To make ink stick to the tracing cloth, with a woolen cloth rub some powdered chalk or pounce over the surface on which the ink lines are to be drawn, then wipe the surface clean and use a good quality of ink.
For striking small circles a small bow pen should be used.
To fix lead pencil marks on sketches so that they cannot be readily erased, sponge them with milk carefully skimmed, then lay blotting paper over them and iron with a hot flat-iron.
To have the ink preserve its fluidity and to keep out all dirt and dust, keep the cover on the ink slab; the mistake is often made of putting too liberal a supply of water in ink well, which causes a waste of both time and ink; no more should be prepared than to meet immediate requirements.
Always draw on the right side of the sheet, which can be found by holding the sheet up to the light and looking across its surface with the eye nearly in the same plane as the paper; note which side is the smoothest and has the least number of blemishes on it; this is the right side to draw on.
As to sharpening pencils, it is always best to cut a chisel point on the pencil used for drawing, and put a circular point on the pencils in the bow pencil and pencil leg. The chisel point makes a finer line and lasts much longer than a round point.
The varnish used in many large drawing-rooms is simply white shellac dissolved in alcohol; it requires a little experience to mix these to a proper consistency, but this is soon acquired.
Never sharpen your pencil over the drawing.
A center line of a drawing is the line upon which the figure is to be constructed; the center line is the first line to be drawn.
The T-square belongs to the left side of the drawing-board, and is operated by the left hand. The right hand should be kept free for the purpose of picking up pencil, pen and bows, adjusting and marking off. The left hand controls the T-square and the triangle that slides along the upper edge of the square; the right hand is for the instruments.