Chapter VI: Part 6

=Process of Sprinkling on Wood.= After the materials, leaves, etc., requisite for the work have been selected, take the article to be decorated and score it gently with a small quantity of powdered pumice stone, applied with a flannel pad, this frees it from any roughness or dust that may have come upon it through handling or transportation. Next take a clean cloth, and wipe all the powder off. Now prepare the color to be used in a small porcelain saucer, above all, being careful it is sufficiently diluted to flow freely, not muddy; about the size of a pea taken from the tube is sufficient quantity of color to a teaspoonful of water. The dried leaves or designs are then fastened to the wooden article, by means of pins; this proceeding must be carefully carried out, the points, sides and stems must be well secured, and lie perfectly flat upon the object. In wreaths, the stems should be so arranged that they come together in the center, in order to accomplish a pretty _ensemble_. Now take the sieve in one hand and the brush in the other, dip the brush lightly into the diluted color, that it may not be too heavily charged with the color, press it gently upon a piece of paper, and let it glide back and forth over the sieve, holding the latter in a horizontal position above the object. In this manner a fine shower is produced, which is kept up until the proper shade is acquired. Blots, and where the color has run together, should be removed immediately with blotting paper.

The final arrangement of the wreath should be such that the leaves and grasses which extend out furthest, and are to have the darkest shade, should be fastened last, over the others, so that they can be first and more easily removed with the pincers. After the top layer of leaves, etc., has been removed, where spaces are now perfectly white, the design should be examined, whether any of the others have been displaced, proceed with the sprinkle work as before, and remove from time to time, the leaves in such a manner that those which are to be left entirely white, are left to be removed last of all; the others are removed first, according to the shade required. The spaces of those removed last are also spattered, but very lightly, so that they may not be too glaring.

The beginner will no doubt content herself to produce only such work in one shade; with more experience a variety of shades may be attempted. Those having more practice will not be satisfied with these alone, but after the bouquet or garland is finished in different shades, will by means of carefully spattering the separate leaves, seek to bring out a fine shading and thereby produce a more perfect work; in this case, the entire design, with the exception of the part of the leaf to be shaded, must be covered with paper, after it is perfectly dry, so that the color is not distributed further than the part desired. Through this later and more difficult work the whole is brought out with a plastic effect from the surface, while on the other hand the separate layers of the leaves removed would appear flat and monotonous in their extensions.

Lastly, the pen is taken, and what the foregoing process does not supply, is put in by hand, to complete the work. Take the same color, only thicker, and draw in the veins, and if necessary the entire outlines, to bring out the work more boldly. This being finished, the cleaning of the utensils should not be overlooked. The dried leaves place carefully in the herbarium, the brush and sieve wash thoroughly in water, the finished article allow to dry in a room (not too warm), and after a day or two the varnishing and polishing may take place, in order to give it, aside from durability and practical purpose, a more brilliant finish and higher value to that which has been accomplished with such care.

=Varnishing and Polishing.= Procure a bottle of “wood varnish,” prepared expressly for the purpose. This should be applied to smaller articles, as its peculiar properties make the polishing unnecessary. This varnish is applied by means of a soft flat brush, in a room entirely free from dust, and of warm temperature; the brush strokes should be made from the center of the article towards its edges, and according to its shape. Repeat from six to eight times. Flat articles more readily take the polish than round ones. Before putting on the separate coats, the previous one should be thoroughly dry. After the last coat is dry, apply a little powdered pumice stone, by means of a moist pad, and make the uneven places in the varnish smooth by rubbing. When a perfectly smooth surface is obtained, (this manipulation is omitted in varnishing articles that are turned, because unnecessary), then apply the varnish once more in the same manner, for the last time, and the article will thereby obtain a glossy wood polish. This is left in a temperate room, free from dust, for two days, when it will be thoroughly dry and hardened, and ready to be turned over for the object it is intended. As before mentioned, we advise this method only for articles of small compass. Tables, etc., we advise to have finished by a regular furniture polisher, for the smooth finish cannot be accomplished by an amateur. It is easily conceived that by this process really wonderful effects may be produced, when the artist has taste, and devotes care and time to the work.

=Sprinkle Work on China.= It may not be generally known that the same effects as produced on wood can also be produced on china ware, the manipulation being slightly different. Instead of water-colors, the ceramic or enamel colors are used, (Dresden or LaCroix). They come in tubes, in a moist state, and are diluted with spirits of turpentine, with a few drops of oil of anise or cloves. Those doing both wood and china sprinkle work will do well to secure an extra brush and sieve, which are to be had separate from the outfit boxes, and use these for the mineral colors only. The leaves and grasses are fastened by means of dissolved gum arabic, being careful to scrape off any particles of the gum that may adhere to the china after the leaves have been removed, before sprinkling over the blank spaces. When the leaves are placed upon the article singly, and the desired shade is produced, lay it in a warm place, over a register if possible, and the leaves will come off as the gum separates from the ware, when the sprinkling may be resumed, and the proper shading given to heighten the effect.

