Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-03-03
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
WoMEN As ILLUsTRAToRs.

Inc Making OF Pictures Offers Broad
Field for Those Who Are Capable.
The first point to be emphasized to any
one who contemplates taking up illus
trating for the press as a means Of live
ihood, is the absolute necessity of pos
sessing a good knowledge of drawing
as a requisite and indispensable qualifi-
cation at the very outset Otherwise.
there is nothing which iustifes the
choice OF this as a profession. More
over, without the previous requirement
of at least the first principles of art. it
is both useless and foolish to expect to
achieve success. It is best and lxindest
to be entirely frank and decisive in
this statement from the beginning
A certain facility of execution with
the pen, and the exercise of that care
in the finish of a drawing, however
slight and sketchy it may be, which is
a distinguishing mark of professional
workmanship. is likewise necessary;
and also, finally that which can only be
gained by each individual, gradually,
often through failures at first, namely.
a practical knowledge of how the draw
ings will come out under various condi-
tions, and of the technical details, which
must be duly regarded. in order to en-
sure satisfactory reproductions. For
instance, il is obvious that illustrations
for high class of magazine, which will
be printed on good paper, in the best
manner possible, must require a differ
ent method of treatment from those
destined for a newspaper hastily turn
ed out by the thousand, on very absorb
ent paper, with common printers ink
For the latter the lines must be sim
pie, fine, clear, unbroken, vigorous and
sufficiently far apart not to blur to-
gether in the printing. The shading
should be very slight. A glance at the
city dailies win show at once what is
meant, bearing in mind that the origi-
mails are always drawn considerably
larger, in order that they may be re-
duced in the reproduction and there
fore that the lines are made by the art
ist much further apart than they APP
pear when published.
The improvements in the photo-en-
craving process, and the comparative
cheapness of reproducing drawings by
this method, in late years, have greatly
increased the demand for pen draughts-
men, and there is always an opening
for any one, women equally with men,
who can turn out really good work.
Perhaps more even might be said for
the chances of those whose drawings are
of undoubted merit. Editors frequently
complain of the difficulty Of getting the
work satisfactorily accomplished, and
profess themselves willing. so to speak,
to pay any price to really competent
artist, while they are obliged to reject
by the score the utterly unsuitable
drawings submitted to them because a
practical eye can see at glance that it
would be impossible to reproduce them
with any good result, apart from the
consideration of their artistic value
While the woman who seeks to illus
trate should have the artistic values of
her work in mind she must not forget
the market for which that piece of
work is intended
Now, a few words of advice as to
finding a market for the work in the
beginning We will imagine that the
reader is possessed of the first two re-
quisites mentioned above. namely, a
knowledge OF art in general, and of
pen-drawing in particular, but that at
present the third practical experience
lis entirely lacking. This, therefore.
it is the primary object to obtain at any
cost; and in the beginning the amount
of actual pecuniary return should be n
very secondary consideration; success
being reckoned according TO the expe-
rience gained rather than by the dol
lars earned. Later, this period-a
period of apprenticeship-wi be amply
made up for by the prices which really
good work always commands. 1t is
worth while to be patient provided it
can be felt that something is learned
from every drawing made. Moreover,
where worker is really capable and
energetic, using to the utmost every OPP
portunity for gaining experience and
mai ing progress, it will be found that
one thing leads to another, once start
has been made in actual practical work.
A good method Of obtaining steady en-
ploYment is from photo-engraving com
panies, which have a varied class of
work pass through their hands. Apart
from the reproduction of bona tide PEN
drawings they are often called upon
TO initiate more expensive processes
For instance, many illustrations are
made to resemble wood cuts SO closely
as to be almost indistinguishable from
them. For examples of this study the
advertisement pages of the principal
monthly magazines The drawings
have TO be made by copying the line
shading peculiar to wood engraving;
and although in many cases this re-
quires little more than mechanical
skill, there are so few, comparatively,
who can do them successfully, that the
work is very well paid and any one
competent 10 undertake it would find
no lack of employment
With regard to obtaining a perma-
ment position with amagazine or news
paper, it must naturally be greatly a
matter of chance, however capable the
artist whether such position be va
can't Those not living in any of the
large cities will often have better OPP
portunity Of getting an opening with a
local publication, because there would
be less competition to encounter. This
might possihly be only n stenpiucr stOna