therefore, do a little thinking himself; that he has an individuality
of his own which he does not confess if his work looks like some
one's else; and, finally, that he has no more right to consciously
appropriate the peculiarities of another's style than he has to
appropriate his more tangible property, and no more reason to do
so than he has to walk or talk like him.




CHAPTER II

MATERIALS

Every illustrator has his special predilections in the matter of
materials, just as he has in the matter of methods. The purpose
of this chapter is, therefore, rather to assist the choice of the
student by limiting it than to choose for him. It would be advisable
for him to become acquainted with the various materials that I may
have occasion to mention (all of them are more or less employed
by the prominent penmen), and a partiality for particular ones will
soon develop itself. He is reminded, however, that it is easily
possible to exaggerate the intrinsic values of pens and papers;
in fact the beginner invariably expects too much from them. Of
course, he should not use any but the best,--even Vierge could
not make a good drawing with a bad pen,--but the artistic virtues
of a particular instrument are not likely to disclose themselves
in the rude scratchings of the beginner. He has to master it, to
"break it in," ere he can discover of what excellent service it
is capable.