Veins are drawn in with a crowquill pen, but the color must be properly mixed to prevent it spreading. Really beautiful decorations can be made by using ferns and maiden hair to ornament tiles, flower pots, etc. If the leaves, such as the maple, and others that grow bright with the first frosts of autumn, are to have their natural tints, the piece is taken to be “fired,” which fastens the background, so that their colors can be washed in without fear of injury to the groundwork. The most useful colors for monochrome work in the Lacroix colors, are the following: Brown, No. 4 or 17, sepia, brown-green No. 6, dark green No. 7, Victoria blue, and violet of iron. If the Dresden colors (Muller & Hennig’s) are used, which are preferable on account of their rich and soft appearance, the following are recommended: Dark brown No. 30, chocolate-brown No. 36, sepia No. 28, olive green No. 11, shading green No. 10, and dark blue No. 13. When the work is finished, take it to the china decorator and have it “fired.”

It is not necessary to use the best French china for sprinkle work, as it is almost entirely covered with color.

Ladies who do not paint on china, but desire something different from the ordinary stamped work, that is all that can be had in decorated ware for common use, will find this an easy and delightful way of ornamenting the white ware with some favorite flower or fern, and so have something original, and that can be readily duplicated, should any piece be broken, one of the objections to the stamped sets being the difficulty and expense in replacing odd pieces.

To those affected by the odor of turpentine, we would recommend the use of Hancock & Son’s Worcester moist and water-colors for china.

Faience. Ivory white and other soft wares will answer, and the result will always be a pleasing one if a little care is taken in the execution of this branch of decoration.

PEARL EMBROIDERY

In the imitation of pearl, nothing has yet presented itself so favorable to the writer as the beautiful and new method of preparing fish scales for embroidery. You may take the scales from a large size fish, the larger the scales the easier they are to handle. Lay them in salt water for a few hours, until quite well cleansed, after which wipe them clean, and place them between two sheets of writing paper, and lay a weight on them, allowing it to remain a whole day, until they are dry and hard, when they are ready for further use. Now draw the pattern of any favored leaf, or whatever you wish on the scale, with pencil, and cut it out with small scissors. If you are conversant with the form of leaves, you can save time by cutting out the leaf without first drawing the outlines. Draw in the veins of the leaves next with a needle. Stretch your dark velvet tightly to an embroidery frame, place the pattern which you wish to copy before you, and imitate it by sewing the leaves, one at a time, on the velvet with fine gold thread, and the leaf stalks and tendrils embroidered with the same. Wet the thread before using, to render it flexible.

FEATHER FLOWERS,

Whoever may be so fortunate as to have in their possession fine feathers can certainly make fine flowers. Have at hand gum in solution, French paper for winding stems, and wire of different sizes. Draw the under side of the feather gently over the edge of your penknife to bend it in the required direction; make a lump of bookbinder’s thick paste or wax on the end of a wire for a stalk, and begin your flower by sticking the smallest size feathers into it for a center; place other feathers of the same kind, but larger in size, around in order. Choose green feathers for leaves and calyx, and pure white ones for japonicas and white roses. Twist the ends of the same on a wire, and make fast with gum, glue, paste, or other similar adhesive substance. Be careful to select feathers of the same kind for the same flower. Arrange in a vase, and cover to keep free from dust. In this, as in all kinds of fancy work, let taste and neatness govern the process.

It will often be found necessary to color the feathers to give the desired variety of hues; this can easily be done by attending to the following directions: Put the feathers into hot water, then drain them; rinse two or three times in clear cold water; place them on a tray, over which a cloth has been spread, before a good fire; as they dry, draw them gently into shape between the thumb and finger.

TO DYE FEATHERS BLUE. Into about three cents’ worth of oil of vitriol mix as much of the best indigo in powder; let it stand one or two days. When wanted for use, shake it well, and into a quart of boiling water put one tablespoonful of the liquid. Stir well, put the feathers in, and let them simmer a few minutes.

YELLOW. Put a tablespoonful of the best turmeric into a quart of boiling water, when well mixed, put in the feathers. More or less turmeric gives different shades.

FOR ORANGE, add a small quantity of soda to the preparation for yellow.

PINK. Three good pink saucers to a quart of boiling water, with a small quantity of cream tartar. If a deep color is required use four saucers. Let the feathers remain in this dye several hours.

RED. Dissolve a teaspoonful of cream tartar in a quart of boiling water; put in one teaspoonful of prepared cochineal, and then a few drops of muriate of tin. This dye is expensive, therefore use the plumage of the bird ibis.

LILAC. About two teaspoonfuls of cudbear in a quart of boiling water, let it simmer a few minutes before you put in the feathers. A small quantity of cream tartar turns the color from lilac to amethyst.

Bunches of orange blossoms can be made with good success of feathers; the buds are to be made of starch and gum mixed; the stamens of ground rice, colored with turmeric, into which the gummed ends of manilla grass have been dipped.

