Exercise: Copying Bargue Drawing Plates

Charles Bargue's sight-size drawing course, Cours de Dessin, recommends the steps described below. Many of the original lithographs intended to be used with this technique can be found here. It is strongly suggested to print the Bargue plates the size they were meant to be copied.

1. Tape a reference plate and drawing paper side-by-side on a vertical drawing board. Place the board on an easel so that it is the same height as your head when standing.
2. Attach a plumb-line to the reference so that it hangs vertically down the middle of the drawing. Then draw a corresponding vertical line down the middle of the paper.
3. Stand back a given distance from the reference (approximately six to ten feet). Always take measures of the reference from this point.
4. Pick out the highest point on the original, and sight across the drawing to the plumb-line. From that point, sight across to your paper and judge where the corresponding point would be on your vertical construction line. You can use another plumb-line held horizontally for this. With your eye fixed on the spot on your paper where your mark is going to go, return to the paper and mark it.
5. Go back to your viewing point and see how close your mark is to where it should be. Keep adjusting until it looks right.
6. Now measure the horizontal distance the highest point is from the vertical construction line. Do this by holding a ruler horizontally, and judge the distance on the reference between the point and the vertical construction line. Once again, return to the paper and mark it, making adjustments until it looks right from your viewing point.
7. Do the same with the lowest point on the reference, and for the furthest left and furthest right points as well. Join the four points. Don't move on until you're sure those points are right. 
8. Now add more points to outline the main shapes of the drawing. Continue adding points and drawing shapes, working from larger shapes to smaller, until the outline is done.

To see how this exercise is done, see Paul's drawing tutorial of plate 5 from the Learning to See site.