There is a tendency in some quarters to discourage this blocking in of the forms in straight lines, and certainly it has been harmful to the freedom of expression in the work of some students.  They not only begin the drawing with this mechanical blocking in, but continue it in the same mechanical fashion, cutting up almost all their curves into flatnesses, and never once breaking free from this scaffolding to indulge in the enjoyment of free line expression.  This, of course, is bad, and yet the character of a curved line is hardly to be accurately studied in any other way than by observing its relation to straight lines.  The inclination and length of straight lines can be observed with certainty.  But a curve has not this definiteness, and is a very unstable thing to set about copying unaided.  Who but the highly skilled draughtsman could attempt to copy our random shape at Fig.  X, page 87 [Transcribers Note:  Diagram IV], without any guiding straight lines?  And even the highly skilled draughtsman would draw such straight lines mentally.  So that some blocking out of the curved forms, either done practically or in imagination, must be adopted to rightly observe any shapes.  But do not forget that this is only a scaffolding, and should always be regarded as such and kicked away as soon as real form expression with any feeling begins.

But it will be some years before the beginner has got his eye trained to such accuracy of observation that he can dispense with it.

[Sidenote:  In Blocking-in observe Shape of the Background as much as the Object.]

In the case of foreshortenings, the eye, unaided by this blocking out, is always apt to be led astray.  And here the observation of the shape of the background against the object will be of great assistance.  The appearance of the foreshortened object is so unlike what you know it to be as a solid thing, that much as it is as well to concentrate the attention on the background rather than on the form in this blocking-out process.  And in fact, in blocking out any object, whether foreshortened or not, the shape of the background should be observed as carefully as any other shape.  But in making the drawing proper, the forms must be observed in their inner relations.  That is to say, the lines bounding one side of a form must be observed in relation to the lines bounding the other side; as the true expression of form, which is the object of drawing, depends on the true relationship of these boundaries.  The drawing of the two sides should be carried on simultaneously, so that one may constantly compare them.

[Sidenote:  Boundaries a series of Overlappings.]

The boundaries of forms with any complexity, such as the human figure, are not continuous lines.  One form overlaps another, like the lines of a range of hills.  And this overlapping should be sought for and carefully expressed, the outlines being made up of a series of overlappings.