

Royal tulips sump- 

 tuously dyed, 



Purple and ^old and 

 sanguine, striped 

 and sn\earcd, 



pur 



the 



keen colour as a 

 bride 

 s in her u/hiteness. 



Margarc-t L. ll'o,>,/s. 



You have a wonderful opportunity 



-. _ ♦> ~ among these beautiful heralds of the 



m^ floral pageant of the seasons, and 



■ ._ ' what a delight it is to make studies 



f of their fresh spring-like beauty ! 



Snowdrop, crocus, narcissus, daffodil, 



h_\-acinth, tulip, jonquil, follow in quick succession ; it is almost impossible 



to keep pace with them with our brush, however diligent. 



I cannot give you a special formula, or set of rules, for painting each 

 and every variety of these beautiful blooms, but here are a few 

 generalities we should keep always before us. 



I want you especially to notice there is a great difference- in colour 

 in white flowers of various kinds ; some are a much warmer, more 

 }-ellowish white than others, as you will observe yourself by comparison 

 one with another. 



Then do not forget to notice the consistency of the petals ; most 

 bulbous plants are rather fleshy, but in different degrees. 



Again, note the surface texture of the petals ; the smooth satiny 

 brightness of the tulip or lily is quite different Irom the duller surface of 

 daffodil, narcissus, or jonquil. 



Above all, keep your white bloom as pure and clean as you know 

 how ; let your lights be broad and simple, your shadows transparent and 

 warm ; look long and earnestly at your group, to ascertain where the 

 light falls most strongly, and concentrate on that as your principal point 

 of interest, rather than having little fidgety bits of bright light 

 scattered about all over the picture, confusing to the eye of the 

 spectator, although probably he 

 would be unable to tell }'ou what 

 is displeasing to him. 



If you wish to study intelligently 

 and industriously the wonderful 

 varieties of colour in objects we are 

 accustomed to call " white," suppose 

 you take a white flower — rose, lily, 

 chrysanthemum, what you will — put 

 it in water in a white glass bowl 

 on a fresh damask tablecloth. Now 

 bring into your group any other 

 so-called white object you see around 

 you, a bit of carved ivory, a billiard 

 ball, a pearl-handled knife, etc. As 



a pictorial composition this is a meaningless jumble of properties 

 with no connection one with another ; but as a study of relative 



Yellow and purple and white. 



Snow-white and lilac and gold 

 Crocuses, my crocuses, 



Pccrinii from the mould. 

 It was only this morninj! early 



That Sprinj* came by this way. 

 And the gifts she leaves for a token 



Were only mine to-day. 



tieorgt' Cotttrei. 



19 



