Olnrncll IniueraitH Sthrarg 
 
 Jltljara, Wym lurk 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE 
 
 SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 HENRY W. SAGE 
 
 1891 
 
Cornell University Library 
 NK 1510.W25P9 
 
 Progressive design for students, 
 
 3 1924 020 576 306 
 
Ctouege of Architecture Library 
 Comdl Umrrersjty 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924020576306 
 
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN 
 FOR STUDENTS 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES WARD 
 
 AUTHOR OF "principle? OF ORNAMRNT," "HISTORIC ORNAMENT," FTC. 
 
 WITH FORTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 LONDON; CHAPMAN AND HALL, Limitei> 
 
 1902 
 
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN 
 FOR STUDENTS 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES WARD 
 
 AUTHOR OF "principles OF ORNAMENT," "HISTORIC ORNAMENT," ETC. 
 
 WITH FORTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, Limited 
 
 1902 
 ir 
 

PREFACE 
 
 This Work on Ornamental Design, as its title indicates, 
 consists of a series of " Progressive" Lessons in Ele- 
 mentary and Applied Design, such as a Master might 
 give to a class of pupils who are desirous to obtain a 
 knowledge of the subject. The author has practised the 
 method laid down in the book when oivintj instruction to 
 classes in the elementary and advanced stages of design, 
 and has found that the course of study therein recom- 
 mended has produced some fairly satisfactory results. 
 
 The illustrations and examples of design are all based 
 on Nature, and have been conventionalised or treated to 
 suit the requirements of the space or object to which the 
 decoration is applied. 
 
 It is to be hoped that the book will be useful to Masters 
 of our Primary Schools when instructing large classes in 
 rudimentary design, and to Students and Masters of Art 
 Schools and Classes also, from the progressive nature of 
 the studies illustrated and explained. As to the practice 
 
viii PREFACE 
 
 and principles of ornament, it is hoped that any one, who 
 is anxious for a knowledge of the subject, will find the 
 book an aid to his advancement in the study of design and 
 ornament. 
 
 A number of drawings are given, from Nature, of 
 Flowers, Leaves, Foliage, Birds, Insects, &c., which 
 Students may find useful as material for the units of their 
 essays in design, and lastly, one of the features of the book 
 is the explanation of some of the rudimentary but important 
 laws and principles, which should guide the young Student 
 in the Art of designing ornament and decoration. 
 
 JAMES WARD. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 PAGE 
 
 JNTRODUCTORY I 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ON THE DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT AND BI- 
 LATERAL ARRANGEMENTS ... 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 ON THE DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES . . . l6 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 BRUSH-DRAWING 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 STENCILLING . . . . 
 
 24 
 
 29 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 INTERLACING AND STRAP-WORK ORNAMENT 35 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 .SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 39 
 
 COUNTERCHANGE ORNAMENT . 45 
 
 SURFACE PATTERN DESIGN. THE DROP PATTERN .46 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 BORDER DESIGNS 
 
 BI-LATERAL ARRANGEMENTS 
 
 GEOMETRICAL FIGURES AND CONSTRUCTION LINES 
 
 GEOMETRICAL FIGURES, SUBDIVISIONS 
 
 TRIANGLES ; DESIGNS FOR THE FILLING OF ... 
 
 SQUARES ; „ „ 
 
 CIRCLES ; „ „ 
 
 PENT.AGOXS ; „ „ 
 
 OBLONGS ; „ „ 
 
 OGEE AND LOZENGE SHAPES ; 
 
 SEMICIRCLE OR LUNETTE ; 
 
 LEAF FORMS ; TYPES OF 
 
 FLOWER FORMS ; TYPES OF 
 
 FOLIAGE ; EXAMPLES OF 
 
 FRUIT ; VARIOUS liXAMPLES OF ... . 
 
 INSECT AND BIRD FORMS 
 
 BIRD, FISH, AND ANIMAL FORMS . . 
 BRUSH FORMS AND BRUSH EXPRESSION 
 SILHOU^TE LEAF AND FLO\VER FORMS 
 
 PLATE 
 I 
 
 II 
 III 
 
 IV 
 
 V 
 
 VI 
 
 VII 
 
 VIII 
 
 IX 
 
 X 
 
 XI 
 
 XII 
 
 XIII 
 
 XIV 
 
 XV 
 
 XVI 
 
 XVII 
 
 XVIII 
 
 XIX 
 
 XX 
 
 XXI 
 
 XXII 
 
xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 I'LATE 
 
 SILHOUETTE PLANT FOR.MS XXIII 
 
 TITLE PAGE IN BRUSH EXPRESSION . . . XXIV 
 
 BRUSH DRAWING IN LINE ; EXAMPLE OF XXV 
 
 STENCILLED ORNAMENT . . . XXVI 
 
 JAPANESE STENCILS . . . XXVII 
 
 STENCIL FOR SURFACE DECORATION . . . XXVIII 
 
 STENCIL FOR PANEL DECORATION . . XXIX 
 
 INTERLACING DESIGNS XXX 
 
 INTERLACING AND STRAP-WORK ORNAMENT . , . XXXI 
 
 GERMAN CUP DESIGN ; EXAMPLE OF STRAP-WORK . . XXXII 
 
 PROPORTION, RATIO, ETC., EXAMPLES OF XXXIII 
 
 PROPORTION OF SPACES IN FLOOR DESIGN ... . XXXIV 
 
 PROPORTION IN ALTAR CLOTH DESIGN ... . . XXXV 
 
 CARVED WOOD PANELS, PROPORTION AND WANT OF IN . XXXVI 
 
 DESIGN FOR A MAJOLICA DISH . . . ... . XXXVII 
 
 COUNTERCHANGE ORNAMENT XXXVIII 
 
 CHECKER AND DIAPER DESIGNS XXXIX 
 
 DROP PATTERNS IN TEXTILES . XL 
 
 DROP PATTERN DESIGNED ON THE DIAMOND . . . . '"." . XLI 
 
 DROP PATTERN DESIGNED ON THE RECTANGLE XLII 
 
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 Any one who has gained an elementary knowledge of 
 drawing, derived from making copies of simple ornamental 
 or natural forms, may be taught the principles and may 
 begin the practice of rudimentary design in ornament. To 
 provide himself with material, to be used as units, or ele- 
 ments, for his first attempts in design, it ig only necessary 
 that the student should be able to draw, with the pencil or 
 brush, some fair representations of simple flowers and leaves 
 of plants from nature ; or if there should be any difficulty 
 in obtaining characteristic natural forms for study in the 
 schools, the master should draw some simple examples of 
 leaves or flowers on the blackboard, as units for the pro- 
 posed composition in design, or the pupils should be allowed 
 to copy some well-drawn and accurate illustrations from 
 nature for this purpose. The word "accurate " is not used 
 
2 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 here to imply that the copies should be imitated from nature 
 in a photographic sense, but that they should be truthful in 
 a general way, showing the correct growth and spirit of the 
 natural specimen, and should be drawn more in elevation 
 than in perspective. The importance of having good and 
 accurate examples of drawings from nature and pictorial 
 art on the walls of our schools may be illustrated by the 
 following example qf " how not to do it." The writer, 
 when visiting one of our public schools, saw some coloured 
 lithographic examples of plant drawings on the walls, 
 intended for the use of the designing class ; one of these 
 was named the " Common Wild Rose ; " but it was anything 
 but common, for this libel of nature was represented with 
 four petals instead of the usual five, and further, the lower 
 leaves were arranged on the leaf stalk alternately, instead 
 of growing opposite as they do in nature ! 
 
 Very few kinds of plants have been used as ornament in 
 decorative design, considering the vast storehouse of nature 
 in this direction. Ancient and medieval artists, and even 
 modern artists have been contented with a limited choice. 
 Egypt and Assyria used the lotus, lily, papyrus, palm and 
 daisy. The ivy, olive, fir tree, and oak, honeysuckle, and 
 acanthus, were chiefly used by the Greeks, and later by the 
 Romans and artists of the Renaissance period (thirteenth 
 to seventeenth century) ; medieval or Gothic artists, in- 
 cluding the earlier Romanesque and Byzantine decorators, 
 used the vine, lily, passion-flower, maple and trefoil, plants 
 which had symbolic meanings. 
 
INTRODUCTOR^' 3 
 
 The Chinese kept to the peony and chrysanthemum, the 
 Japanese to the bamboo, fir tree, cherry and ahnond trees, 
 and the Saracens adopted a peculiar form of leaf in their 
 ornament, which is not exactly a leaf. The Persians in 
 their older work affected the Indian and Chinese natural 
 forms, but in their later work show an artistic appreciation 
 of many well-known flowers, such as the tulip, the rose, 
 the aster and hyacinth, but few plants, considering the 
 numerous varieties in nature, have been converted into 
 historic ornament. 
 
 Fruits have usually been bunched together in masses, or 
 used in festoons in ornament. 
 
 Lessons may be learned from the treatment of plants in 
 Japanese art, such as directness of drawing, flexibility and 
 gracefulness of the natural curves, and their simplicity in 
 rendering foliage and floral forms, and from the Persians 
 in their delightful conventional echoes of plant form, as 
 expressed in their tile and pottery decoration. 
 
 The leaves, flowers, and fruit of the commonest plants 
 will serve as the best material for use in the first exercises 
 of rudimentary design. Many varieties also of moths, 
 butterflies, and other insects, as well as some simple forms 
 of animals, fishes, and birds, will provide useful material 
 when the student has had some experience with the simpler 
 flower and leaf forms. 
 
