last new book measured by a plumb-line, and the epic poem proved "to be out in every one of its dimensions when tried upon an exact scale of Bossu's. Art cannot be criticised by the rules of mathematics, yet art students are far too ready to be discouraged by critics who talk about the necessity of genius and the rest of it. It is not uncommon to find students who get cricks in the neck with prying into dusty canvases in obscure corners of the National Gallery, or who have contracted chronic catarrhs among the marbles and casts of the British Museum cellars, giving up their work in sheer despair because of the written babblings of well-meaning but too candid critics.

Sam Slick put down his finger rather roughly when he wrote "Sposin' it's pictures that's on the carpet, wait till you hear the name of the painter. If it's Rubens, or any o' them old boys, praise, for its agin' the law to doubt them; but if it's a new man, and the company ain't most especial judges, criticise." By criticise the humorist means disparage. little out of keeping," says you. "He don't use his greys enough, nor glaze down well. That shadder wants depth." This cap fits many a connoisseur.

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Everybody, be he painter or pen artist, or anything else, must find a foundation-somebody's work to copy and study. There are not two original draughtsmen in half a century. Pen-and-ink work, though an art of design in itself, occupies

a limited field-only a corner of the sphere of art. The critics are fond of saying that only those who have a special call for the work should concern themselves with black and white. The same might be said with equal truth about a person who wished to learn to read or write.

The work of the painter Raphael has been held to mark the high-water-mark of art in its "master" form. Whether that is correct or not, after his time a flood of mannerism, eclecticism, and stale repetition set in; yet, notwithstanding, the nineteenth century has seen work rivalling in every excellence that of the old masters. There is a public indifference, which, however, shows signs of relenting, to painting in this country, and to some degree it has extended to pen-and-ink work. There is no reason why this should affect the pen-and-ink student. It is for him or her to cultivate the faculty of seeing things pictorially and as such to represent them, whether for pleasure or the more material object of remuneration. It must be said that penand-ink art is not profoundly understood by its critics. has frequently been reckoned amongst the "imperfect arts," because it does not render with equal facility all the aspects. of nature. But exactly the same may be said of painting. The enterprising student will find much critical wisdom to attract his attention in such library books as Hammerton's "Graphic Arts," Joseph Pennell's "Pen Drawing and Per Draughtsmen," and Charles G. Harper's "English Pen. Artists of To-Day.'

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Final bints.

THE pen artist who works for the illustrated publications should know that the tendency of editors and publishers is to secure pen drawings which appeal to a public inclined to sentiment and anecdote, or comic subjects. It is only recently that a prevalent superstition about "finished" work has been dispelled. Elaboration of detail and niggling technique are not required nearly to the same extent as a few years back. It is now recognised that there is all the difference in the world between niggling work and broad effects, provided that neither interferes with the other.

As a complement to the reporter and the story-writer the pen artist is acquiring more and more commercial importance. Drawing from photographs, making "thumb-nail" sketches, and working up the rough and ready notes of other draughtmen, has become quite an industry. Owing to the dearth of English designers, both for Press and industrial purposes, we are greatly dependent on foreigners' skill. Unfortunately the supply of capable pen artists is not equal to the demand.