The inhabitants of the Pacific Islands make beautiful feather flowers, rivaling the natural ones in delicacy and beauty. Pinks, orange blossoms, and roses of exquisite workmanship are often brought from these islands. Old ostrich feathers can be made to look as well as new by holding over hot steam, then drawing each vane of the feather separately over a knife to curl it.

LUSTRAL
BRONZE PAINTING.

Prepare your board for bronzing by first coating it over with a strong solution of size, made by dissolving isinglass in hot water; strain it, and coat over with a flat camel’s hair brush while the size is warm. When dry, coat it over thinly and evenly with gold size; let it remain until sticky, then apply the powder bronze, with a soft dry brush. You may use a variety of shades of bronze if you wish; pale, blush and white. Blend them together to suit your subject, and allow two days for it to dry before commencing to paint. Make a drawing of your figure on thin white paper, rub some white on the back of it, fit it upon the picture and mark over with the sharp end of a stick, pressing on very lightly; after all is drawn in, remove the sketch, and mark over the outlines with a lead pencil, lightly. If you are copying from an engraving, notice on which part of the building the light rests, and select those parts for gold, coating them over with gold size, and putting on the leaf gold when sufficiently dry. If there are any parts of your figure which you want rich colors, do them with gold at the same time.

The painting must now be wiped with a silk handkerchief, to remove all the particles of gold and dust, and supposing the thimble palette ready, with all the colors, first mix a pale tint of purple, made with Prussian blue and a little crimson lake, and pencil over the mountains of the landscape evenly, then go over the water with a very pale shade of blue. After coating the mountains and water once, it is best not to touch them again until dry. Now paint in the foliage, making the tints with yellow lake and Prussian blue; if you want them bright for the different shades, add burnt sienna and Vandyke brown, or both, as your tints require.

Stems of trees are mostly done with Vandyke brown, and other tints added to suit; faces of figures do with white and a little sienna, mixed together; white drapery coat over with white, scarlet with scarlet, and yellow with chrome yellow; all other parts of the figures with white, except the parts you have already gilded. This will answer for the first painting.

The second shade upon the mountain is made with a neutral, composed of three primative colors, crimson lake, yellow lake, and Prussian blue. The tone you desire must predominate in making all your neutrals. If you want a greenish neutral, the yellow lake must predominate, if you wish a bluish neutral, the blue must predominate, and if reddish neutral, the crimson lake must predominate. Having selected your shade, be sure to have it about the right strength before beginning, as it is difficult to avoid a patched appearance on the mountains with varnish color, especially on the second and third coating, unless you are quick in your work. If the water requires more color, paint it in the darker places, then repeat the shades on the foliage, where it is required.

Your figures now claim some attention. Any part you wish to have crimson, paint over with crimson lake, repeat it when a little dry if you wish it darker, and for the shades add a little blue with your crimson lake. Blue dresses paint with a pale shade of Prussian blue on white or pale gold, for the shades, paint in with a little stronger Prussian blue, and when you wish to make any of these colors paler add varnish, and when you want to thin it use turpentine. Green dress, with yellow lake and Prussian blue on pale gold or white; purple dresses, with crimson lake and a little Prussian blue, on white or pale gold. Any part of the figure you do with scarlet, shade it with crimson lake; yellow, shade with burnt sienna, (pale shade). In faces, paint features in with Vandyke brown, and different tints with yellow lake, crimson lake, and sienna paled down, and repeat to suit the eye.

Parts of mountains may require a third and fourth wash, if so, do it with neutrals mentioned above. Sometimes we heighten the effects of the near foliage by touching the edges with a little opaque color, made of chrome yellow, white, and a little blue. It must be done very carefully, as opaque colors are powerful, compared with transparent ones. If what you do shows too abruptly, you have a remedy by putting on a little more of the transparent color. Parts of the figures may be heightened by touches of opaque color, and the faces also may require retouching. When the painting is completed, a full week should pass before varnishing, and great care should be taken not to touch the bronze, as it will leave a stain, bronze being so delicate.

=Varnishing.= In varnishing, care must be taken to have a clean brush, and the dust wiped from the painting with a silk handkerchief. Lay the painting flat, and with a one inch camel hair brush coat over with copal varnish, as evenly as possible, being careful to cover every part. Leave it flat down, as it is, for a couple of hours, or more, before removing, or the varnish is liable to run in streaks. Once varnishing is sufficient to preserve the painting, but if you wish to polish it, another coat of varnish must be given, allowing a week between; then after another week, it should be rubbed with pumice sand and water, in the following manner: Take a piece of woolen, put it over cotton, to make a rubber of it; wet the rubber pretty thoroughly with water, dip into some fine pumice sand, and rub it backwards and forwards on your varnished picture, carefully. After you have rubbed for a short time, wipe the sand from a part of it, to see the progress. If not sufficiently smooth, rub again, care being taken not to rub through the varnish. When smooth, wash all the sand off, wipe perfectly dry, and give another coat of varnish, allowing the same time for it to dry, then rub again with water and pumice sand. When smooth, wash off the sand and proceed to polish with very fine powdered rottenstone, and rubber made of satin or silk. Saturate this with water, and rub with the rottenstone for a short time, until it shines, then wash all off. You can make it shine by rubbing with your hand, using a little sweet oil and a little more rottenstone.

