The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

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The Shield of Geoffrey Plantagenet, with the Shield of Chaucer, and of Sir Francis Drake John Ruskin

Location

    • Western Art Print Room

Position in Ruskin’s Collection

Ruskin's Catalogues

  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 3rd ed. (1872)

    R|8} The shield of Geoffrey Plantagenet, with the shield of Chaucer, and of Sir Francis Drake. M. (from Gwillim.)
  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series 4th ed. (1872)

    R|8} The shield of Geoffrey Plantagenet, with the shield of Chaucer, and of Sir Francis Drake. M. (from Gwillim.)

    Finally. Look at the patches of colour with which the boat is drawn in Turner’s scene on the Loire (Ref. 3), and you will see every colour is laid with one flat touch, and so done with. Try these two shields, then, with your master’s help, and then Chaucer’s, and the two others in R. 7. Sketch all the three in pencil, measuring breadth, height, and distance of shields, but drawing them by hand and eye only. I have done them quite carelessly and weakly on purpose. You can easily do nearly, or quite, as well. Then wash in the tints at once, noting only.

    Sir Francis Drake’s is diamond (sable), with stars argent. I almost always put a slight wash of grey on argent bearings, to distinguish them from white ground; then you must outline very finely pointed forms, like these stars, first with the dark colour, and spread it in the spaces round, afterwards. That is the way all Greek vases are done; you may see my first brush line about the stars, done with blacker paint on purpose. Secondly, I shall always wash Gules with rose madder, because I don’t like the glare of vermilion, unless one has real gold, and full colour to match it with. Only remember, heraldic Gules is full scarlet, not pink, and rose madder is very difficult to wash with, but I have left the stains just as they came.

  • Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 5th ed. (1873)

    R|8} The shield of Geoffrey Plantagenet, with the shield of Chaucer, and of Sir Francis Drake. M. (from Gwillim.)

    Finally. Look at the patches of colour with which the boat is drawn in Turner’s scene on the Loire (Ref. 3), and you will see every colour is laid with one flat touch, and so done with.

    Try these two shields, then, with your master’s help; and then Chaucer’s shield, and the two others, in R. 7. Sketch all the three in pencil, measuring breadth, height, and distance of shields, but drawing them by hand and eye only. I have done them quite carelessly and weakly on purpose. You can easily do nearly, or quite, as well. Then wash in the tints at once, noting only.

    Sir Francis Drake’s is diamond, (sable), with stars argent. I almost always put a slight wash of grey on argent bearings, to distinguish them from the white ground of the paper; then you must outline very finely pointed forms, like these stars, first with the dark colour, and spread it in the spaces round, afterwards. That is the way all Greek vases are done; you may see my first brush line about the stars, done with blacker paint on purpose. Secondly, I shall always wash Gules with rose madder, because I don’t like the glare of vermilion, unless one has real gold, and full colour to match it with. Only remember, heraldic Gules is full scarlet, not pink, and rose madder is very difficult to wash with, but I have left the stains just as they came.

  • Ruskin's revision to the Rudimentary series (1878)

    3.

    The bearings of Chaucer, Sir Francis Drake and Geoffrey Plantagenet. First exercise in colour.

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