 I think it would be a wise thing if exercises in rudi- 
 mentary design could take the place of the usual practices 
 in freehand drawing in most of our primary and secondary 
 
 B 2 
 
4 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 schools, for it is evident that the young student might 
 advance quite as rapidly in the art of drawing, by executing 
 his own designs, provided he is not allowed to use tracing 
 paper or to adopt any other mechanical means to obtain 
 the "turn over," or repeats of his pattern, as he would by 
 going through the usual dreary experience of copying the 
 classical acanthus foliage, and spiral scroll-work. The 
 Roman and Italian acanthus foliage has had long innings 
 as the stock examination copies, and it is quite certain that 
 both teachers and students would welcome, occasionally, an 
 examination copy derived from some other natural or 
 historical source. 
 
 The study of classical ornament should have attention 
 concurrently with the drawing of, and designing from, 
 examples of plants and natural forms, not to be copied so 
 much as a means of learning to draw, but for the purpose 
 of enabling the student to learn the principles and con- 
 struction on which the composition of good ornament is 
 based. Too much copying of the acanthus foliage in art 
 is dry food for the young student, and is apt to create in 
 him a distaste for his work and to dull his imaginative 
 powers. Generally speaking, the study of historic ornament 
 might safely be left until the student has learned to draw 
 from objects and natural forms, and has had a fair amount 
 of practice 'in rudimentary design, for at this period in his 
 education his mind and judginent will be more ready to 
 receive and profit by the lessons which may be derived 
 from a study of such work. 
 
INTRODUCTORY 5 
 
 Although the early study and practice of elementary 
 design is recommended, it should be unde-stood that draw- 
 ing from models and real objects should not be neglected ; 
 on the contrary, lessons in model drawing should alternate 
 with exercises in rudimentary design, in order that the pupil 
 should improve his hand and eye in the matters of pro- 
 portion and in the application of the laws of perspective, 
 when representing solid objects. Ten minutes or a quarter 
 of an hour's practice, once in a fortnight, in drawing from 
 memory some object shown to the student a few minutes 
 before he begins his task, would be an interesting change 
 in the student's work, and a valuable exercise for the 
 mind. 
 
 As a training for the mind, apart from its practical 
 value in the matter of hand and eye training, the practice 
 of design, as a school subject, is analogous to that of literary 
 composition, and is of the utmost value to the average 
 pupil in stimulating and developing his inventive powers. 
 Children are often asked, at school, to write essays on given 
 subjects, the object being that they may learn how to put 
 their own ideas and thoughts on paper ; and further, tkese 
 compositions are, at the same time, exercises in the 
 grammatical construction of sentences. The intellectual 
 and reasoning faculties are here brought into action, afford- 
 ing a welcome relief from the pupil's more abstract and 
 mechanical lessons in other subjects. Originality of ideas, 
 the quality of the subject-matter, and the grammatical or 
 logical composition of the words and sentences, are looked 
 
6 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 for in any literary effort of merit. It is obvious that a 
 training in the art of literary composition is of more value 
 than many other endless lessons in the mechanical acquisition 
 of knowledge of school subjects towards the developrnen^ 
 of the pupil's intelligence ; and just in the same way, with 
 the hand and eye training added, will a systematic course 
 of lessons in rudimentary design help to brighten and 
 develop the mind of the pupil in a far greater degree 
 than the continuous and mechanical copying of drawing 
 examples. 
 
 In beginning the study of rudimentary design, forms of 
 the commoner plants should be used as material in prefer- 
 ence to abstract forms derived merely from straight and 
 curved lines. Design in purely abstract, geometrical, or 
 conventional forms will be better left until the pupil has 
 had one or two years' practice in the arrangement of natural 
 elements as compositions in design. In view of this, I 
 propose that we should take the ivy plant for our first 
 lesson in design, which, with its leaves and berries, though 
 common enough, is one of the most beautiful plants we have 
 around us. It will also form an object-lesson in the illus- 
 tration for some of the most elementary but important 
 principles of ornament. 
 
 From the first lesson, the master should explain to his 
 class of young students the elementary principles of orna- 
 ment, which might also be termed the grammar of decorative 
 composition, without conforming to which, a design, how- 
 ever effective, can hardly be considered good ornament. 
 
INTRODUCTORY 7 
 
 We may admit that a great poet may make his own grammar, 
 and a great artist may occasionally defy principles and 
 artistic laws, but beginners in any art will make more 
 progress when guided by sound principles and definite 
 laws. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 ON THE DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT 
 AND BI-LATERAL ARRANGEMENTS 
 
 To create an interest in the mind of the young pupil for 
 his work, whether in drawing or design, it is important to 
 introduce to his notice some natural form or object, or a fair 
 representation of the same, so that he may recognise it as 
 the form of something he may have seen in nature. He 
 should be instructed how to design some rudimentary 
 arrangement based on this natural form, and to keep his 
 uwork, at first, as simple as possible, but the recurring units 
 of his design should be drawn as carefully and correctly as 
 his powers will admit. 
 
 If possible, a sprig of the natural plant should be obtained, 
 and a bold drawing from the plant should be made on the 
 blackboard by the teacher in cases where large classes of 
 pupils have to be taught. It would be better, however, to 
 get the pupils to make their own drawings from nature 
 when possible. This is not always practicable, nor is it 
 convenient always to obtain natural specimens, but, as before 
 
DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT 9 
 
 mentioned, the drawings on the blackboard may be made 
 from good representations of the leaves, flowers, and fruit 
 of some plant, and the pupils should be asked to copy them 
 on the top left-hand side of their sheet of drawing-paper in 
 pencil, and afterwards put a wash of any simple flat colour 
 on the drawing. The drawing of the plant selected to make 
 the design from ought to be truthful in the general out- 
 line, without much perspective or foreshortening. A few 
 renderings of different shapes of leaves, buds, flowers, or 
 fruit, common to the plant, will be useful as presenting a 
 variety of material, but no botanical sections or separated 
 organs of the plant should be shown. Plant sections and 
 shapes of the various organs in plant life are necessary for 
 for scientific illustration and study, but not from an artistic 
 point of view, for in science we require the whole truth, 
 but in art we only want selected truths. 
 
 Reference to Plate I. shows how the leaves and berries 
 of the ivy plant are used as units of the border designs 
 and bi-lateral or symmetrical arrangements. A diagram of 
 the plant is shown on the plate. The typical ivy leaf is en- 
 closed in a pentagon whose lowest side is shorter than the 
 others. A series of similar pentagons should be lightly 
 drawn in pencil, each about three inches in height, to form 
 a border as shown at A. No measuring should be attempted. 
 A leaf should then be drawn inside each of the pentagons, 
 and the leaf stalks joined to the horizontal bottom line. 
 After the whole work is clearly and firmly outlined with the 
 lead-pencil, or with a brush and colour, it should be filled 
 
lo PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 in with any agreeable water-colour wash. This design (A) 
 should occupy the upper half of a quarter-imperial sheet of 
 paper. Accurate and careful drawing is of the greatest im- 
 portance, and should be attended to in all the exercises in 
 design, for the system of teaching here set forth embraces, 
 what is to be hoped, a rational gradation of lessons in 
 freehand drawing, using either the pencil or brush, as well 
 as progressive studies in decorative design. 
 
 After the above exercise is finished, or at a subsequent 
 lesson, the master should instruct the pupil to copy his 
 design in direct brush-work, on the same sheet of paper, 
 parallel to, and underneath the original exercise. A small 
 saucer filled with any agreeable colour, or coloured ink, 
 should be provided — one, say, for every two students. Sable 
 brushes of a medium size are best for use, and will be found 
 cheaper in the end than camel-hair brushes. When the 
 brush is well charged with colour, the horizontal line should 
 be drawn first, then each leaf should be copied, beginning 
 at the apex, and drawing down rapidly a vertical stroke 
 through the intended centre of the leaf to meet the horizon- 
 tal line and to form the leaf-stalk ; the contour of the leaf 
 should be drawn quickly and as accurately as possible ; then 
 finally the whole leaf should be filled in with colour. Fig. 
 B, on Plate I. illustrates the brush-work effect, though here 
 the design is slightly varied, the result being a " silhouette"- 
 where the treatment of " mass " is the primary consideration. 
 The latter exercise makes a pleasant variation in the pupil's- 
 task, and is an extremely useful and important factor in the 
 
PLATE IV. 
 
 Bl-LATERAL OR SYMMETRICAL ARRANGEMENTS FROM THE HORSE CHESTNUT. 
 
 \.To face page 14. 
 
PLATE I. 
 
 
 fv^ A 
 
 s 
 
 ,-4- 
 
 A 
 
 ♦»♦» 
 
 & 
 
 Border Designs and Bi-laterai, Arrangements from the Ivy Plant. 
 
 {To face page lo. 
 
DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT ii 
 
 education of his hand and eye in the matter of direct re- 
 presentation ; for in the execution of this kind of work he 
 cannot rub out any portion he once puts in, and knowing 
 this he is forced to work with great care. 
 
 The atte.mpts of beginners in these first exercises will; 
 of course, be very moderate, rough, unequal, and in 
 some cases amusing, but practice will very soon effect an 
 improvement if the system is only given a fair trial. 
 
 I should point out that the " brush-drawing" here recom- 
 mended is not to be confounded with the Kindergarten 
 "blobbing," which, though a species of brush-work, and a 
 very entertaining occupation for young children, is more of 
 an amusement than a serious aid to art education. We 
 see, at times, in the exhibitions of primary school work, 
 some wonderful examples of patience and monotony. Illus- 
 trating the fashionable "blobbing" species of brush-work, 
 which are very clever and smart in execution, very neat, 
 but very mechanical. 
 