When wood is used for painting on, choose that which is close grained, and coat over several times with paint, rubbing down with pumice sand and water. After the third coat, give plenty of time between each coat to get dry and hard.

GILDING.

The part you wish to have leaf gold, cover evenly with gold size. Chrome yellow or white lead may be mixed in with the gold size to enable you to see the process. Allow it to dry until a little sticky. It can remain much longer than for bronzing, as leaf gold does not require so strong a sticking property as bronze. When sufficiently dry, put on the gold by means of the tip, or your fingers, from the gold book. Be careful to cover every part of the gold size with smooth leaf-gold. When all covered, press gently a piece of soft chamois skin, on all the gilded parts, and remove the superfluous gold.

JAPANESE ART.

An elegant, easy and profitable method of arranging autumn leaves to make beautiful household articles, such as flower vases, work boxes, etc. Gather yellow withered leaves, perfect in form, press them between the leaves of a book. Rub the surface of the article to be ornamented with fine sand-paper, then give it a coat of fine black paint. When this is dry, rub smooth with pumice stone, then apply two other coats. Arrange the leaves according to taste, gum them on the under side, and press them on the piece to be ornamented.

Now dissolve some isinglass in hot water, and brush it over the work while the solution is warm. When dry, give it three coats of copal varnish, allowing time for each coat to dry, and the work is completed.

THE ART OF PAINTING
—OR—
STAINING GLASS.

Glass-painting is not only restored, in our day, to the perfect fullness of its ancient splendor, but also has acquired, through the giant strides of the science of chemistry, and the great progress latterly made in the arts of design, an amount of technical and æsthetical power far exceeding whatever could formerly be called to its aid.

Notwithstanding this advantage, however, the art has not yet reached that wide state of diffusion which, from the exquisite effects it is capable of producing, and deserves, and which it attained in the olden time, even with its then more limited capabilities.

The obstacles which, on the revival of the art, have interposed to check its further extension, and therefore to diminish also the general demand for its productions, are much rather to be attributed to those in whose hands it rests, than to anything properly belonging to itself; they originate in fact less in the art than with the artists.

One of the principal causes of the earlier decay of glass-painting was that its rules being based so entirely upon empirical principles, those who practised it were accustomed to consider the knowledge they had acquired in the thorny path of tedious and long continued experiment as their most valuable personal property, forming at once the means of their subsistence, and the foundation of their future artistical fame. They therefore not only kept the information they had gained profoundly secret during their lives, but even carried it with them to their graves, in preference to leaving it behind them to be made use of by their scholars.

Glass-painting or staining may be defined to mean the art of painting on transparent glass, (either colorless or already colored in the process of its manufacture), with vitrescible metallic colors, which are afterwards burnt into the surface of the glass on which they are laid, leaving it more or less transparent.

All colors used in glass-painting are oxides of metals, or other metallic combinations. They may be divided into two principal classes:

1. Those whose coloring base, or the oxide, is laid upon the glass simply in its original combination with an earthy vehicle.

2. Those whose coloring base, or the oxide, must be made to adhere by the help of a glassy body, namely, the flux.

The colors which require a flux may be divided again into,

1. Those in which the oxide unchanged, but only _mixed_ with the flux, is attached to the glass.

2. Those in which the oxide requires to be vitrified, by previous _fusion_ with the flux, before it is laid on the glass.

The last may be called _fused colors_, all others _mixed colors_.

The classification before given may be made clearer by the following explanatory remarks. Glass-painting is distinguished especially from other illuminating processes in that the colors and the foundation on which they are laid must, in this art, be fused together in the kiln.

Now, some few colors combine with the surface of the glass, at the temperature of fusion, without further previous preparation than the simple laying on, wherefore these give to the glass only a coloring cementation or stain. Others, on the contrary, in consequence of their peculiar nature, can only be made to combine with the glass by fusing them upon its surface, into another thin sheet or layer of colored glass. This is done by means of the _flux_, a vitreous compound, which fuses more easily (_i. e._ at a lower temperature) than the foundation, the glass plate.

=The Process of Laying the Colors on the Glass.= The manipulation and the process of laying the colors on the glass varies, in some measure, according to the different kinds of glass-painting, which therefore call for the first explanation.

