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The Elements of Drawing

in

Three Letters to Beginners

John Ruskin

With Illustrations Drawn by the Author

Whether this book is to be of use to you or not, depends wholly on your reason for wishing to learn to draw. If you desire only to possess a graceful accomplishment, to be able to converse in a fluent manner about drawing, or to amuse yourself listlessly in listless hours, I cannot help you: but if you wish to learn drawing that you may be able to set down clearly, and usefully, records of such things as cannot be described in words, either to assist your own memory of them, or to convey distinct ideas of them to other people; if you wish to obtain quicker perceptions of the beauty of the natural world, and to preserve something like a true image of beautiful things that pass away, or which you must yourself leave; if, also, you wish to understand the minds of great painters, and to be able to appreciate their work sincerely, seeing it for yourself, and loving it, not merely taking up the thoughts of other people about it; then I can help you, or, which is better, show you how to help yourself.

Table of Contents

Preface.

On First Practice.

• Exercise I.
• Exercise II.
• Exercise III.
• Exercise IV.
• Exercise V.
• Exercise VI.
• Exercise VII.
• Exercise VIII.
• Exercise IX.
• Exercise X.

Sketching from Nature.

On Colour and Composition.

1. The Law of Principality.
2. The Law of Repetition.
3. The Law of Continuity.
4. The Law of Curvature.
5. The Law of Radiation.
6. The Law of Contrast.
7. The Law of Interchange.
8. The Law of Consistency.
9. The Law of Harmony.