The preceding Section treats exclusively of representation by lines and dots, or that mode of delineating objects and natural features known as line or pen drawing. There is, however, another mode of representation by means of colours that is fast coming into general use. This latter mode is far more expressive than the former, and, besides affording a wider scope for artistic effect, shows with greater distinctness and precision the character of the object represented. For these reasons it is almost always adopted for plans of estates and geological sections, and also very frequently for other kinds of topographical as well as for engineering and mechanical drawings. The colours used for this purpose are not applied in the way the artist applies them; but they are laid on in thin washes to produce a faint tint rather than a body of colour. The process is called tinting or flat-washing, and though it cannot be described as a work of art, considerable practice and skill are requisite to execute it properly.
_Flat-tints._--A drawing to be coloured must be previously stretched and gummed to the board, in the manner described in Section I. Unless the paper be prepared in this way, it will remain blistered after being wetted by the laying on of the tints. The lines of the drawing must be very fine, and the ink, though black, should not be thick. Great care should be exercised in drawing in the outlines, that there be always a piece of clean paper between the hand and the drawing, for the least degree of greasiness will prevent the colours from working freely. Should the surface of the paper, however, from inattention to this matter, or from accident, become slightly greasy, the defect may be partially remedied by adding a little prepared ox-gall to the water with which the colours are mixed. When all the outlines have been drawn in and the pencil lines erased, the drawing is prepared for the colouring by being _washed_. The washing is effected by passing a soft sponge well saturated with clean water gently and rapidly over the surface. The purpose of this washing is twofold; first, to remove those portions of the ink which a wet brush would detach from the paper in laying on the colours, and which, by becoming mixed with the tint, would injure its purity; and second, to damp the surface of the paper in order to prevent the colour from drying too rapidly. The latter is an important matter, for if the tint which is being applied dries quickly, it is impossible to unite the edges properly, and the tint, especially if the surface be large, will have a cloudy and blotchy appearance. As the operation of washing renders the paper too wet to immediately receive the colour, it must be allowed to remain in a perfectly horizontal position for a short time to dry, and during this time any tendency to dry unequally must be corrected by means of blotting-paper. While the paper is drying, the tints may be prepared.