entlv'he had, glass ones ’may answer, though ] 
not quite so well. The glass muller and flag 
must be lightly roughened with line flour 
emery, which will give it a surface that will 
continue a long time. Alter being particu- 
larly careful that your flag, &c. are quite 
dean, fay some of 'the colour to be ground 
on it, bruising it whilst dry, gently with the 
muller; then put a few drops of water on it, 
and grind it very carefully, not making ii too 
wet, as that will prevent it from keeping 
sufficiently under tiro muller. When you 
think it is finely ground in the water, take 
your pallet-knife, or a thin -edged piece of 
ivory, scrape your colour together in a little 
heap on your flag, which let dry for a short 
time, then add your gum-water to it gradu- 
ally, having a piece of ivory near you, -on 
which you are frequently to lay some of the 
colour 'with a # camel-hair pencil, thin; and if 
you perceive the colour in the smallest de- 
gree to shine, when dry, it is gummed 
enough; then you are to scrape it off your 
flag and transfer it to your pallet. 
t here are some colours which will not 
bear a sufficient quantity of gum to make 
them shine, without injuring their qualities, 
as smalt, ultramarine, and verditer blues. 
Of hair pencils. Manner of choosing 
them, fyc. 
Pencils for painting in miniature are not 
made of camel’s hair, but of the tips of squir- 
rel’s tails, and of these there are two kinds, 
the dark brown, and yellowish red. Pencils 
made of the latter kind are called sable pen- 
cils, and are of a stiller nature than the others. 
They are a useful kind of pencil, as long as 
the fine flue at the end of the hair remains, 
on account of their elasticity ; but the instant 
the flue is worn off, they, from their harsh- 
ness, become useless ; at all events, no pen- 
cil can be superior to one made of the com- 
mon kind of hair. The error too prevalent 
amongst young miniature painters, is that of 
preferring a very small pencil for their work, 
vainly hoping, by the assistance of such a 
one, to execute their picture with more 
neatness and accuracy; but in this, they will, 
by experience, find themselves mistaken; 
the finest and most highly finished pictures 
being executed with a middle-sized pencil, 
the point of which being not only sufficiently 
neat, but from its body containing a quantity 
of colour in fluid, enables the artist to give 
that mellow firm touch which is so generally 
admired by connoisseurs in the art. The 
young artist should choose a middle-sized 
pencil, with a good spring and point, both 
of which he will know by drawing the pencil 
lightly through his mouth, and touching it 
on Ins thumb-nail; it lie finds it, on being 
moderately wet, to spring again into its form, 
after being bent, it is a good sign ; but as 
there are many pencils possessed of that 
quality, which are deficient in another ma- 
terial’ one, namely, that of a good point, 
that must be very cautiously looked to, by 
turning the pencil round on the nail, in every 
direction, observing the hairs at tlce point 
keep equally together of a length, and none 
shooting out on either side (which is often 
occasioned by the pencil-maker putting the 
hair into the quill with a twist in it). All 
these 'defects being carefully guarded against, 
von are sure of being in possession of a very 
principal material for miniature painting. 
painting. 
IVOP.Y. 
Method of choosing',' bleaching, and prepar- 
ing it. 
Of ivory there are various kinds, the dis- 
tinction ot which in this art is of very ma- 
terial consequence. Ivory, newly cut, and 
full of sap, is not easily to ‘be judged of; the 
general transparency it exhibits in that state, 
almost precluding the possibility of discover- 
ing whether it is coarse-grained or fine, 
streaky or the contrary, unless (o the artist 
who, by a long course of experience, is famili- 
arised to it. The best way to discover the 
quality of it is, by holding it grainways to 
the light, then holding it up and looking 
through it, still turning it from side to side, 
and very narrowly observing whether there 
are any streaks in it; this you will, unless the 
ivory is very freshly cut, easily discover ; 
and’ in this you cannot be too particular. 
There is a species of ivory which is very bad 
for painting on, although it has no streaks 
in it, being of a horny coarse nature, which 
will never suffer the colours to be thrown 
out in the brilliant manner a fine species of 
ivory will; you are therefore not only to be 
cautious in choosing ivory free from streaks, 
but likewise that which has the finest grain 
and close. We shall now proceed to treat 
on the manner of preparing the ivory for 
painting on. 
You are to heat a smoothing iron in so 
small a degree that you can hold your hand 
on the face of it, so 'long as you can reckon 
three or four in moderate time : then put 
your ivory between a clean piece of folded 
paper, on which place the hot iron, turning 
your ivory frequently, until it becomes a 
transparent white ; for you are to observe that 
very paiticuiarly, an opaque white not an- 
swering for face-painting in miniature, as it 
would give a harshness and unpleasant ap- 
pearance to your picture. 