Either the colors may be laid upon a single sheet of glass, upon which the whole figure with all its principal colors and intermediate tints are burned in (Peinture en apprêt); or,

The figure may be composed of various pieces of _pot metal_ (glass already colored in its manufacture), and only the outlines and shadows painted on, the glass pieces giving the colors for the peculiar places where they are inserted (Mosaic glass-painting); or, both these methods may be combined in one and the same picture, by composing it partly of pieces of colored _pot metal_ and partly of white and painted glass, fixed together,

=Peinture et Apprêt.= For painting on a single sheet of glass, the following rules must be observed.

A pure white glass must be chosen for the purpose, free from air specks or bubbles, and especially difficult of fusion, as the whole labor would be lost if it were attempted to burn in the colors upon a ground which fused as easily as themselves. It is practicable, as the examples of the ancients show, to paint on what would appear the commonest glass with a good result, provided that it does not contain too much lead, and thereby become too easily fusible.

Before the operation of painting, the glass plate must be rubbed to a sufficient extent with pure lime, slaked by exposure to the air, in order to clean it perfectly.

The ground or foundation must then be laid over the whole surface of the plate, which may be done in two different ways. Some artists simply dip a piece of clean linen cloth, or a flat camel-hair pencil, in oil of turpentine, and brush the pane of glass with it equally over its surface, while others give to the whole a thin clear ground of black glass-painting color, in such manner as not to destroy its transparency, but at most to give it the form of a dead ground glass. Both methods answer the purpose of covering the glass with a viscous surface, which takes the design and the colors better than a polished ground; the latter prepares the glass at the same time for the painting effects which are to be obtained upon it.

In both cases the ground which has been laid on must be most carefully leveled over, and brought to as thin a coat as possible with a large hair pencil, and must be dried quickly, taking great care to preserve it from dust, etc.

Painting on one sheet requires only one pattern drawing or cartoon, which, however, may be used in two ways. Either the glass sheet, grounded and dried as above directed, may be laid upon the drawing, and the outlines, as seen through the glass, traced lightly with a fine pencil, and with black or other glass color corresponding to the ground. Or the drawing may be placed reversed on the sheet, and all the outlines marked over with a steel or ivory style. If this latter method is used upon a ground of simple turpentine, the back of the drawing must previously be rubbed over with black lead, so that the traced lines may appear dark on the light ground.

In both cases, the drawing, whether it is placed upon or under the glass, must, for the sake of convenience, be fastened to it with pieces of wax at the four corners.

For properly carrying out the process of laying on the colors, a desk or easel is necessary, which should be capable of being placed in an inclined position by means of props, and should be formed by fixing a glass plate in a wooden frame, so that the light may pass through the painting. Sometimes during the progress of the work, the glass which is being painted may be removed from the easel and laid upon a sheet of white paper, in order better to show the effect of certain colors.

The vehicle with which the pigments are laid on is generally oil. Some artists use exclusively water, but this alone is an insufficient medium for binding the metallic bodies to the glass, particularly if, as in the case of fused colors, they are somewhat coarse in their nature, and require to be laid on in thick layers. They then easily loosen from the plate before the firing, and render the process of laying on much more difficult. It is an important advantage, that with oil the edges are more sharply defined, and the parts already painted may be again touched over when dry without danger of loosening the ground.

It must be understood that when it is wished to make use of water, the plate must either not be grounded at all, or only with a glass-painting color worked up with water.

The most suitable kind of oil for the purpose is rectified oil of turpentine, somewhat thickened by standing, and to which a little oil of lavender is added. This preparation gives the mass the necessary degree of viscosity, and also prevents the color on the palette from drying up and thickening too quickly.

The palette should be of thick sheet glass, ground rough by rubbing with a glass muller and fine sand.

Preparatory to mixing with oil for laying on, those colors which require a flux must (unless a different process is specially indicated) be ground fine in water with the flux, and again dried. But the fused colors, _i. e._ those in which the oxide has already been vitrified with the flux into the state of a transparent glass, should for the purpose of laying on, only be coarsely granulated; for the finer these are ground the more likely is their transparency and perfection to be impaired when burnt in.

Those pigments which are laid on in their simple combination with an earthy vehicle, and without flux, as for example the yellow and red colors prepared from silver, form an absolute exception to the use of oil, and must, for laying on, be stirred up with water to the consistency of a thick cream.

The first of these three kinds of pigments should, as a general rule, be laid on in a thin, the latter two in a pasty, state. The depth of tone of the color depends, with all three, upon the degree of thickness in which the pigments are laid upon the glass.

The laying on of the fused colors is accompanied with more difficulty than that of the other kinds. The latter are simply laid on with the pencil, in the same manner as with other kinds of painting, and the only care necessary is that the coat may be perfectly even and regular, therefore for large surfaces a wide smooth pencil or driver is usually employed. The colors prepared from silver must be treated differently, and laid on the glass at least to the thickness of the back of a knife.

But the fused colors must be brought upon the surfaces to be covered in the state of a thick flowing mass, moist enough to run, but consistent enough to lie upon the glass. For this purpose small portions must be laid on and spread out with a pencil or small spoon, and made to flow to the circumscribing outlines, by inclining the sheet in the proper directions. If any part of the surface thus covered is required to take a darker tone of color, the plate must be kept for some time at an inclination in the corresponding direction, so that the color may thus accumulate thicker on that part. By this process many gradations of tone may be obtained from one and the same pigment.

