t for, the things common to all heads being left to take care
of themselves for a bit. The reason for this is that the eye, when
fresh, sees these differences much more readily than after it has been
working for some time. The tendency of a tired eye is to see less
differentiation, and to hark back to a dull uniformity; so get in touch
at once with the vital differences while your eye is fresh and your
vision keen.

Look out first for the character of the disposition of the features,
note the proportions down an imagined centre line, of the brows, the
base of the nose, the mouth and chin, and get the character of the
shape of the enclosing line of the face blocked out in square lines. The
great importance of getting these proportions right early cannot be
over-emphasised, as any mistake may later on necessitate completely
shifting a carefully drawn feature. And the importance of this may be
judged from the fact that you recognise a head a long way off, before
anything but the general disposition of the masses surrounding the
features can be seen. The shape of the skull, too, is another thing of
which to get an early idea, and its relation to the face should be
carefully noted. But it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules
for these things.

Some artists begin in point drawing with the eyes, and some leave the
eyes until the very last. Some draughtsmen are never happy until they
have an eye to adjust the head round, treating it as the centre of
interest and drawing the parts relatively to it. While others say, with
some truth, that there is a mesmeric effect produced when the eye is
drawn that blinds one to the cold-blooded technical consideration of a
head as line and tone in certain relationships; that it is as well to
postpone until the last that moment when the shapes and tones that
represent form in your drawing shall be lit up by the introduction of
the eye to the look of a live person. One is freer to consider the
accuracy of one's form before this disturbing influence is introduced.
And there is a good deal to be said for this.

Although in point drawing you can, without serious effect, begin at any
part that interests you, in setting out a painting I think there can be
no two opinions as to the right way to go about it. The character of the
general disposition of the masses must be first constructed. And if
this general blocking in has been well done, the character of the sitter
will be apparent from t