—All straight lines, however short, should be ruled, whether they be drawn with the pencil or the pen. Pencil lines, which are intended to serve merely as guides to the pen, should be drawn lightly, as otherwise it will be difficult to rub them out without injuring the ink. They should also be drawn a little beyond the point at which the line is required to terminate, because the intersection of the lines at that point makes it more distinctly visible, and there is, consequently, less danger of passing beyond that point or of stopping short of it when inking in. It is very important not to stop short of the required length when ruling a straight line with a pen, for it is extremely difficult to lengthen the line subsequently without leaving the join visible. An accurate line cannot be drawn unless the point of the pencil or the pen be kept close up to the rule, and to do this the top should be inclined a little outward. Before inking in a line that has been drawn in pencil, the indiarubber should be passed lightly over it, to remove the particles of lead adhering to the paper, for if these particles are allowed to remain, they get between the nibs of the pen and prevent the ink from flowing freely. The chief difficulties in ruling a straight line with the pen are, to keep it of a regular thickness throughout, and, when numerous parallel lines have to be drawn, to keep them at equal distances apart. To draw an even line, a first requisite is that the pen be in good condition. Frequently it will be found when drawing fine lines that the pen ceases to mark before the end of the line is reached, and as we have already said, it is very difficult to join a line without leaving visible traces of the operation. To remedy this defect, the pen must be reset as described in [Section I]. If a very hard pencil has been used, or if the pencil has been pressed heavily upon the paper, the pencil line will lie in a groove in the paper, and as the nib of the pen will not touch the bottom of this groove, the line drawn will be ragged. Another cause of unevenness is unduly pressing the pen against the rule; this pressure closes the nibs, and besides producing an irregularity in the thickness of the line, is very apt to cause a blot by forcing out the ink, which adheres to the rule when brought into contact with it. To prevent this, care should be taken to press the pen very lightly against the edge of the rule. A pen is manufactured by Stanley, of Holborn, London, which has the back nib much stiffer than the other, so that all danger of defect from this cause is removed by the construction of the instrument. To ensure a good line, the pen should rest lightly upon the paper, and the handle of the pen should make the same angle with the paper from the beginning to the end of the line. A considerable amount of practice is required to accomplish this, and to acquire the habit, the same attention should be given to the pencil as to the pen. The ability to draw a number of parallel lines at equal distances apart without measuring requires considerable training of the eye, and this training can be obtained from practice alone. This ability must be acquired before anything further is attempted, and the student who spends a good deal of time in its acquisition may have the satisfaction of knowing that while he is going through this somewhat monotonous practice, besides exercising himself in drawing accurate lines, he is acquiring a correctness of eye and a power of hand that will be of incalculable service to him later.
The straight line, besides being used for the outlines of regular objects, is employed conventionally for various purposes. When it is required to show an object in section, the part in section is covered with straight and parallel lines drawn at an angle of 45° and at equal distances apart, as in [Fig. 38]. To represent standing water, as ponds and lakes, horizontal straight lines are drawn parallel to each other and at equal distances apart over the surface, as shown in [Fig. 39].
Fig. 38.
Fig. 39.
Curved lines, when arcs of circles, are drawn by the compasses. Other curves are drawn by hand through points previously found. To draw the curve correctly through these points, unless they be very numerous, a knowledge of the nature of the curve is necessary, which the draughtsman should in all cases endeavour to obtain. When the curved line is long, it is usually inked in with the drawing pen, with the aid of an instrument called the French curve, or cardboard moulds cut for the purpose; but for short lines an ordinary fine-pointed steel-pen point, or better, a good quill is used. In general, all lines drawn by hand should be drawn towards the body, as a better command of the pen can be obtained in that direction than in any other. In inking in curves by this means, the draughtsman should proceed continuously along the pencil-drawn line by partly repeated touches with the pen point, so held that the divided points of the pen may follow partly in the same track. Each touch should be made about one-thirtieth of an inch in length, and it should begin and end fine. Each succeeding touch must begin half its length back, so that the line is advanced by one-sixtieth of an inch. In map drawing all irregular lines are drawn in this way. Tracing maps will afford the student excellent practice in this mode of using the pen.
Fig. 40.