The remaining rules for the laying on of the pigments are those which principally result from the different methods of painting on one sheet, of which there are principally three.

Either the whole picture may be brought out in its outlines and shadows, on one side of the sheet, with black, brown or gray color, and illuminated with the proper colors in the proper places on the other side.

Or simply the manner of ordinary oil painting may be adopted with the glass colors, and the picture treated as by an artist in oil.

Or, as is now most customary, both methods may be united, the artist making use of each in certain places, according to the requirements of the object he has in view.

For these three methods the following common rules will serve.

The shadows and dark colored outlines, and that which is called in oil ‘under painting,’ should be drawn on the front side of the glass, or that which is turned towards the spectator.

The illuminating colors, especially the principal ones, should be laid on the back or reversed side.

Intermediate tints, and gradations by shading, should generally be placed on the front side, but sometimes, when they alternate with each other, necessarily must lie on both; as they cannot be put in contact on one and the same side without danger of running into each other, and making a false color.

The silver yellow and red colors, before alluded to, must always be placed on the back or reversed side.

In some particular cases colors may be laid on corresponding places on both sides of the glass, in order to produce certain effects by the light falling through the two together. Thus, purple on one side and gold yellow on the other, give a magnificent fiery scarlet; blue and yellow, according to their respective intensities, give different shades of green; the latter, again, with blue on the opposite side, serve for excellent distance colors. And finally, by the mixture of several colors, the most diversified intermediate tints may be obtained, so that glass-painting in its present state may be brought to assimilate with oil painting in its power of producing varied effects.

In order to put a new tone of color on a surface already marked with outlines, etc., it must first be dried by a gentle and equal heat, (to avoid the warping of the glass), and again painted immediately after it has cooled. Or the black lines first laid on may be at once burnt in, and where possible, with these any yellow shades also which may be required, after which the painting, then fixed, may be further worked upon without danger of damage. The residuum of the unfluxed yellow color may be removed after burning, and again used. This color must never be put over any other, nor over dark shadows, unless these are previously burnt in, but always require a carefully cleaned surface of glass to lie upon; otherwise it would combine with the flux of the under color, whereby the earthy residuum would be fixed, and the transparency and beauty of the whole destroyed.

All pigments must be laid on somewhat darker than in other kinds of painting, as they lose in depth by burning.

When a pigment has overrun its outline, the superfluous quantity must be removed, when dry, with a knife.

By taking away the ground with a style of fine grained wood, pointed in front and smooth at the back, (a tool used in etching), the most effective lights may be obtained.

Should the colors not appear quite dull and dry, but shining and greasy, after the drying of the picture, this is caused by the misuse of the oil, which is always dangerous to the beauty of the pigments in firing.

It is neither necessary nor advisable to allow more than one day for the drying of the colors; the burning in should be proceeded with at the expiration of the time named.

Lastly, during the work, the greatest cleanliness must be observed throughout, the pencil and palette must be kept perfectly clean, and the painting preserved from dust, etc., for which reason it is not advisable to paint in a laboratory or melting room, where the presence of vapor, dust, and impurities of many kinds cannot be avoided.

=Mosaic Glass-Painting.= The before mentioned rules for laying on the colors will apply also to the method of forming designs with colored pieces of pot metal, or partly with these and partly with painted white glass. It remains to say something more in reference to the employment of the cartoons, and the cutting and arrangement of the glasses in this branch of the art, which, however, is but little practiced, since the leaden bars in a picture calculated for a near view are detrimental to the effect.

Mosaic glass-painting requires two cartoons. One of these, a finished and colored one, is used by the artist as a pattern, and serves to determine the arrangement of the piece of glass according to their several colors, and the manner of introducing the leaden ribs to fasten them together, according to the outlines of figures. Each piece of glass proposed to make part of the picture, must be distinguished by a separate number.

The other cartoon, which consists only of the black outlines of the lead jointing, and whose several parts are numbered to correspond with the first, is to be cut up in pieces according to the outlines, and the size of each piece diminished all round by one-half the thickness of the lead bar of the jointing, so that the pieces of glass may be exactly cut to the proper dimensions.

The cutting of the glass may either be done by the diamond, or by tracing the line of division with a red-hot iron, after having made a small incision at its commencement, or by cutting with scissors under water, which, however, is not a safe process.

With overlaid glass, _i. e._ pot metal, several sheets or layers laid upon each other from the frit, as for example, red and white, blue and white, etc., it is possible to produce many effects of shading by removing more or less of the colored glass sheet, according to the outline, by grinding with emery. Or the colored sheet may be ground through to the white glass, and thus colored ornaments may be given on white ground, especially for the representation of damasked materials. Also, the white parts thus exposed may have a color given them at pleasure on the opposite side, in order to produce many kinds of effects, or to avoid the necessity of using many pieces when the introduction of another color in that of the pot metal is indispensable for the effect required.

