acked-in, the beginner should guard against making his outlines too wide,
especially as regards the thin lines, for the eye in judging an outline
sketch follows the insides of the bounding lines rather than the outsides
which will really be the _out_lines of the blacked-in letter, so that when
finished the letter is likely to look heavier and more clumsy than in the
sketch.

When the entire pencil scheme seems satisfactory in every detail, and each
line has been exactly determined, the whole should be carefully inked-in.
In inking-in letters the swing of the arm should be as free and
unobstructed as possible. For the best result it is absolutely necessary to
work at a wide board on a solid table of convenient height and angle. It is
impossible to letter well in a cramped or unsteady position. One thing
cannot be too strongly urged upon the beginner. Never use a T-square,
triangle or ruling pen in inking-in lettering. It will be found ultimately
much easier to train hand and eye to make a straight and true line
free-hand than to attempt to satisfactorily combine a ruled and free-hand
line. The free-hand method is, be it acknowledged, both more lengthy and
[203] difficult at first, but when the draughtsman does finally gain a
mastery over his line he has achieved something which he will find of the
greatest value.

In a drawing to be reproduced by mechanical processes, the proportions of
the design are, of course, unalterably determined by the required panel or
page; but the _size_ of the _drawing_ may be such as best suits the
inclination and convenience of the draughtsman. If the drawing is to be
reduced in size (and that is the usual method, because, in general, it is
easier to draw large rather than small), the draughtsman must first decide
on the amount of reduction to which his style of rendering and the subject
itself are best adapted, remembering, however, that a drawing is sure to
suffer from excessive reduction, not only in general effect but in
interest, for the quality of the line is sure in a measure to disappear. A
reduction of height or width by one-third is the usual amount; but many of
our modern designers obtain their best effects by making their drawings but
a trifle larger than the required reproduction. Some even make their
drawings of the same size; others only from a twelfth to a sixth larger. As
a rule, the less the reduction the less the departure from the effect of
the original, and the more cert