In this lesson we will put to practical use such strokes as those given
in the first few lessons. The sketches of this character are often
valuable in the schoolroom when studying the mountains, the hillside,
the river, etc., and the teacher who, with a few strokes of the chalk,
can interpret to her class the thing about which they are studying, and
can make an illustration which the whole class can see and appreciate,
has an invaluable gift.
Experiment with the strokes given at 1, 2 and 3. As in previous lessons
the side of the chalk is used, and the accent is with one end. Try to
give the effect of snow, of rocks, of a bright day, or of a cloudy
day, by varying the tone or pressure upon the chalk. Sometimes use
the chalk for sky, leaving the board for the hills. Then reverse the
stroke, letting the sky remain gray and using the chalk to represent
the mountain, accenting with the upper end of the chalk. No. 3 is a
combination of 1 and 2, the chalk being used in both sky and mountain.
In No. 4, the eraser or a soft bit of cloth is used to take out the
trees after the chalk has been applied.
In the sketch given on the lower part of the plate combine the
suggestions given above. A few short, curving strokes with the usual
accent at one end of the crayon will give the rocks, and the irregular
horizontal and zigzag strokes already given will produce the ripples in
the river, and the foreground.
[Illustration: Plate 8]