 The objection to " blobbing " is that it is usually carried 
 too far in some schools, that it leads to the suppression of 
 individuality in the pupil's work, and the results from an 
 educational point of view hardly justify the spending of 
 the time which is usually bestowed upon it. Brush-work 
 " silhouetting " from nature, and the translation of orna- 
 ment, as practice in brush-drawing, will be considered and 
 illustrated later on. (See Chapter IV.) 
 
 Fig. A, on Plate 1., is an illustration of " repetition " in 
 ornament, and Fig. B is an example of "alternation." 
 
 U 
 
12 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 The inverted heart-shaped ivy leaf alternates with the 
 ordinary five-pointed variety. Fig. C shows "alternation" 
 with the leaf and berries of the ivy, and illustrates " con- 
 trast." The arrangement of the berries illustrates the 
 principle of "radiation" in the growth of the berry-stalks, 
 the berries expanding in an " umbel " shape. 
 
 It will be noted that "radiation" is also illustrated by 
 the disposition of the principal veing in the ivy leaf, this 
 construction being similar in all leaves of the vine family, 
 of which the ivy is a member. 
 
 The next lesson, on the designing of the continuous 
 border, is illustrated on Plate II., the elements of which are 
 derived from the wood-sorrel. After the diagram of the 
 plant is drawn, the student should be allowed to make a 
 circle with compasses, to contain the first trefoil leaf of the 
 border design. This circle should be divided equally by 
 six radial lines, and the first leaf should be drawn in as af 
 Fig. A. The repeating leaves should be drawn of the 
 same size, without measuring, and the connecting base-line 
 afterwards. When the border design is outlined in carefully, 
 and the masses of the leaves are coloured, assuming that 
 the student has' done this on the top half of his sheet of 
 paper, a brush-work silhouette copy ought to be made on 
 the lower half of the paper, as explained in the former case 
 of the ivy-leaf border. 
 
 The second border, B, on Plate II., has the flower of the 
 wood-sorrel alternating with the leaf When converting 
 the flower to ornamental purposes,- a conventional rendering 
 
PLATE II. 
 
 Border Designs and Bi-lateral Arrangements from the Wood-Sorrel Plant. 
 
 [To face page 12, 
 
PLATE III. 
 
 Border Designs from the Oak Leaf and Acorn, showing Various Treatments of 
 
 THE Corner. 
 
 [To face page 13. 
 
DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT 13 
 
 should be given, using the circle and the inscribed regular 
 pentagon as the geometrical elements on which the flower 
 is constructed, but in the repetitions of the flower or leaf 
 these mechanical helps should not be resorted to, for the 
 object of learning to draw in a freehand manner should 
 always be kept in view. Fig. C, on this plate, has for the 
 motive of the design the folded side view of the trefoil 
 leaf — the ordinary appearance of the leaf when it is 
 "sleeping" in the evening and during the night. This 
 design might be termed a "chasing" or running border. 
 
 Plate III. shows five different ways of designing the 
 corner in border ornament, the motives being the leaves 
 and acorns of the oak. To design a satisfactory corner to 
 a border is not an easy task. It is surprising to find how 
 very few ways there are in which a running border orna- 
 ment can be " mitred " so as to look well. The difficulty is 
 often got over by treating the corner space as a square, but 
 if there is no " echo " of some part of the border ornament 
 in the square, the problem is not solved. It will be noted 
 that the conventional rendering of the oak leaves and 
 acorns on this plate, although very much simplified from 
 the natural specimens, still retain the spirit and character 
 of nature. It is po.ssible, of course, to produce good orna- 
 ment, as the Greeks, Romans, and Saracens have done, in 
 which the natural forms have become so abstract, or so far 
 " corrupted," as to have lost their quality as derivatives 
 from nature, but we should remember, if we are to produce 
 any measure, however small, of originality in our designs, 
 
14 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 or if we are to interest ourselves and others in our work, 
 we shall succeed better, if we try to keep a reminiscence of 
 nature in our productions. 
 
 The shapes of the leaves and acorns on Plate III. are 
 modified in proportion, height, and width according to the 
 requirements of their positions. 
 
 Figs. A and B, on this plate, may be termed " radiating 
 borders," and C, D, and E "running" patterns of borders. 
 The border at A shows a severe rendering of the leaf, and 
 has the enclosing line around the edges, the first step to 
 mark the position and shape ; and the " squat " shape of the 
 acorns brings them into harmony with the border lines and 
 spreading character of the leaves. 
 
 Students are advised to try other plants, as well as the 
 ones given, for their exercises in border designing, and 
 after some practice in the latter they should try to com- 
 pose bi-lateral or symmetrical arrangements. These should 
 be designed very simply, without any reference to enclosing 
 or boundary lines. 
 
 This kind of exercise is very useful as practice in getting 
 the balance of "mass" and "line," and is excellent for 
 freehand practice when executed on a fairly large scale, 
 which should not be less than a quarter-imperial size for 
 each design. When the design is drawn and coloured 
 flady, a copy of it should be made in direct brush-\York, 
 about one-third the size of the original. 
 
 Examples of these designs are given at D and E, on 
 Plate I. ; the latter example, from the ivy plant, is simpli- 
 
PLATE V. 
 
 A, B, AND C, Bl-LATERAL ARRANGEMENTS FROM THE TULIP AND WATER LiLY ; 
 
 D, Radial Design from Water Lily. 
 
 \To face fage 15. 
 
DRAWING AND DESIGNING OF BORDER ORNAMENT 15 
 
 fied to an extreme degree, but still remains vested with 
 a reminiscence of nature. " Symmetry," or like-sidedness, 
 "balance," and "contrast" are obviously the principles 
 exemplified in this design. Figs. D and E, on Plate II., 
 derived from the wood-sorrel, though square in contour, 
 are not designed to fill a square. Three varieties of 
 symmetrical combinations are shown on Plate IV., and are 
 derived from the horse-chestnut. 
 
 The tulip is used as a motive in the designs at A and B, 
 Plate v., and the design C shows an arrangement of the 
 folded leaves and buds of the water-lily in elevation, while 
 the figure at D is a combination of the flowers and leaves 
 of the same plant shown in plan ; this is a very geome- 
 trical but legitimate rendering of the water-lily plant in 
 ornament. This design is very suitable for a treatment in 
 three colours, but is not so good as a brush-work exercise. 
 
 Bi-lateral combinations are far less difficult to design 
 than the filling of given spaces in ornament, or designing 
 for a special purpose, as in applied designs. The student 
 has only to be careful to obtain some pleasing lines of 
 arrangement and forms, the doubling over of which, in 
 most cases, is nearly sure to give pleasing results. Even 
 an ugly-shaped blot, or lop-sided form, will often, when 
 doubled over, make a satisfactory bit of ornament. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 ON THE DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES 
 
 Some geometrical figures are represented on Plate VI., 
 numbered i to lo, the filling of which with ornamental 
 arrangements will now be considered. Apart from the 
 designing of a pleasing combination of decorative forms, the 
 student has to consider the enclosing lines of the figure 
 which is to contain the ornament. He should also bear in 
 mind that the principal masses should be so arranged that 
 they may " echo '' the general shape of the figure selected 
 for decoration. Before deciding the actual scheme of the 
 work, it will be found advisable to make a few trials or small 
 sketches, arranging roughly the positions of the principal 
 masses by blots that may bear some relation to the plant 
 selected for the design, and afterwards connecting these by 
 the principal lines of the proposed composition. 
 
 This putting in of " mass " before " line " is the better way 
 to proceed when building up a design, and enables the 
 student to formulate, in a short space of time, something like 
 the general effect of his proposed task ; this is shown in the 
 
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 ag 
 
 Fillings of Squares by Geometrical Subdivisions, 17 to 28; Oblongs, 29 to 31; 
 Triangles, 32 to 36 ; Lunettes, 37 to 39 ; Circles, 40 to 42. 
 
 \To follow Plate VI. 
 
PLATE VIII. 
 
 Designs for the Filling of a Triangle from the Lesser Celandine; the Small 
 
 Diagrams indicate the Method of the First Arrangement of the 
 
 Principal Masses. 
 
 [To face page 17. 
 
DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES 17 
 
 small sketches on Plates VIII. and XIV. An important 
 matter to be attended to in designing a filling for a space 
 is that a guiding line should be drawn parallel, or concentric, 
 as the case may be, to the sides of the proposed figure that 
 is to contain the ornament, to which the latter must extend 
 and touch at regulated intervals, so that it may appear to 
 " carry a line " around itself. The plain space thus left be- 
 tween the ornament and enclosing line of the shape selected 
 is valuable, and acts as a kind of border. This line should 
 not be left in the finished work. (See the triangular fillings 
 on Plate VI 11.) 
 
 rPhe designs filling the triangles on Plate VIII. are 
 derived from the Lesser Celandine plant, and show three 
 ways of filling the figure. The design at A shows upward 
 growth from the centre of the base, B and C are radial in 
 construction, and D is slightly spiral in growth. The small 
 rough trial sketches on this plate should be noted. 
 
