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The article profiles 19th century artist, scientist and teacher Thomas Eakins. He became a controversial figure while teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts because of his disregard of social norms that offended the conservative. His insistence that his students use brushes to form a figure have made them more proficient in creating life-like drawings. However, Eakins experienced a period of depression when the academy dismissed following a series of complaints against him.

The article examines Samuel Chamberlain's drypoints and crayon drawings. Drypoint is a drawing process on a copper or zinc plate with a pointed steel needle. The drawing in black and sanguine crayon entitled "Massachusetts State House," is said to be one of the most striking evidences of Chamberlain's draftsmanship. On the other hand, the "Noli, Near Genoa, Italy," demonstrates how the use of a single color provides the illusion of a very colorful study.

The article offers instructions on how to draw the head, specifically the rhythm of the facial features. It provides photographs of Lloyd George, which illustrate the relationship of the rhythm of the features to the basic head form. It also offers a diagram which shows the rhythm of the smile which is a curve looped up and outwards. It also presents a figure of scowling face which is enhanced by the sturdy breadth of the head and shoulders.

The author relates his experiences in drawing portraits of some of his sitters. He has drawn the portraits of his then six-year-old son Ezio Pinza, industrialist Henry Ford II, statesman Bernard Baruch, tenor Richard Tucker, former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, baseball player Phil Rizzuto, Cardinal Spellman, and Commander E. F. McDonald, Jr. According to the author, he draws using four things, namely, paper, charcoal, light and conversation.

The author discusses the techniques in carbon and pencil sketches that are useful in the reproduction of book illustrations. It mentions that the pencil sketch gives the artist the opportunity to be flexible in his expression of colors and tonalities without adding to production cost. The reproduction method called halftone is a tedious process that requires retouching, which is addressed by the use of a fluorescent base or the magenta process developed by Eastman.

The author explains the process followed by an artist to create a vision for his art piece. He cites that the identity of the form, its character and its unique personality are the first decisions that need to be thought by an art student when contemplating a masterpiece. He says that the shape of the form will be the next decision of an art student after he was able to identify a form. He suggests that an artist must explore the position of that form in a given space as his drawing depends on the position he and the form will be occupying.

The article discusses several art techniques that can be loosely categorized under the heading or mixed media or mixed techniques. It explains that one of the most known methods used by artists is basically based on the method of glazing tone and color over an underpainting or a foundation drawing. The author adds that such method is divided into four or five stages which include the pictorial idea as well as the drawing stage.

The article focuses on the fountain brush as an artist's sketching tool. Advantages of using fountain brush compared to other types of brush are cited including the long intervals of drawing without any need of dipping, flexibility and the use of an ink which dries instantly, it will not smudge and it is waterproof. Also important to the artist when using the fountain brush is the regulation of ink flow through the felt nib. Examples of drawings that were sketched using the fountain brush are presented.

The article describes the approach of American painter Clarence Carter in creating the oil painting "Entombment." One of the events that fermented the creation of the painting was the mine disaster in West Virginia. His mural-like procedure involved drawing in charcoal on a gray paper, use of transparent glazes of low keyed color, coloration, color glazing and varnishing. An important addition to the painting is the figure of an angel to symbolize the impending doom to the physical life of the miners as well as of life after death.

The article discusses the concept of good drawing in relation to the works of artist Peter Takal. Several factors should be taken into consideration by artists in order to achieve the good drawing concept including refinement, sensitiveness, and exactness. According to the article, in order to appreciate the works by Takal, his audience should realize the importance of the vision of the inner eye.

The article provides information about pen draughtsman Warren Chappell. He was born in Virginia in 1904, taught at the Art Students League in New York and at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado Springs in Colorado. He works with great rapidity and knows how to keep his figures within the page boundaries and relates them skillfully to the scale and texture of the accompanying type-page.

