magnitude of any roughness in the lines of the
drawing, and, therefore, to make the engraving better than the drawing.

The thickness of the lines in the drawing should be made to suit the
amount of reduction to be made, because the lines are reduced in
thickness in the same proportion as the engraving is reduced from the
drawing. Thus the lines on an engraving reduced to one-half the
dimensions of the drawing would be one-half as thick as the lines on the
drawing.

Drawings for photo-engraving should be made on smooth-faced paper; as,
for example, on Bristol board; and to make the lines clean and clear,
the drawing instruments should be in the best of condition, and the
paper or Bristol board quite dry. The India rubber should be used as
little as possible on drawings to be photo-engraved, because, if used
before the lines are inked in, it roughens the surface of the paper, and
the inking lines will be less smooth and even at their edges; and for
this reason it is better not to rub out any lines until all the lines
have been inked in. If used to excess after the lines have been inked in
it serves to reduce the blackness of the lines, and may so pale them
that they will not properly photo-engrave.

To make a drawing for an engraver in wood it would be drawn directly on
the face of the box-wood block, on which it is to be engraved. The
surface of the block is first whitened by a white water color, as
Chinese white. If the drawing that is to be used as a copy is on
sufficiently thin paper, its outline may be traced over by pencil lines,
and the copy may then be laid face down on the wood block and its edges
held to the block by wax, the pencilled lines being face to the block.
The outline may then be again traced over with a pencil or pointed
instrument, causing the imprint of the lead pencil lines to be left on
the whitened surface of the block. If the copy is on paper too thick to
be thus employed, a tracing may be made and used as above; it being
borne in mind that the tracing must be laid with the pencilled lines on
the block, because what is the right hand of the drawing on the block is
the left hand in the print it gives. The shading on wood blocks is given
by tints of India ink aided by pencilled lines, or of course pencilled
lines only may for less artistic work be used. Another method is to
photograph the drawing direct upon the surface of the wood block; it is
unnecessary, however, to enter into this part of