2 Decorative Art Exercises

Permit Use of Guide Lines – Among the first exercises in drawing, practically the same principles may be applied that are applicable to the teaching of penmanship. Guide lines should be permitted; that is, simple lines constructed along the horizontal and oblique sides. The exercises indicated at the beginning of each row of figures should be made the subject of a single lesson.

The lines indicated at the right of each row should be added as the pupil advances; for instance, let the pupil draw, say, a hundred straight, oblique lines, until he becomes proficient in their use. Follow with the reverse and duplicated lines in the top row, After that let him draw the simple curves at the left of the second row a great many times before he progresses to the added and duplicated, triplicated and quadrupled curves at the right.

Next let him draw repeatedly the compound curves at the left in the third and fourth rows. before proceeding to the more complex additions at the right.

After the pupil has become proficient with the exercises in Fig 6, let him draw the curves and ornamental devices in Fig 7.

Each of the designs in Fig 8 is enclosed in a rectangle of the same dimensions. There are three sets of horizontal lines, in turn bisected by vertical lines. Three sets of five totally different designs are based on these lines. Let them serve as an exercise by which they are copied as herewith given.

When the pupils have made further progress let them make variations from these, using the same kind of guide lines, but with the endeavor to make new and original designs.

Snow crystals – Fig 9 shows four snow crystals greatly enlarged. They are formed by hexagons, or two equilateral triangles with apexes in opposition. To draw them by means of the latter proceed as in Fig 10. Draw the horizontal line a. Bisect it as at b. Each oblique line in c equals the horizontal line a. Describe another triangle inverted as at d. Then proceed to construct the crystals on the lines of the triangles as shown in Fig 11.