 Three fillings of the square are shown on Plate IX. ; the 
 motive of the designs is the Wild rose. ' When arranging the 
 units of a design, the student should endeavour, if possible, 
 to get some extra decorative value by making the ground 
 between the ornament an interesting feature in itself Some 
 pleasing shapes in the ground spaces may occasionally be 
 obtained, but not always, as many arrangements of good 
 ornament do not readily lend themselves to the production 
 of ornamental ground spaces ; but this effect should be aimed 
 for where possible, as it is always a great gain, and another 
 source of interest. Attempts in this direction may be 
 
i8 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 noticed at A and B, on Plate IX., the dark central work at 
 Fig. C, on Plate X,, and in the pentagon, B, on Plate 
 XI. It may be seen that the square fillings at A and 
 B, Plate IX., are radial in construction, an easy method 
 of filling a square, and perhaps the most .satisfactory. 
 The upright filling at C is more difficult, for this kind of 
 growth in the design is more suitable for the upright 
 oblong shape. The square character is here kept by 
 having important similar features at the corners to 
 emphasise the shape ; for instance, if leaves were used 
 instead of the flower forms at the lower corners, the 
 result would not be so good, as this would, when combined 
 with the central leaves, make a more triangular shape, 
 and unsatisfactory as part of a square filling. 
 
 The filling of the circle is, like the square, more satis- 
 factory if the ornament radiates from the centre, as at C, on 
 Plate X. There is not, however, I the slightest objection in 
 the ornament springing from the bdttom, as at Fig. A, where 
 the cyclamen is used as ornament, or in the " chasing " 
 growth of the pink at B. 
 
 The cyclamen design is an illustration of "stability"' in 
 ornament, and the circle filling from the pink serves to 
 show "balance without symmetry" in the disposition of the 
 flowers. The larger circle at C is occupied with a design 
 based on the nasturtium. This design may serve to 
 illustrate the law of " even distribution " of the elements 
 used, and of " contrast" in the treatment of the latter, and 
 also of the ground spaces. It will be noticed that the 
 
PLATE IX. 
 
 Fillings of the Square. 
 
 A AND B, Radial Ornament; C, Upright Growth. 
 
 [To face page 18 
 
PLATE X. 
 
 Three Methods of Circt.e Filling. A, Symmetrical Treatment of the Cyclamen; 
 B, Spiral Arrangement of the Pink; C, Radial Treatment of Nasturtium. 
 
 [To follow Plate IX. 
 
PLATE XI. 
 
 Three Methods of Filling a Pentagon, from the Datura Plant. A^ Radial; 
 B, Spiral ; and C, Vertical Growth. 
 
 [To face page i9- 
 
DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES 19 
 
 slight expression of "movement" in the lower portion of 
 the stems of both leaves and flowers is here counteracted 
 by the radial position of the flower and leaf masses, which 
 gives "rest," as opposed to movement; and where the 
 qualities of movement and rest are equally balanced in a 
 design, the contrasting result is desirable, and devoid of 
 monotony. 
 
 Three ways of filling the pentagon are shown on Plate 
 XI., the designs being based on the Datura plant. The 
 leaf and flower in elevation are arranged radially at Fig. A, 
 while the plant of the flower and a spiral treatment of the 
 leaves is seen at B. In the larger pentagon at C, leaves, 
 flowers, buds, and fruit are all used, and some advantage is 
 taken in the construction of the design from its natural 
 growth. This plant is admirably suited for decorative 
 purposes, from the ornamental variety of its difierent parts, 
 and might be used with advantage much more than it is in 
 modern decoration. 
 
 On Plate XII. is presented a variety of treatment in 
 
 the filling of the oblong space. An upright character of 
 
 ornamental filling is shown at A, where the Cowslip is the 
 
 motive of the design. While the arrangement emphasises 
 
 the upright oblong shape, the natural habit of the growth 
 
 is adhered to. The vine panel at B is an example of 
 
 "balance without symmetry," and is a more difficult 
 
 method of filling a space than that of a purely symmetrical 
 
 arrangement. Balance must be kept in any composition of 
 
 this kind. Although we strive for the effect of " even dis- 
 
 c 2 
 
20 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 tribution," we must avoid any appearance of repetition in 
 the size and placing of the units and masses ; the latter 
 should vary in size and gradation, but not violently so, and 
 the whole composition should look easy and natural in 
 growth. 
 
 The young student should practise the using of birds, 
 insects, or other animal forms in his designs as soon as he 
 is able to draw them. If not practicable, or if the task be 
 too difficult to draw from nature, drawings should be made 
 from still life or museum specimens, or even from good 
 drawings of natural history examples. Cases of moths, 
 butterflies, and stuffed birds ought to be part of the equip- 
 ment of all schools, and if the specimens are well mounted 
 and correctly described, they would be of more educa- 
 tional value than the badly drawn and worse coloured ' 
 lithographs that usually find a place on the walls of our 
 public schools. 
 
 Some suggestions of insect, bird, and animal life forms 
 are given on Plates XIX. and XX., that might be useful to 
 the elementary student in design, but it is strongly recom- 
 mended that when possible the student should make. studies 
 from life or from good examples of preserved specimens. 
 
 The ravens introduced amongst the foliage of the beech 
 at Fig. C, on Plate XII., are so disposed as to emphasise 
 the horizontal dimensions of the oblong, and their dominant 
 forms are contrasting elements to the foliage, which would 
 be otherwise monotonous in effect, if the whole space was 
 occupied by the similar-sized leaves only. This illustrates 
 
PLATE XII. 
 
 Oblong Fillings. A, Vertical Design from the Cowslip ; B, Unsymmetrical Vine 
 Treatment; C, Horizontal Treatment of Bird and Beech Tree Forms. 
 
 [To face ^age 20. 
 
PLATE XIII 
 
 Fillings of the Ogee and Square Lozenge Shapes. A and B show the same 
 
 Design on a Dark and Light Ground ; D and E are Similar Treatments. The 
 
 Ogee Shape at C has a Treatment of the Wild Hyacinth. 
 
 [To face ^age 21. 
 
PLATE XIV. 
 
 Fillings of the Semicircle or the Lunett'e. A is from the Lemon Tree ; D, from 
 THE Christmas Rose. B and C are Diagrams of the First Arrangement of 
 
 Principal Masses. 
 
 [To face page 20. 
 
PLATE XV. 
 
 riJCTUKTiun 
 
 pffY 
 
 rjinsY KutiDCLm k°5c 
 
 PKinRq5E 
 
 StKRVEEKRt. 
 
 I CYCLancn. BtrrEKSvccT. 
 
 Types of Various Leaf Forms. 
 
 naiuv. 
 
 \To follow Plate XIV. 
 
PLATE XVI. 
 
 fEHVlBKIX. 
 
 rixAwc TnoTuc. ' fuiur. luur. 
 
 Various Flower Forms akd Flower Growths. 
 
 JaS«ltlE; 
 
 \To follow Plate Xl^. 
 
PLATE XVII. 
 
 n«nesTY. 1} \j cicnaTis. '' W 
 
 Examples of Various Kinds of Foliage. 
 
 {.To follow Plate XVI. 
 
PLATE XVIII. 
 
 Examples of Various Kinds of Fruit. 
 
 ITofolUm Plate XVII. 
 
PLATE XIX. 
 
 Insect and Bird Forms, &c., as Suggestions for use in Design. 
 
 ITo follow Plate XVIII. 
 
DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES 21 
 
 a common principle in ornament — namely, that if dominant 
 forms are used in a composition, the rest of the design 
 should be kept in strict subordination by using some very 
 simple forms in a much greater repetition to complete the 
 work. 
 
 On Plate XIII. there are some fillings of the 
 "ogee" form, at A, B, and C, the former two being ex- 
 amples of the same design on a light and a dark ground, 
 derived from the Narcissus. The ogee space at C is filled 
 with a design based on the Wild Hyacinth, a plant which 
 lends itself to the decoration of this particular form. The 
 central mass is suggested by the cluster of young buds, 
 which takes a shape like this before opening into flower. 
 The ogee shape is an important and common basis of a 
 great family of diaper designs, particularly of Persian and 
 Italian textiles. This comes of its adaptability of repeating 
 all over a surface without leaving any interspaces. (See the 
 application of this at Fig. D, Plate XXXIX.) The designs 
 at D and E, on Plate XIII., are shown as the same pattern 
 on a light and dark ground, and fill a lozenge shape, or 
 square placed angle-wise. The honeysuckle in elevation, 
 as the motive used, lends itself admirably to the filling of 
 this space, and so illustrates the law of fitness or congruity, 
 a condition which is generally fulfilled when the lines, units, 
 and masses of a design " echo " the main lines of the 
 enclosing shape. 
 
 Plate XIV. illustrates some methods of filling the 
 "lunette " or semi-circular form. At B andC are examples 
 
22 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 of the previously mentioned small rough sketches of the 
 blotting-in of the idea for the larger finished work. The 
 student should always begin his designs in this way, and 
 after making a few, he should select the best of them for 
 the basis of his intended work. 
 
 Although the leaves of the lemon tree and fruit, used as 
 the units of the filling at Fig. A, are nearly of the same size, 
 the necessary contrast and variety are obtained by the 
 different shapes and surface treatment of each. In this 
 example two colours might be used effectively to give 
 variety to the scheme. The design at D is a bold and 
 conventional rendering of the Hellebore, or Christmas rose. 
 
 It is to be hoped that sufficient has been said, and 
 enough illustrations given on the Plates numbered from 
 VIII. to XIV., to help the student when designing for the 
 filling of any given shape or form. Such forms as the 
 diamond, or double equilateral triangle, the hexagon, and 
 the octagon have not been treated, but the same rules and 
 principles mentioned in reference to the filling of the square, 
 lozenge, circle, and pentagon, apply equally to the former 
 shapes. 
 
 It is strongly recommended that teachers should exercise 
 their students in the use of plants and materials other than 
 those givenMn the designs we have been considering, and 
 for the suggested use of those who may have a difficulty 
 in obtaining sufficient varieties of natural examples, I have 
 drawn from nature some typical specimens of leaves, 
 foliage, flowers, and fruit, which are named and reproduced 
 
PLATE XX. 
 
