John Ruskin's drawing master and sketching companion, James Duffield Harding (1798–1863) ranked among nineteenth-century England's most respected watercolorists, art critics, and teachers. Harding's reputation as an elegant, well-trained, and accomplished sketcher is evidenced by his drawings from nature and his compositions of picturesque landscapes. With this manual, the great instructor offers practical advice about the best methods, in addition to pointers on how to cultivate the kinds of correct observation and sound judgment that endow drawings with life.