The article focuses on the works of American artist James E. Allen. To develop his sense of three-dimensional form, he worked evenings with sculptor Naum M. Los for a three-year period. The line of the Chinese masters influenced the early work of Allen and he acknowledges his debt in turn to the Byzantines and the Primitives. The American artist is one of the relative few who insist upon drawing directly from the model rather than from photographs.

An interview with illustration artist Amos Sewell is presented. When asked about his training in art, he says he has no professional background nor art training except for evening classes at the Grand School of Art under Harvey Dunn. Sewells says that he reads the story to visualize the characters and would not begin drawing with charcoal until he has mentally conceptualized the pictures to the story. He adds that he was never successful in doing a final drawing with the model in front of him as the presence tend to distract him.

The article features Henry C. Pitz, a noted American book illustrator. Pitz is also known for his magazine and advertisement illustrations, paintings and prints. He shares pointers for artists interested in the field of book illustration. Pitz states the fundamental necessity of knowledge of the figure and facility in drawing. He encourages beginners to familiarize themselves with book design, layout, paper, and typography. He also notes that publishers must be assured of the artist's ability to carry through.

The article discusses the notion of distortion in art. It cites the two divisions in understanding of what is meant by "art." One group thinks that art is illustration of literal representation of things with a modicum of imagination and without distortion. To the other group art is primarily concerned with expressiveness and it originates from man's desire to express himself. The first group is not comfortable with what they see as distortion in modern art, while the later group is happy with novelty and abstraction.

The article provides information on artist Joseph Piccillo's strange works called "Game Structures." It is mentioned that the drawings forces the viewer to react after being confronted by a number of signs and symbols conveying a lot of information. They have no focal point and traditional grounds and are intended to fool the eye of the viewer by cutting into space with different techniques.

The article offers step-by-step instruction for creating a landscape drawing directly from the source and from one's imagination.

The article features pen draughtsman Oliver Grimley and his works. In his art, Grimley utilizes the pen outline and the pen crosshatch methods. Grimley studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under the mentorship of Henry McCarter, Daniel Garber and Edward Shenton. He conducted exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Water Color Annuals of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Art Alliance, among others.

The article explores the uses of reed and quill pens. It mentions that reed pens have long been not used due to their incapacity to provide detailed, realistic drawings. Unlike steel or quill pens, reed pens' stroke comes out blunt and course. Quill pens were commonly used in medieval manuscripts like the calligraphy and miniature illustration that calls for finer and more responsive lines. According to the author, quill pens are considered as the most versatile among the pens due to their variation that gives different lineal expressions.

The author describes extensions he has been doing to the ink resist or aquagraph drawing technique. He adds colored inks to the usual black-and-white process of the art, which involves superimposing a separate drawing on the preceding one. Attempts to substitute drybrush for pure line have resulted in drawings that emit an air of weight and force. He also describes some of the equipment he uses including an ordinary hair spray for the washing-off process, an inexpensive kind of tempera white for underpainting, and medium-weight watercolor stock paper.

The article features the reproduction of paintings that depict the two-year period of the construction of the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California. According to the author, he used pen and ink to draw the bridge's basic structure before he used any color wash to depict its complicated structure. He adds that it took him concentrated effort and five hours to depict the complexity of the subject.

The article features American artist Franklin Booth. A brief personal detail about Booth is mentioned as well as his educational background wherein he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois. Booth worked at Munsey's Publication in New York, went to Spain and back to New York where he established his career, with several of his drawings featured in various journals like "Harper's Bazaar." The author also discusses Booth's drawing techniques and how he motivated his students.

The article discusses how U.S. artist Betty M. Bowes uses the mixed aqueous technique in her paintings. It says that for Bowes, painting is a language of emotions, feelings as well as responsive excitement. According to the author, the basic elements of art and a command of drawing are essentially important to good painting because no short cuts are involved in the process. The reason why Bowes considers her painting of Greece as the greatest challenge of all her works and the role of her husband in the outcome of her paintings are also discussed.