 Bird, Fish, and Animal Forms as Suggestions for Use in Design. 
 
 \To follow Plate XIX. and face page 23' 
 
DESIGNING OF ORNAMENT TO FILL GIVEN SPACES 23 
 
 as illustrations on Plates XV., XVI., XVI I., and XVIII. 
 respectively. Insect, bird, and animal forms will be found 
 on Plates XIX. and XX., while further examples of leaves 
 and flowers, &c., are illustrated as brush-work translations 
 from nature on Plates XXI. and XXII. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 BRUSH-DRAWING 
 
 As a means of acquiring power in draughtsmanship, 
 apart from its technical usefulness to the designer or painter, 
 there is no better practice for the student than the making 
 of studies, in direct brush-work, from plants, animal and 
 bird forms. We know what consummate masters the Japanese 
 are in brush-drawing, and how the greater portion of their 
 decoration, book illustration, and pictorial work is executed 
 direct with a full brush in colour or in ink. Even their 
 ordinary writing is done with the brush, the use of which 
 comes so naturally to them that its characteristics and 
 influence are apparent in all their handicrafts. This brush- 
 work feeling is strongly marked, for example, in their stencil 
 cuttings. (See Plate XXVII.) 
 
 The ornament in the decoration of Greek vases and on 
 Indian, Persian, Moresque, and Mexican pottery, though 
 taking floral, leaf, and geometric forms, is found to be mainly 
 composed of brush forms, when analyzed. 
 
BRUSH-DRAWING 25 
 
 The use of the full brush of colour by pottery painters 
 and other decorators gives a richness of quality and a 
 certain look of freedom of execution to their work, which 
 no kind of printing, stencilling, or other mechanical methods 
 of application can hope to rival ; and whether the treat- 
 ment be fine and delicate, or broad and full, there is always 
 a satisfying charm in the work that has been executed in 
 a decorative manner in direct brush-work. 
 
 This kind of decoration might be broadly divided into 
 two classes : one where the decoration is composed or built 
 up of brush strokes purely, and the other where it is 
 rendered in direct brush expression as a " silhouette " or 
 shadow-like form. 
 
 Both classes of brush-work should be cultivated by the 
 student, but the latter class is by far the most valuable as a 
 training for the draughtsman ; for, although a great deal 
 might be said in favour of the first-named class, the practice 
 of it cannot be compared, from an artistic point of view, 
 with that of the second method. 
 
 If we examine that great ornamental class of historic 
 otterydecoration, which has been thought bymany to owe its 
 origin exclusively to brush strokes or forms, it will be ound 
 that, although the general aspect of the decoration would 
 lead one to suppose that the ornamental forms were generated 
 by the shapes of the brush strokes, this is not always the 
 case, for in numerous instances they are only translations 
 from previously existing examples of relief ornamentation 
 or of natural forms, but by endless repetitions of these 
 
26 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 models, with the brush, they have acquired the likeness 
 and features of an apparent brush-stroke prototype.' The 
 brush-stroke ancestor theory may be plausible, but it is 
 hardly logical, and just now. its popularity is so great that 
 it is in danger of being ridden to death. 
 
 In a purely decorative direction brush forms and strokes 
 may be used very effectively as a medium of ornamental 
 expression. Such forms 'are shown at Figs. A and A' on 
 Plate XXL, and at B, F, and C the foliage and leaves are 
 composed of similar direct brush strokes. The bi,rds at D 
 and the ornament at G are also rendered in a similar 
 manner. A strictly heraldic or conventional form, derived 
 from nature, such as the eagle on this plate, readily lends 
 itself to expression in brush " strokes, an example, of the 
 fitness of conventional expression of a decorative object. 
 
 The ornamental design at E, Plate XXL, is an example 
 of a brush-work translation from a cast of Italian ornar 
 ment ; it illustrates a most useful method of study that 
 should be cultivated by all art students. In exercises of 
 this kind the student should work direct with a full brush 
 of colour or ink ; no previous drawing in of the work with 
 .the pencil or point should be attempted. The light lines 
 or markings are left out to show the construction, which, if 
 filled, in, would make the study a complete silhouette, or 
 shadow-drawing, of the original ; it is better, however, when 
 painting; direct from casts or nature, to leave out the parts 
 which define the shapes, and mark the articulations and 
 divisions, so as to explain the drawing, and this leads to 
 
PLATE X\I. 
 
 Brush Forms and Brush Expression of Ornament. 
 
 [To face fage 26 
 
PLATE XXII. 
 
 i^f ^ /\ttllB«RC 
 
 
 Brush Expression of 
 
 Leaf and Flower Forms in Silhouette. 
 
 \To face i>ape 2'- 
 
BRUSH-DRAWING 27 
 
 the exercise of more care and accuracy, and also is a greater 
 test, in -.correct drawing with the -brush., • 
 
 Studies of this nature are: of the utmost value for the 
 education .of the student, as they serve to form -useful 
 habits of keen observation of the model's construction and 
 proportion of parts ; for he will be all the more anxious to 
 avoid-, mistakes in drawing, knowing that it will be almost 
 impossible to correct them afterwards. ^ 
 
 Direct brush-work expression, or "silhouetting," of plant 
 forms enables one to gain . a greater ' knowledge of the 
 ■correct shapes of leaves,, flowers, and foliage,- &c., in a 
 much shorter time, than that derived from the making of 
 such studies, from nature, with the point or pencil, in out- 
 line ; and the image or typical shapes of each plant will be 
 more effectually fixed in the memory when executed in the 
 former method, for the very good reason that images or 
 shapes are always better seen and remembered when 
 presented in the " mass " than in " line " drawings. ■ 
 
 On the other hand, it goes without saying, that, in 
 silhouette studies, we miss the beauty of many valuable 
 details seen in the natural specimen, which can be so 
 well expressed in pencil or pen drawings, such as the vena- 
 tion and turn of the leaf and flower petals, the growth 
 junction of stems and leaf axils, and all the variations of 
 light and shade. Brush-drawn exercises from plant life 
 are, however, recommended as a valuable aid to the 
 student or designer in their ordinary work, and as an 
 alternative method of decorative expression. 
 
28 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 •In beginning studies of -this kind from nature it is advis- 
 able to select single leaves and flowers, and make repeated 
 copies of them. Progressive examples of such are given 
 'on Plate XXII. After representing simple forms from 
 nature, more important sprays of flowers and foliage may- 
 be attempted, as on Plate XXIII. 
 
 The design I have given on Plate XXIV. is an example 
 of direct brush-work, and is intended for the decoration of 
 a title-page. This example is an illustration of the expres- 
 sion of "mass" in ornament, and the sea-horse panel on 
 Plate XXy. is an example of brush-drawing rendered in 
 "line." 
 
PLATE XXIII. 
 
 Brush Expression of Plant Form in Silhouette. 
 
 [To face itage 28. 
 
PLATE XXIV. 
 
 Design foe Title Pace in Brush Drawing. 
 
 \TofoUmu Plate XX til. 
 
PLATE XXV. 
 
 ExAMPLR OF Brush Drawing in "Line." 
 
 IT^ ffl((rw Plate XXIV, 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 STENCILLING 
 
 Stencil-cutting, and designing for stencils, being one of 
 the most elementary divisions of Art craftsmanship, may 
 appropriately be introduced to the notice of the young 
 student in these pages, as it forms an additional " hand and 
 eye " subject for those pupils who have spent some time in 
 the study of elementary design ; and, as an interesting 
 variation in the progressive work of the young designer, I 
 would strongly recommend the subject to the attention of 
 teachers and students. > 
 
 The materials required for the work are few and simple 
 in character. A sheet of cartridge or ", Whatman's" paper 
 — or, better still, what is known as the " Willesden " double- 
 ply waterproof paper, a pocket-knife, sharp at the end of 
 the blade, a sharpening stone, a few circular steel punches 
 of various sizes, and a sheet of glass, lead, or zinc, to cut 
 the stencil on, are all the materials that are wanted for the 
 cutting out of the design. 
 
30 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 In designing for stencil plates, the main objects to aim 
 for are clearness and boldness of pattern. Simplicity 
 of effect, the avoidance of detail, and thin lines should 
 characterise a good stencil design, these being, in fact, the 
 integral parts of the stencil principle. 
 
 As one of the first lessons in stencil-cutting, a very- 
 simple design or drawing of an object, such as the butterfly 
 at Fig. A, Plate XXVI., or the border at B, should be 
 made direct on the paper that is to be used for the stencil 
 plate. With a moderate amount of care, these designs may 
 be easily cut. The design at B may be used as a border, 
 or it maybe repeated in any direction to make an "all 
 over " checker pattern. 
 
 Great care must be used when designing for stencil work 
 to make the " ties " come in such places that they may 
 not only explain the drawing, but will of themselves be so 
 arranged as to form part of the ornamental features, and so 
 "help" the design. In illustration of this, the student is 
 referred to the semicircular lines, where the "ties" are 
 carried through the large central forms on Plate XXVIII., 
 and those in the oblong panel, Plate XXIX. 
 
 The diagram C, on Plate XXVI., is given as an ex- 
 ample of the kind of stencil that provides a good lesson 
 in accurate cutting ; here, and in all cases of circular 
 designs for stencils, compasses should be used to obtain the 
 requisite accuracy, and small circles and dots should be 
 made with steel punches. 
 
 At D, on the last-named plate, is an example of a 
 
PLATE XXVI. 
 
