Improvements in Apparatus, and in its Application, for Combining an Improved Method of Teaching Drawing and Designing with Amusement.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st July, 1890-Accepted, 13th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus, and in its Application, for Combining
an Improved Method of Teaching Drawing and Designing with
Amusement.
I, WILLIAM HARBUTT, of 15, Bladud Buildings, Bath, in the County of Somerset,
Artist and Art Teacher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture and application of
apparatus by which the arts of drawing, designing, and colouring shall be taught,
while at the same time it shall afford amusement to the student, or the manipulator.
One of the chief features of this my invention is, that by means of a series or
number of elementary forms, the young student &c. shall construct designs, which are
readily suggested by the said forms; designs, which shall be pleasing and yet in
accordance with art, and as the construction goes on, suggests other additions, or
alteration of position of the parts, which shall produce other, and varied designs,
which shall be not only pleasing but instructive and applicable to the sciences of
industry.
Further, by varying the colour of these clementary parts, suggestions of arrangement
present themselves, which shall educate the mind in the choice, application, and
arrangement of coloured design.
In its application to instruction in drawing, the "forms" are graduated to the
ability of the most elementary pupil, and from the beginning the appeal is made to
his intelligence as well as his eye, and his interest excited by the number of different
arrangements he finds he can get out of say only one or two forms; these he draws
as the work progresses, and thus designs of great complexity and true ornament are
insensibly built up, based upon a simple foundation, not in any haphazard or mere
theoretical manner, but practically, by the application of a few simple laws of repetition,
series, contrast, radiation, &c., tangibly seen.
Thus the study of drawing and the principles of good ornamental design go on
concurrently to the pleasure of the pupils and difficulties vanish by the practical
character of the apparatus.
In the case of infants the shapes can also be traced or slightly impressed upon the
paper by pressure of the hand and completed with pencil.
In carrying out this my invention, I use, strip metal, or such strips may be of
vulcanite, celluloid, or other suitable material, but generally of the former. The
sectional form of these strips I prefer to be of a narrow width, and thin in gauge; but
which nevertheless may be varied to suit taste or effect.
Thus I take pieces of strip, and bend or shape them either by hand or by machine
tools into various forms, either purely geometrical or from natural objects as leaves,
flowers, &c., such as for instance, a piece having a single involute curve, others having
an involute form at each end, others again, with the involute forms at each end, but
the one in reverse to the other; other having a right angled shape with involute
forms at their extremities; or such angular parts may again be varied in shape &c. &c.
Now with a number of these pieces, designs more or less simple and ornate, will
readily be formed in a manner both pleasing, amusing, and instructive, and which
admits of indefinite extension and development.
This method of using elementary forms of this character also affords a ready and
simple method of building up designs for application to the art productions in many
industries, and will be of use in suggesting new combinations even to the skilled
draughtsman.
Again. In the case with children &c. :-Having produced a pleasing design, of

page_text: which it is desired to preserve a record, an impression may be taken, sufficiently
indicating its outline, that it may be traced out and drawn. This may be done in
several ways: A tray of wax may be first pressed upon the design, to which and
in which it will slightly adhere, retaining the parts in their proper position. The tray
is then turned over, that is, the design is now uppermost. A piece of paper is then
pressed or rubbed upon the design, sufficient to faintly mark it. The child is then
instructed to delineate with pencil &c, the figure, by which means, the design is
preserved, while the child is familiarized with the various lines, curves &c., forming it,
and its skill in reproducing improved.
An impression may of course be taken with increased care, without the aid of this
wax, by simply pressing &c. the paper upon the design with the component parts
unsecured.
Or in some cases, metallic clips of a handy form, may be used to hold or bind any
two or more parts together where necessary.
Dated this 30th day of January 1890.
CHARLES T. POWELL,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus, and in its Application, for Combining
an Improved Method of Teaching Drawing and Designing with
Amusement.
I WILLIAM HARBUTT of 15 Bladud Buildings Bath Somerset Artist and Art Teacher
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
That the improvement in aforesaid apparatus consists in the use of certain loose,
moveable tangible, shapes and forms of an elementary or more ornate character which
enables the operator manipulating them to compose linear designs both simple and
complex letters, numerals shapes of natural and common objects &c. and to dispense
with flat copies and diagrams in teaching the arts of drawing and design.