The author offers some notes on how he draws and his philosophy on the subject. He says that the environment provides material for his compositions, whether it be of nature, people, or activities. He claims that what people draw is based on what they perceive and something based on a selection process. The author also bases his techniques on past masters, including Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Paul Cézanne, and Giovanni Francesco Barbieri.

The article features U.S. painter-illustrator Dean Ellis. Ellis reveals his flexibility at shifting his energy and mood from doing profane work to sacred material, and for moving from the drawing board to the easel. He cites that painting transports him to a world of romanticism and poetry. Despite being known as an objective painter, Ellis's paintings are described as midway between meaning and being.

The article provides information on wash drawing. It is an old technique that was prevalent in the Renaissance as a tone maker for drawings done by the point, and commonly executed by making many quick sketches using a reed or quill pen, to experiment with light and dark patterns, with sepia or bistre washes. It is also mentioned that a combination of any of the line mediums, and wash is useful in judging the color values of a landscape.

The article focuses on the technique of scratchboard drawing and presents several photographs of drawings created using the technique including the works of Rudolph F. Heinrich, Bobri and Ervine Metzl. The author says that scratchboard drawings are created by cutting through a black coating that is placed on the surface of a chalk-coated board and revealing the white underbody. The author emphasizes the importance of practice in finding the best medium of expression using scratchboard.

The article offers tips on sketching. The pencil, pen and ink with wash, watercolor and brush and ink are four common media for sketching. According to the authors, an artist needs to look at what he intends to draw, attempting to understand the scene's meaning. They emphasizes that sketching is a communication, hence artists need to be certain of their graphic enunciation. Several sketching works by the authors are also presented.

The article offers information on the types of pens which offer quick work for artists. The mammoth stub type is used edgewise which is capable of rather fine lines. The point type of pen is square or rectangular in shape which is capable of a variety of large strokes and useful for inking big areas. The round or oval points pen is a typical one.

The article discusses the various techniques of outdoor sketching. It explores the use of perspective rules and step-down effect to achieve the illusion of up and down, and the true effect of a sketch. It is noted that science alone cannot create tricks, however it needs to be paired with artifice and mechanical skill to develop strategies in sketching.

The article describes the technique of doodling. The technique shared by reader John Reeder involves filling the area of the canvas or paper with tone or color while subconsciously or semiconsciously looking for things that are appropriate in the artwork. The author mentions that doodle reflects the personality of students and allows them to develop their own artistic style.

The author describes his approach and techniques on drawing portraits or sketching faces of men as they make speeches or are interviewed on television. He cites the benefits of doing such kind of sketching such as a memory training, and being able to learn how to work fast. When doing such portrait, he suggests that artists should start drawing the eyes and use various black pencils. He states that sketching from television gives him a sense of freedom.

The article explains the importance of preparation in drawing, citing the final result as a crystallization of knowledgeable planning, the artist's innate style, his skill, and his ideas and emotions. The qualities of a successful watercolor painting are described with focus on painting on location. It explains how the author paints in his studio and how he collects materials for his paintings. Good training and the development of visual memory are discussed together with the role of interpretative faculties.

The article describes the drawings of Israeli artist Avigdor Arikha. It mentions that he was born in Rumania and studied art and philosophy in Paris, France. It reveals that Arikha was an abstract painter until 1965 when he decided to focus on life drawing. He explains that his brush drawings are postabstract. It states that his drawings are admired and were likened to Alberto Giacometti. Some of the subjects of his drawings are landscapes, coats, and his own face. It also notes his exhibition of ink drawings in Fort Worth, Texas.

The article offers tips on sketching.

The article discusses the outdoor sketching which focuses on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City taken from different viewpoint and shown in two wash sketches to suggest two ways of handling the composition.

The article focuses on the work of Ben Day which is popular but has limitations from the artist's point of view because he cannot make predictions on exactly how the final reproduction will appear and some are expensive. However, many artists are thankful to the work of Ben Day for the various materials which have come onto the market and permitted them to get similar effects in their own studios and at low-cost such as the Craftint Doubletone.