 %!0I ixilixilixil 
 
 
 
 /i^ 
 
 Examples of Stencilled Ornament. 
 
 [To /ace fage 30, 
 
STENCILLING 3' 
 
 diaper pattern designed on a square, and so repeats in any 
 direction. This is a type of a pattern in which two stencil 
 plates may be used; the flowers inside the circles may 
 be cut in one stencil and all the rest of the pattern 
 in another, which would admit of two colours being 
 effectively used in the pattern. 
 
 Broadly speaking, there are two ways of cutting the 
 pattern for a stencil : one, where the pattern is cut out of 
 the plate, and another where the ground-work is cut out, 
 the ornament in the latter case being expressed by the 
 colour of the surface that may receive the stencil impression. 
 The first method is illustrated at Figs. A, B, C, F, and G, 
 on Plate XXVI., and the second method is shown at Fig. 
 E. The method where the ground is cut away, leaving 
 the pattern, is by far the more difficult in practice, as it 
 requires the greatest possible care to keep the drawing 
 correct. Before cutting a pattern of this kind, the student 
 should paint in the ground-work in black, and not the parts 
 that are intended to show as the ornament. 
 
 Fig. F, on the above plate, is a free filling of a square 
 form, the dots on the ground showing the use of the steel 
 punch. Fig. G is given as an illustration of straight line 
 work, and is an example of a very useful exercise in 
 cutting. 
 
 Stencil plates are very extensivelyused by the Japanese for 
 all kinds of decoration, but principally for the ornamentation 
 of silk and cotton fabrics, where, for this purpose, stencils take 
 the place of our block and roller system of printing fabrics. 
 
32 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 The Japanese stencil-cutter begins his work by placing 
 several sheets of thin strong brown paper on the top of 
 each other, the uppermost sheet having the pattern drawn 
 on it, and cuts through the lot at once, thus obtaining 
 several accurate and similar cuttings, he then takes two 
 sheets and places them accurately together, getting the 
 correct fit by means of "register" holes or marks at the 
 top and bottom of his sheets, but just before pasting or 
 gluing the pairs of plates together he arranges a neat 
 net- work, of fine silken threads on the top of the lower 
 plate, these threads being securely fastened between the 
 two sheets of the stencil, in order to give an additional 
 strength to the stencil plate, so that it may last better under 
 the wearing action of the stencil brush, which is very great, 
 owing to the numerous impressions the plate is usually 
 required to produce. 
 
 Plate XXVII. is occupied by a few impressions taken 
 from a Japanese stencil plate. The sharp clean cut, which 
 may be noticed, is such as only the deft fingers of a 
 Japanese can accomplish, and this work is so perfect of its 
 kind that no European can rival, or hope to cotnpete with - 
 it successfully. The light thin lines, indicating the silken 
 net-work, may be seen in the above impressions, and 
 although the Japanese designer does not intend these lines 
 to be seen in his finished work, as 1;hey are usually 
 obliterated by the stencil brush, yet, if by chance they 
 assert their presence, they often add a beauty to the work 
 than otherwise. 
 
PLATE XXVII. 
 
 ^4S 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 'J^iS^ 
 
 7^^ 
 
 y^ 
 
 Examples of Japanese SxENCiL-cuTTiNr,. 
 
 [To ftzce page 32. 
 
PLATE XXVIII. 
 
 fm7M 
 
 miM 
 
 mim 
 
 Stencilled Design for an " All Over " Surface Decoration. 
 
 (7V> foll^u Plate XXVII. 
 
PLATE XXIX. 
 
 Design for a Panel Decojiation in Stencil Work. 
 
 [To follow Plate XXVIII. and to face page 33. 
 
i STENCILLING 33 
 
 The Japanese obtain great varieties of decorative effect 
 In their stencil work, as in the cases where two or more 
 plates are used to complete one pattern, or picture, thereby 
 admitting of the use of two or more colours, or shades of 
 one colour ; also, another, and a very common use in which 
 stencil plates are employed by the Japanese artist, is in the 
 part production of pictures. The stencil plate, which is 
 occupied by a pictorial composition, is used to get a first 
 impression of the subject, and this impression is finished 
 off by the artist with his brush and colours, and often with 
 his fingers, which he uses to get a softened or shaded effect 
 while the original colour is still moist. It may thus be 
 seen that the possibilities of stencil decoration are almost 
 ■endless In the hands of the ingenious Japanese. 
 
 The kencil pattern on Plate XXVIII. is an example 
 illustrating the stencil principle, which combines clearness 
 and boldness, without any fine or delicate details, and, as 
 before mentioned, the " ties " here are so arranged as to 
 form part of the pattern, an example of a useful rule to 
 observe in designing for stencils. This pattern is suit- 
 able for a wall or for the decoration of a hanging, and is 
 designed to repeat in both directions of height and width. 
 
 The design on Plate XXIX. has its principal lines and 
 masses controlled in their disposition by the enclosing lines 
 of the oblong panel. 
 
 The pigments or paints used in stencil decoration may be 
 either oil colours, water colour, or tempera, the latter being 
 a mixture of powder colours and pure gum, or size. If 
 
 D 
 
34 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 water colours or tempera are used, the paper of the stencil 
 plate must be rendered waterproof by a coating of thin oil 
 varnish, or painter's " knotting " varnish, or the Willesden 
 waterproof paper may be used. Stencil brushes of all 
 sizes may be obtained at any colour shop, and common dark 
 brown paper will answer the purpose of stencilling light- 
 tinted patterns on, and the lighter shades of brown paper 
 will do admirably for the reception of any dark tones of 
 colour. Ordinary writing ink can be used for black im- 
 pressions, especially if it is a little thick or old in the botde, 
 and when using ink, or ordinary colours, a palette of 
 porcelain, wood, or glass should be used on which to 
 distribute the colour and charge the stencil brush before 
 using it on the stencil plate. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 INTERLACING AND STRAP-WORK ORNAMENT 
 
 The interlacing of linear forms in design has, from pre- 
 historic times, always had a peculiar fascination for orna- 
 mentists. The first ideas of such work may have been 
 suggested by the utilitarian art of weaving and plaiting 
 grasses and twigs together to form the mats which were 
 used as one of the earliest kinds of human clothing, or it 
 may have been suggested by the innumerable crossings and 
 interfacings of the twigs and stems of trees and various 
 plants. Whatever may have been the origin, there is 
 always a delightful mystery and weirdness in the effect pro- 
 duced by the crossings, re-crossings, interlacing, or weaving 
 of the uppermost branches and stems of large trees when 
 the sky is seen between the interfacings ; and in this effect 
 is also seen the satisfying elements of grace, delicacy, and 
 strength — qualities of the first order in any satisfactory 
 composition of ornament. 
 
 Strap-work is the natural development of linear inter- 
 
 D 2 
 
36 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 lacing — a mere broadening of the line produces the strap — 
 so it goes without saying that the principles which govern 
 the interlacing line are also guides for the production of 
 strap-work in ornament. More than three-parts of the 
 ornament and decoration of the savage tribes, and Saracenic 
 or Arabian, Byzantine, and Celtic ornament are composed 
 of interlacing lines and strap-work. It enters also very 
 largely into the carved ornament of the Elizabethan 
 Renaissance, the decoration of Italian and French book- 
 binding, German goldsmiths' work of the sixteenth and 
 seventeenth centuries ; and the celebrated Oiron or Henri- 
 Deux pottery ware is chiefly characterised by its decorative 
 strap-work. 
 
 Celtic twistings and interlacings are the most ingenious 
 and exhaustive in this great order of ornament. Almost 
 everything, whether derived from natural or artificial sources, 
 underwent a change, or was ultimately developed, or 
 "corrupted," in the hands of the Scandinavian or Celtic 
 artist, to every imaginable form of knots and twists, some 
 of the work being exceedingly clever and beautiful. (See 
 Fig. 2, Plate XXXI.) 
 
 In designing interlacing and strap- work ornament, the 
 chief thing to do is to make the lines cross at a right angle, . 
 or as near as possible in that direction. The lines should 
 intersect or cross over, as cleanly as possible, in a direct 
 manner — that is to say, they should never "branch" out 
 of each other, or cross at an acute angle. Figs. 45, 46, 
 and 49 on Plate XXX. clearly illustrate this law, and 
 
PLATE XXXI. 
 
 Interlacing anb Strap-work Ornament. 
 
 I, 8, 9 AND 10, Arabian. 3, French. 2, Celtic. 4 and 5, Elizabethan. 
 
 § AND 7, Byzantine. 
 
 \ra face f age 37. 
 
INTERLACING AND STRAP-WORK ORNAMENT 37 
 
 most of the illustrations on the same plate explain it 
 further. 
 
 Effective interlacing work may consist of curved lines 
 only, as in Fig. 43, the Assyrian guilloche, and Figs. 54 and 
 55, on Plate XXX., and Fig. 8, on Plate XXXI., an example 
 of Arabian work ; or of straight lines alone, as in the Arabian 
 borders at Figs. 9 and 10, on the same plate ; or, again, the 
 most satisfactory arrangements are seen in the marriage of 
 the straight and curved lines as in the Celtic example. Fig. 
 2, and in the Byzantine panel at Fig. 7, on Plate XXXI. 
 Further examples of this kind may be seen in the con- 
 structive lines of the Italian book-cover decorations at Figsj 
 51, 52, and 53, Plate XXX. 
 
 It is characteristic of Arabian interlacing to use the 
 straight-lined geometric interlacing, and the curved^ 
 line variety singly, in different compositions, and more 
 rare to find them used together in one scheme of orna- 
 ment. 
 