The colored pot metal may be painted with intermediate tints of its own principal color, or even in order to produce certain effects, may be covered on one of its surfaces with another color. Thus, a fiery red may be obtained by covering a red overlaid glass on its white surface with the yellow silver color, and burning it in, or a shade of green by a similar use of the same pigment on a blue overlaid glass. In these operations the widest latitude is left to the talent and practice of the artist.

GILDING THE BORDERS OF GLASS,

IN TRANSPARENCY, ANTIQUE,

AND OTHER GLASS PAINTING.

The present art of gilding upon glass is an improvement on the method in fashion years ago. It is chiefly used for decorating the borders of prints in executing show glasses, and inscriptions for various purposes, also for ornamental decorations in a variety of elegant forms, upon different colored grounds; but as black is the most general one in demand, shall first treat on that, there being two ways of performing it.

Procure some fine isinglass. You will find white and transparent is the best, otherwise it will be unfit for this purpose. Dissolve it in very clean water, and strain through linen cloth. Put a piece the size of a pea into a tea cup of luke warm water, and let it remain until dissolved. Make the glass you wish to have gilded quite clean, and free it of any dust or grease, get some leaf gold, put it on a gilding cushion, and cut into pieces according to the breadth you wish to have your work gilt. Go over the parts to be gilt with a hair pencil, dipped in the thin isinglass water, and while moist lay on the leaf gold, piece by piece, until the parts are covered. The leaf will instantly adhere to the glass. Then place it near the fire, in a slanting position, until it dries, which will be in a few minutes.

While it is slightly warm, take a piece of cotton or wool and rub the gold to the glass, until you find the superfluous pieces of leaf gold gone, and likewise the back of the part gilt receives a kind of polish. Proceed to lay on a second coat of gold, in the same manner as the first, drying it as before, and polishing it, and so a third coat, which will be sufficient.

Then take the size of the print or drawing which is to be framed, and laying it on the gilt part of the glass, mark where the edges come to, with a hair pencil and some dark color, after which, being provided with a long ruler, and a pointed piece of ivory, draw two parallel lines out of your gold, and with a mahogany or deal stick, carefully pointed, work away the superfluous part, leaving the gold fillet which is to encompass the picture sharp and neat. If you wish to ornament it by any other lines, to appear black in the center, lay on your ruler, and with the ivory point scribe them, and then varnish, having some black Japan, to which a little lampblack has been added, to deepen the color. Paint it all over the gilt part of the glass, and the space between it and the edge, then set it to dry, which takes a few hours. When you are to lay out the breadth of the black line that is to be inside your gilding, scribe it with a sharp point, and cut away the waste black with a graver, or some sharp instrument.

To cut figures, or any kind of ornament out of your gold, after the glass is gilt, have a drawing of the design on paper, at the back of which rub some powdered red chalk, and the smallest quantity of fresh butter; lay the paper on the gold, and with a bluntish ivory point go over the lines of the drawing, and they will be nicely transferred on the gold, when you can with an ivory point trace them out of the gold, and shade them agreeable to your fancy, or from the drawing you have by you. You may, by mixing any other color you choose with white copal varnish, vary your ground as you think proper.

The most important secret in glass gilding is the following method: In an instant after your glass is blacked, taking away the parts where the gold is to appear, and the remainder of the black to stand fast, by which means the black gilding work is done in one-half the time, and with half the gold leaf. The process is simple, and is performed as follows: Obtain the very best black Japan carriage varnish, to which add a very small portion of burned lampblack, very finely ground in spirits of turpentine; then with a large flat varnish brush give the glass one even thin coat, holding it between you and the light, and observing that it does not appear a thick dead black, but exhibits a degree of transparency not so much so as to prevent its appearing a good black at the right side of the glass. After this, have the letters and ornaments drawn on paper, as before mentioned, and trace it in the same manner on the black varnish when it is perfectly dry. The drawing will be thus very finely transferred to the black. Then take a needle pointed bodkin and finely mark the outlines of what black is to come out through the varnish; take some thick brown paper, dip it in water, and squeeze it gently, spread it over the parts of the varnish you want to detach from the glass, and in a few minutes, by raising one edge of the black, it will instantly peel away clean from the glass. When all the black you want is taken out, lay the glass to the fire, and the remaining part of the varnish will instantly become as hard as ever, and ready to have the gold put on.

ETCHING ON COPPER.

Doing this kind of work upon copper, in imitation of engraving, at a much less expense, is something worthy the attention of sketch-artists and draughtsmen, who will find it very useful in getting duplicates of their work. You first make a correct tracing with a black lead pencil of the drawing which is to be etched, then screw the copper plate into a small hand vice. It must be understood that the copper is perfectly free from scratches, or other blemishes.

