Elements of Drawing exercise 4 and 5

 Exercise 4 switches to using a pencil to create a smooth tone gradient, but with the pencil point... and a nasty H pencil. 

Ruskin is aware this is odd behaviour, and that the silvery grey results will feel wrong, and the student's arty friends will tease them, but it's all about control. It would be interesting to see some examples of Ruskin's exercise attempts, the ones reproduced in the book are compromised by the print requirements of the day. I've had a search and can find examples of some botanical sketches but no cubes of tone ribbons.

Exercise 5 gets the student to construct a shape by filling the space with pencil tone. I'm not sure I was getting the value from the exercise, it's very difficult not to outline the shape as part of the process, which you aren't to do. Even though the shapes are very simple, just letters I found I could see my hand in the work... although I could be imagining it, and actually not be able to pick out my shapes from those of others. It does make me wonder at what point that emerges. There's probably studies on how far things can be abstracted.

I might see what happens if I just trace over some letters, would my hand still be clear?

I don't think that is what Ruskin was after. Next up is Exercise 6 which looks like drawing trees, or the shapes trees create in their branches. Ruskin suggests the use of a denuded tree which is tricky here as it's the start of Summer. I might get away with using the cabbage palms in the garden which had all the loose fronds blown away by strong winds.