 Byzantine strap-work is pure in its lines, and is usually 
 of a high order as constructive design ; it is often found 
 accompanied by whole or half rosettes, or symbolic forms, 
 occupying the interstices, as at Figs. 6 and 7, Plate XXXI. 
 Elizabethan strap-work is impufe^as such, its curved lines 
 generally ending in scroll-work, instead of being carried 
 through the composition in continuity. (See Figs. 4 and 5, 
 Plate XXXI.) In these Elizabethan examples there may 
 be seen, in the bract-like forms at the sides of the curves, 
 and in other places, the influence of Arabian work, and in the 
 
38 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 pierced holes and interperietrations we have reminiscences 
 of cartouche and shield-work. 
 
 Cartouche-work, which seems to ■ be the link between 
 ornamental shield-work and strap-work, may. be seen on the 
 German cup of 1620 date,' designed, by Wecht'er, and 
 illustrated on Plate XXXII. The cartouche- work, on this 
 example, occupies the surrounding portions of the divisions 
 where the masks are placed. . This cup is a good example of 
 the kind of work produced by the German goldsmiths of the 
 late Renaissance period, the earlier half of the seventeenth 
 century. It is composed, as may be seen, almost entirely of 
 cartouche and strap-work ; the design is ingenious, but 
 overdone, and suffers for the want of some plain surfaces. 
 It cannot be denied, however, that, when executed in gold 
 or silver, the effect would be extremely rich and sparkling. 
 
PLATE XXXII. 
 
 German Cup in Silver by C. Wechter, date 1620, illustrating Cartouche-work 
 
 AND Strap-work. 
 
 \To face f age 38. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 
 
 It is proposed, in this chapter, to consider design and 
 ornament as applied to the construction and decoration of 
 relief-work, and objects in the solid, and also some de- 
 velopments of pattern and other features concerning surface 
 decoration. 
 
 In the matter of designing shapes of objects in metal, 
 pottery, glass, wood, and stone, &c., a certain architectural 
 rhythm ought to be aimed for, which should be in accordance 
 with the fitness of the object, as to its use, and capabilities 
 of the material in which it is made. For example, the 
 contour of the mouldings and the space widths of the 
 various parts of an article that is to be made in pottery 
 should be quite different from those of an object that is 
 made in stone on the one hand, and metal on the other. 
 The artistic laws which govern the proper construction of an 
 object that has any pretentions to art, are, in every case, 
 similar; but, in the carrying out of these laws, we must bear 
 
40 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 in mind the nature of the material we are designing for, 
 and the use for which the object is intended : it then simply 
 becomes a question of " treatment." For example, it is 
 wrong to make a design for cast iron, or bronze, do duty as 
 a design for chiselled iron, or brass, and the mouldings and 
 divisions on a silver candlestick will admit of being finer 
 and more numerous than the same features on a vase made 
 in pottery. Common earthenware, and the finer porcelain, 
 must be treated in design distinctly different, according to 
 the capabilities of the material, if we are to get artistic 
 fitness. The paperhanging design that resembles the silk 
 brocade is an artistic failure, and even the printed textile 
 must not simulate the effects produced by the warp and 
 shuttle. The characteristics, limitation of the material, 
 and utility of the object, ought always to be borne in mind 
 by the student or designer. 
 
 When designing for objects in the " round," or relief, 
 or for anything having architectural pretensions, one of 
 the first considerations is to' keep in view the law of 
 " proportion." 
 
 Although we cannot attempt to lay down any arbitrary 
 rules as to proportion in the abstract, or even as to the 
 relative dimensions of space divisions in an object, still 
 there are certain sizes and measurements that look better 
 than others, when in close relation, and it is not a difficult 
 matter to point out what would be generally conceded as 
 "bad" proportion. If we examine the candelabra at 
 Figs. I and 2, on Plate XXXIII., we shall find that Fig. i 
 
PLATE XXXIII. 
 
 -^ 
 
 c 
 
 J 
 
 L\ 
 
 7 GOOD- 1. BAD 
 
 '• PROPORTION 
 
 J 
 
 Illustrations of Proportion, Ratio, and Relation of Space and Form in 
 Opposition ; also, the Want of Proportion. 
 
 \To face page i,\. 
 
SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 41 
 
 illustrates an example of good proportion, because the 
 space divisions, that are adjacent to each other, are unequal 
 in height, and are composed of varying shapes ; the profile 
 or contour of the object changes in an agreeable manner, 
 adding an interest to the whole form, and each part 
 pleasantly contrasts with the part immediately above or 
 below it. There is also one dominant division, consisting 
 of the upper part of the shaft, which is greater in height 
 dimension than any of the other parts. This object, there- 
 fore, fulfils the main conditions that ought to be observed 
 in order to obtain good proportion in an example of this 
 kind. We shall understand this more clearly by an 
 examination of Fig. 2, which is an example of " bad "' 
 proportion. Here the two greatest divisions of the shaft,, 
 that come next to each other, are almost equal, and 
 " equality" being antagonistic to proportion, ought always- 
 to be avoided ; the divisions of the base are also too equal 
 in height measurements, and are too much alike in their 
 soft contours. There is, also, not enough contrast in the 
 shapes of these divisions, most of the profiles being" 
 composed of similar curved, or segmental linps, and not 
 enough use is made of the straight line, in this connection, 
 as a contrasting element ; and, finally, there is no single 
 dominant feature to give the needed expression of good 
 proportion, which is seen in Fig. i. 
 
 The vase form at Fig. 5, on this plate, is a further example 
 of good proportion, as seen in the changing curves of its 
 contour, and in the essential unequality of its height divisions. 
 
42 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 The Greeks were great masters of proportion, in their 
 architecture, figure sculpture, vases, and other objects of 
 minor art. Fig. 7, on Plate XXXIII., is from a Greek 
 Ionic entablature, an examination of which will reveal to us 
 that the secrets of their well-proportioned work in archi- 
 tectural features were the dominant division, as in the 
 frieze, and the inequality of the height measurements of their 
 mouldings, especially where the latter came near together. 
 The Greek architect would never make two mouldings 
 come together that had the same width, or that were of the 
 same section, and even the profiles of his mouldings were 
 derived from conic sections, rather than from the circle, so 
 great was his love for the beauty of proportion and variety 
 of artistic expression. 
 
 Fig. 3, on this plate, is another example of good propor- 
 tion. It will be noticed here, again, that the space divisions 
 of this frame are unequal, and that the dominant division 
 is further emphasised by its rosette decoration. 
 
 Fig. 8 is given as an example of a well-proportioned 
 panel, both as regards the ratio of breadth to length, and 
 as to the quantity of decoration in relation to the ground 
 space. In panels of any shape no hard and fast lines can 
 be laid down for the quantity of ornament introduced, or 
 amount of ground space to be left plain, as this would vary 
 very much according to the uses and position of the panels. 
 For instance, in a panelled room, the lower or dado panels 
 may be left empty, and the mid-panelling on the " field " of 
 the wall may also look quite well with little or no decoration, 
 
PLATE XXXIV. 
 
 Tessellated and Mosaic Floor Design, showing Proportionate Spaces and 
 Divisions in the Borders and Panels. 
 
 [To /ace fage 43^ 
 
SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 43 
 
 while if the frieze, ceiling, or the soffits of arches be 
 panelled, they would admit of being richly decorated with 
 carving or painting. In the latter cases, and in panels for 
 cabinets and smaller objects, a fairly safe rule is to allow 
 about two-thirds of the panel to be occupied by the orna- 
 ment, and the remaining third for the ground, which is 
 about the proportion shown in the panel at Fig. 8. 
 
 It is obvious that a square, being equal in length. and 
 breadth, can have no proportion in itself, but we can divide 
 it into any number of agreeable subdivisions, by arranging 
 circles, octagons, or smaller squares of different sizes within 
 the figure, as may be seen in the square ceiling at Fig. 6. 
 
 By' the use of the larger circular lines with the angle lines 
 of the square, a new feature, the spandrel, is obtained, 
 which- is distinctly different in shape to either the square or 
 circle, but is in- complete harmony with both. The varied 
 character of the ornament, in the panels, bands, and mould-, 
 ing decoration, also helps to make the whole composition 
 agreeable. 
 
 Another example of the treatment of a square is shown 
 on Plate XXXIV., which is a design for a floor, in 
 mosaic. Proportion is here obtained by the relation of 
 size .between the border and inner square panel, assisted by 
 the relation of the large circular panel to , both border and 
 spandrels, and is further helped by the varying or unequal 
 widths of the main border, and the lines and spaces forming 
 subsidiary borders which surround it. Contrast in the 
 ornament, which fills the various spaces, is obtained by the 
 
44 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 flowing character of the ornament in the circle as opposed 
 to that of a "set " character in the outer border. 
 
 A still further illustration of the harmony of unequal space 
 divisions, in the decoration of a square form, is shown in 
 the old Italian embroidery design on Plate XXXV. 
 
 '. The two illustrations of Gothic tracery design for panel 
 fillings, on Plate XXXVI., are good examples of their kind-p 
 bufthe better design of the two is the l(3wer panel at B,:-for, . 
 although it is divided into four equa:l divisions in width,-" the 
 central feature embraces two of these divisions, and bdngiof 
 quite a different character in design to the filling of thesur-' 
 rounding part, which acts like a border, a sense of proper-' 
 tion arid harmony is felt, which is wanting in the design- of 
 the upper panel at A, where, the width is divided equally 
 into three parts, and consequently the middle division is not 
 of sufficient importance in size to contrast agreeably, witb 
 the outer ornament.. • ' 
 
 , In designing for plates or dishes, the proportionate) re-- 
 la'tion between the centre and border should receive careful 
 attention. An agreeable width for borders of plates, incliid- 
 ing the bevel, between border and centre, would be about 
 one^^sikth of the diameter of the plate. This proportion" is 
 shown on the design for a majolica dish, on Plate XXXVII.: 
 It may be noticed, in this design, that the radiating border 
 is of a simple and restful character, which helps to counteract 
 the revolving appearance of the figures in the design of the 
 centre. 
 
