Hi! I was following the instructions in CONTRIBUTING.rst for a local development setup in Matplotlib and found some clarity gaps that might benefit newcomers.

Suggestions:

Python Environment: Specify recommended Python versions and whether a virtual environment is required.

Editable Install Command: Show pip install -e . for editable installs.

Build Tips: Add a short paragraph for common build errors (e.g., missing dependencies like freetype, pkg-config) and how to resolve them.

Goal: Improve accessibility for first-time contributors and reduce setup friction.

I’d be glad to prepare a PR to improve these sections—please let me know if this would be helpful!