When you think your ivory is sufficiently 
white for your purpose, lay it under some 
flat weight until it cools, as that will prevent 
its warping. Then proceed to prepare it : 
for which purpose you must pound some 
pumice-stone in a mortar, as clear and fine 
as you can, which put into a fine linen or 
cambric bag, tying it about midway, tight, 
but leaving room for the pumice-dust to sift 
through the bottom. Then get a long mus- 
tard-bottle, perfectly clean and dry, in which 
suspend the pumice-dust, covering the top 
W ith the muzzle of the bag, so that nothing can 
come out; then shake the bottle smartly in 
your hand, when the fine particles ot the 
pumice will sift out, and remain at the bot- 
tom of the bottle, thereby preventing any 
coarse grains horn being amongst what you 
are going to use, which would very materi- 
ally injure your ivory. A our pumice-dust 
being prepared, scrape the leaves of ivory 
with a sharp pen-knife, until the scratches 
of the cutting saw are entitely obliterated ; 
then take either a piece of Dutch polishing 
rush, or a piece of middling fine patent glass 
paper, and carefully polish your ivory with 
it, not by passing your hand backwards and 
forwards, but in a circular manner, until you 
have it pretty level ; then strew some of 
your pumice-dust on the ivory, and put a 
few drops of water on it: which done, with 
j your muller work on it in a circular maimer 
U u 2 
333 
as before, until you find every part lias equally 
received the pumice, which you will know 
by its exhibiting' a dead grave appearance; 
those parts which have not received the pu- 
mice continuing to shine in spots, which you 
must still labour to do away with your pu- 
mice and muller. When you find it pumiced 
to your satisfaction, take a clean sponge and 
fair water, with which gently wash your 
ivory free from the pumice-dust; taking care 
not to rub it hard, for fear of giving the ivory 
a gloss that would prevent your colours from 
taking on it so pleasant as you could wish ; 
after this lay your ivory to dry, and in a few 
hours it w ill be fit for use. 1 hen paste it on 
a piece of wove paper, by touching the back 
of it merely at the edges ; as gum yvater, or 
any other cement, being put near the centre 
of your ivory, will cause a dark unpleasant 
spot perhaps to appear through, in the very 
part where your face is to be painted. 
Instructions for mixing compound tints 
for the face. 
Purple is formed of either ultramarine, 
Prussian blue, smalt, or indigo, mixed with 
either carmine or drop lake. Ultramarine, 
although the most beautiful aud brilliant of 
colours by itself, yet in any mixture it. loses 
that perfection, but still retains a sufficient 
seare of brightness to render it a desirable 
tint in the purplish grey shadows of the face. 
Prussian blue mixed as before-mentioned, 
makes a bright or dark purple, according as 
the quantities of either colours are portioned; 
but indigo makes still darker, owing to its 
great natural depth of colour. Smalt and 
carmine, or lake, form nearly the same tint 
as ultramarine, and may be used nearly tor 
the same purposes. 
Grey. Of grey tints there are various 
kinds,' according to the subjects they arc 
required for. A warm grey tint may be 
made by duly portioning burnt terra Sienna, 
Prussian blue, anil drop lake : the more 
terra Sienna in it, the warmer the tint; the 
more Prussian blue and lake, tire colder- 
Another grey tint, used with success by some 
eminent miniature painters, was composed 
of Prussian blue and Chinese vermilion, but 
on account of the unkind maimer with which 
vermilion incorporates with any other co- 
lour, it required a greater proportion oi gum 
than ordinary to make them work or keep 
together. A third grey tint, which is an ex- 
cellent one, is formed of drop lake, sap green, 
and Prussian blue. 
Olive tints. A very fine olive tint is 
formed of gal! stone, Nottingham ochre, and 
carmine, or iake ; and another of sap green 
and lake simply. 
Of hair tints. A beautiful hair colour, 
either dark or light, according to the quan- 
tities of colours, "is made of carmine, lamp- 
black, and sap green. The manner of form- 
ing it is only to be acquired by practice'; hut 
when once attained, will be found worth the 
time of the trial. That very difficult tint 
which is often to be met with in children’s 
hair, by the proper junction of these colours 
will be’ produced to perfection. Other hair 
tints may be made of terra de Cassel simply, 
or by the addition of lamp-black. Sony ex- 
cellent painters make all their hair tints of 
burnt terra Sienna, lamp-black, and Not- 
tingham ochre, the latter being added only 