 The illustrations of good and bad proportion, given in the 
 
PLATE XXXV. 
 
 Italian Ai.tar Cloth, 17TH Century, illustrating Proportionate Space Divisions 
 IN THE Widths of the Borders and Contrast in the Ornament. 
 
 [To face page 44. 
 
tPLATE XXXVI. 
 
 Gothic Carved Wood Panels German, i6th Century, illustrating at A a Want 
 OF Proportionate Spacing in the Tracery, and at B a more Correct Feeling 
 
 FOR Proportion. 
 
 [To follow Plate XXXV. 
 
PLATE XXXVn. 
 
 Design for a Majolica Dish. 
 
 VTo follow Plate XXX VI. 
 
PLATE XXXVIII. 
 
 L.T^.tV^ 
 
 Examples of Arabian Counterchange Ornament, 
 
 t To face page 45. 
 
SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 45 
 
 last few pages, do not, by any means, exhaust the subject ; 
 but it is to be hoped that sufficient has been said to enable 
 the student to form a correct estimate of this important 
 subject in relation to design. 
 
 COUNTERCHANGE OrNAMENT. 
 
 The class of ornament known as " counterchange " nega- 
 tives the law of proportion by the very nature of its con- 
 struction. In counterchange, as may be seen in the Arabian 
 examples, on Plate XXXVIII., the ornament changes ex- 
 actly with the ground, or occupies a similar shape to that 
 formed by the ground that comes next to it, or on either 
 side of it, as at Fig. i, on this plate. This kind of orna- 
 ment is seen at its best in Arabian, or Saracenic decoration, 
 both in its straight-lined and curved varieties. It has also 
 been used by other nations, notably in the applique em- 
 broidery work of the Spanish and Italians of the seventeenth 
 and eighteenth centuries. Its origin is from heraldic sources, 
 and at best it must be considered more of a device, or 
 puzzle, than good ornament, for any kind of ornament that 
 lacks proportion, and which leaves you in doubt as to which 
 is the ornament, which the ground, as counterchange cer- 
 tainly does, can hardly be considered good ornament. In 
 some situations, however, where diaper-like ornament is 
 ■wanted, the geometrical varieties of counterchange are 
 useful as decoration. 
 
46 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 Surface Pattern Design. 
 
 Surface repeating patterns for textiles, paperhangings, 
 tiles, &c., that are intended to be produced by printing, 
 weaving, or stencilling, are usually designed on the square 
 or the diamond. Figs. 2 and 13, Plate VI.; the lozenge. 
 Figs. 7 and 15 ; the "ogee" shape. Figs. 8 and 12 ; or 
 the hexagon, Figs. 5, 11, 14, and 16, on the same plate. 
 Diagrams illustrating what is known as " spotting," and 
 "powdering," are shown at Figs. 15 and 16, on this plate. 
 
 Applications of designs to surface decorations are illus- 
 trated on the Plates XXXIX. to XLI I. Figs. A and B, on 
 Plate XXXIX., are examples of designs based on the square, 
 and are known as "checkers." C is a simple repeating 
 pattern, based on the lozenge — in this case, a square set 
 angle-wise ; and the design at D is constructed on the 
 "ogee" shape. All of these simple patterns usually gQ 
 under the name of "diapers" ; but, correctly speaking, the 
 true diaper is constructed on the ogee form, as at Fig. D. 
 
 The Drop Pattern. 
 
 The "drop" pattern illustrates an economical and 
 effective method of getting a greater variety of pattern 
 out of the width of the material than that adopted when 
 designing by any other method for the decoration of 
 textiles or paperhangings, and may be constructed on the 
 lines of a lozenge, a diamond, or on two oblongs placed 
 
PLATE XXXIX. 
 
 /^ 
 
 
 feR;^^ 
 
 
 A AND B ARE Examples of Checkers ; C and D are Diapers. 
 
 [To face t age 46. 
 
PLATE XL. 
 
 
 
 
 -BROP. 
 
 u 
 
 Fig. I, AN Illustration of a Symmetrical Drop Pattern designed on the 
 
 Square placed Anglewise, or on an Oblong. 
 
 Fig. 2 is a Drop Pattern designed on a Lozenge. 
 
 ITo/ace page 47. 
 
SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 47 
 
 side by side, one of which drops half its length below the 
 other, as at L, on Plate XL. In a pattern of the above 
 nature, whether constructed on the lozenge, diamond, or 
 on oblongs, the pattern drops half its length below the 
 repeat, at either side of itself. Drop patterns may be bi- 
 symmetrical, or unsymmetrical, in character. An example 
 of a bi-symmetrical drop pattern is shown at Fig. i, Plate 
 XL. This pattern may be designed on the lines of' a 
 square lozenge, like the diagram K, or within- the lines of 
 an oblong whose dimension is that of a double. square, as 
 shown by the figure in chain-lines at ACDB, in Fig! i. 
 The square lozenge, which also contains a repeat of the 
 pattern, is shown at GEHF. The construction lines of the 
 lozenge and oblong, drawn on the pattern, explain the 
 manner of obtaining the repeat. 
 
 The pattern at Fig. 2, on this plate, is an unsymmetrical 
 " drop " designed on the diamond, shape, the position of 
 which, in this case, is upright, as in the diagram'M. It will 
 be seen that the repeats of this pattern follow, or " chase " 
 each other, and do not "turn over" as in the former 
 pattern at Fig. i. 
 
 When patterns for paperhangings -or textiles are de- 
 signed on the lozenge or diamond forms, the latter should 
 not be less in width than the length of one side of the 
 lozenge or diamond, as anything less would make the 
 proportion of the figure too acute to be agreeable. 
 
 A design for a textile hanging, planned on. the hori- 
 zontal diamond, is given on Plate XLI. In this case the 
 
48 PROGRESSIVE DESIGN FOR STUDENTS 
 
 principal features, or masses, are first put in, roughly, within 
 the diamond shape ; and afterwards, the leading lines of 
 ■growth and their connections ; then, lastly, the. lesser 
 •details. 
 
 But before a design of this nature, the units of whose 
 repeat are unsymmetrical, can be satisfactorily filled in, so 
 as to give an " all over " effect, the portion of the pattern 
 immediately over and under the line AB should be traced 
 ■off, and carefully transferred to the corresponding position 
 •on, the opposite line DC, and the portion previously 
 •designed, say at AD, should be, in ^ like manner, 
 transferred to the line BC, and afterwards the whole repeat 
 •could be finished. This process will " prove " the pattern, 
 arid ensure the repeat to work in any direction. The 
 diamond form, marked by the letters, on this plate, contains 
 the whole unit of the repeat. 
 
 The design for a printed textile illustrated on Plate 
 XLII. is another example of the drop pattern, and is con- 
 structed within the lines of a rectangle, whose height is a 
 little less than three times its width, th^ chief motive of- the 
 •composition being the waving line that runs continuously 
 through the pattern. To make a design of this character, 
 it is necessary that, at least two rectangles should bp placed 
 together, as in the sketch, and one of them should be 
 ■divided into two equal parts, by a horizontal line, as at BA. 
 It will also be necessary to extend the drawing, in some 
 places, beyond these lines — in cases, for instance, - where 
 a leaf or a flower may require cornpletion in drawing, when 
 
PLATE XLI. 
 
 Drop Pattern designed on the Diamond as at A, B, C, D. 
 
 [ To face fage 48, 
 
PLATE XLII. 
 
 AP'— T7 
 
 
 
 Printed Textile, Drop Pattern designed on the Rectangle Shape. 
 
 [To follm) Plate XLl. 
 
SOME APPLICATIONS OF DESIGN AND ORNAMENT 49 
 
 parts of them extend over the line. A reference to the 
 sketch will make this clear. 
 
 When using- the waved line in a drop pattern, it is 
 best to make about half of the principal masses and smaller 
 detail g-row, say, from the waved line on one side of 
 the curve, below, and the other half designed to grow 
 from the opposite side of the curve, so as to get the 
 requisite balance of parts. The student should also 
 endeavour to get a well-ordered variety of form in the 
 units of his pattern, so that the work may look interesting. 
 It will be seen that the portion of the design drawn on the 
 upper left half of this pattern coincides with that on the 
 lower half of the rectangle, on the right, and the lower left 
 half contains that part of the pattern which appears again 
 on the upper half on the right. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 orderly methods as are found to underlie all true decoration of every kind. 
 
 THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF DESIGN. 
 
 An Advanced Text-book on Dtcorative Art. Being a sequel to the Author's "Lessons on 
 Decorative Design." By FRANK G. JACKSON, lecturer on Principles of Ornament _^d 
 Teacher of '1 echnical Art Processes in ihe Birmingham School of Art. With 700 Illustration'--. 
 Large crown £vo, 9J. 
 
 This is a continuation of Mr. Jackson's book on Decorative Design, and is intended to help advanced 
 students. Throughout the work the Author insists upon the observance of principles, regard for 
 construction, and the law of development, as necessary aids in a student's education. 
 
 CHAPALAN AND HALL, Ltd., LONDON.