For this purpose I prefer to use strip metal-as brass or copper cut from sheet or
stout wire rolled flat, but I claim the right to make them of cast metal-wood, vulcanite
celluloid, india rubber or other substance.
The section may be varied to suit taste or effect so long as it has sufficient stability
to retain its shape, but I prefer a width of three eights of an inch, and one sixteenth
thick.
When metal is used it is formed by hand or machine tools into various curves and
geometrical shapes, and these when set up on their edges by juxtaposition, opposition,
series, repetition, radiation and so forth, readily suggest and form designs, capable
of further elaboration almost to infinity, and yet by this means, well within the
accomplishment of the young-they at the same time form suitable examples for
copying as freeband exercises.
For the pupils use the shapes are set up on a horizontal board, or surface-while
the teacher of a class would use larger shapes formed of wood, cane pipe or other light
material, with sharp points to attach them to the black board, instead of drawing
them.
The pupil according to his ability either (1) transfers the shape to paper by first
blackening the edge with charcoal, chalk, blacklead, colour or ink, and lightly
impressing it or (2) tracing round the shape on his paper, or (3) over the slightly
embossed form obtained by pressure or (4) by keeping the arrangement of shapes
present to his eye, as a complete design, he draws them without any mechanical aid
or (5) lastly by a purely mental effort he reproduces or constructs a design by
drawing the shapes from recollection and resorting to rearrangements and modifications
of their sizes and proportions only to suit his purpose. Thus by actual construction

page_text: first by means of a few well known tangible shapes, the art of drawing and of design
especially is more easily mastered and progress is facilitated, and ideas are generated
which would not otherwise be the case.
For young pupils, I colour the shapes or use metals of various colours, as iron
steel, brass, copper and white metal, which makes them more attractive and pleasing
and educates the eye in this direction also.
The forms are graded from those of the most simple and elementary character
as (Sheet 1 Drawing No. 1) A 1 to A 3. where a straight line terminated by an angle or
a curve is used; next simple curves composed of various segments of a circle or ellipse
and with or without volute curves at their extremities B1 to B 3. next the spiral C, and
this in connection with a straight line D 1 to D 3. and finally for the purpose of saving
time, the use of duplicated or compound forms, as from E1 to E 12. where it will
be seen that most of the shapes are formed from the use only of No. B 1 and C.
For stamping the shapes on surfaces a handle is used which will readily take up,
hold or release the several shapes required.
For printing purposes, I use the expedient of retaining the shapes in a horizontal
position in a shallow tray, by imbedding them in wax, gutta percha, or other binding
substance, so that impressions may be taken from the design by hand pressure or by
machine press. Drawing No. 3-A.
As a toy for amusement I use spring metal clips on a base of wood, for a foundation
and loose clips elsewhere for the purpose of attaching and building up the forms in a
vertical plane as for gates, screens &c. Drawing No. 3. B and C.
Drawing No. 1. The twenty two elementary shapes A 1 to E. 12 are formed of
sheet metal and are about full size.
Drawing No. 2. shows two selected shapes in five sizes A C D E about full
size, with which it is possible not only to construct an unlimited number of designs of
the class shown F, but also a great variety of base forms G 1-G 3-the letters of
the alphabet H-the numeral figures 1 and numberless articles of common and
domestic use as ladders, wheelbarrows kites coffee and windmills &c. &c.
Drawing No. 3. A shows a small design retained in its horizontal position by a
thin layer of wax or other binding substance, contained in a shallow tray, and ready
to yield an impression on paper by means of a roller passed over it. B shows a design
erected in a vertical manner upon a block of wood, and secured by small steel spring
clips C shows the full size-plan, elevation and view of the spring clip.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The use of the aforesaid loose moveable and tangible elementary ornamental
shapes, made of metal, wood, vulcanite, celluloid, india rubber or other substance, and
of either flat or other section and selected, graded, and proportioned so as to scale to,
and be capable of fitting each other tangentially and symetrically, and used inter-
changeably to any extent, and applied as an educational apparatus and method for
teaching the arts of outline drawing and ornamental design.
2nd. The use of these moveable shapes for stamping, or printing from either by
hand or by machine press, by means of the improved construction and device of
locking up the loose shapes in a binding material as wax gutta percha or other
substance.
3rd. The use of the moveable shapes as a toy for amusement, in making designs or
erections bound together with clips or springs of metal Drawing No. 3—B—C.
11000
WILLIAM HARBUTT.