Warm the plate from the back with a torch, which must be kept moving over it in all directions, until it becomes gradually heated. It should be just hot enough to allow your hand upon it for a second or two. Take the etching ground—which is inclosed in a silk wrapper—and rub it as evenly over the surface of the copper as you can. Before the plate cools, take the dabber and dab over the etching ground until it becomes perfectly flat, and indeed assumes the appearance of a thin transparent wash, through which the bright copper appears. The etching ground must be equally spread over the copper, not thick in one part and thin in another. Should the copper become too cold ere the dabbing has been finished, you may warm it again; be careful, however, not to make it so as it will burn the etching ground—this would be a great blunder, because it would not then resist the action of the biting-in liquid, which is aqua fortis of different degrees of strength.

Now take a wax torch and smoke the whole surface of the copper thus prepared; keep the torch at a fair distance from the copper, and move in all directions, until the whole plate becomes black with the smoke. Let the plate cool, then slightly dampen the tracing, and lay the penciled side upon the smoked plate, and run both through a printing press. Upon removing the tracing paper, you will find a perfect _fac simile_—reversed—of the drawing, transferred to the copper by means of the smoke.

Now place the copper on the table, which must face the light, and put up between the light and your plate a shade of tissue paper, which will cause every scratch you make on the copper apparent. The shade is simply a sheet of tissue paper stretched upon a common wooden strainer. Keep it constantly up during your work. The plate may be laid flat upon the table, or inclined a little, just as you please.

Now get a piece of thin mahogany, or common deal, longer than the copper, and sufficiently broad for your hand to rest upon while working, for the hand must not come in contact with the plate, otherwise the tracing would be obliterated. The rest for the hand must have two pieces of wood glued on each end, so as to raise it off the plate an inch or so; or you may place a book on each side of the copper—not on it—and lay a flat piece of wood across it, and resting on the books; all that is required being to keep the hand off the plate while etching in the outline.

Have a looking-glass near, and place the original drawing or tracing before it, which will thus be rendered just as the reversed outline on the copper. Now take an etching point and slightly go over all the outline, simply _scratching_ the copper, not digging deeply in it.

When all the etching is done, put a border or wall, about an inch high, all around the plate, to contain the biting-in fluid. The composition for bordering must be warmed, and laid down on the plate, taking care that it adheres sufficiently, or else the fluid will escape and burn whatever it touches. The aqua fortis is now to be laid over all the etching, and according to its strength so must its continuance be. It may be kept in motion with the feathered end of a quill, and when it bubbles up, you may be sure it is in active operation.

When the distances and delicate lines have been etched in sufficiently, pour off the liquid, wash the plate with cold water, and when dry, cover up with the preparation—made for the purpose of resisting the action of the fluid—all the parts which, according to your judgment, are sufficiently bit in. Lay on the fluid again, and rebite the next delicate parts, then pour off as before, and wash the plate with cold water. Stop out and rebite again, and so continue to do until the whole work is accomplished.

The darkest parts of the etching always require more biting-in than the light parts. Clear off all the etching ground from the plate, and the work is done.

Many ladies do this work for amusement, but they give the plate out to be bitten-in, as the fumes from the aqua fortis are unhealthy.

The materials for the art of etching can be obtained in any village. There are also professed biters-in, who are employed by engravers.

Etching on steel is done in precisely the same manner, only the biting-in fluid is much weaker.

=Etching Fluid for Copper.= Mix two ounces aqua fortis with five ounces water. Another is verdigris, common salt, and sal ammoniac, each four ounces, alum one ounce, (all in powder), strong vinegar, eight ounces, water, one pound; dissolve by boiling for a moment; cool and decant.

KENSINGTON PAINTING.

Kensington art work probably, at the present time, is attracting more attention than the other methods of painting on silk and velvet. Kensington embroidery had its day, and while it has not altogether passed out of use, it is nevertheless, like many other methods of art needle-work, being improved upon, and for the old method of doing the work with the thread, paint is being substituted, which far exceeds the more ancient work in splendor and simplicity. The great progress lately made in this accomplishment, the amount of mechanical and artistical power, far excels whatever else has formerly been called into use. Notwithstanding all this, however, the art has not reached that wide state of perfection which, from the exquisite effects, it is capable of producing.

Kensington painting, in general appearance, resembles Kensington embroidery, and as the latter seemed to pass away, the former caught up the name, the idea being to produce with paint and brush upon cloth, a _fac simile_ of the raised work of embroidery, to answer a demand of artists in oil for something new.

=Materials Used.= For doing the work procure the following materials: The best probably for the purpose would be a brass pen, one that is very elastic; a goose quill would answer the purpose. Next is a round piece of steel, or needle, such as is used by milliners, and set in a handle if you wish. Three sable brushes, Nos. 3, 5, and 7. Cut from brush No. 3 _all_ the bristles, leaving nothing but the abrupt square end of the metal holder; from No. 7 cut away nearly two-thirds of the hair, leaving it with a round end, and you have the required tools.