WATER- COLOURS . 
I Blacks. 
jurnt cherry-stone3 
vory-black 
[eating’s black 
..amp-black 
Greens. 
3reen bice 
jreen verditer 
J rags -green 
lap-green 
I erdigrise distilled 
Blues. 
panders blue 
Terre-blue 
Blue verditer 
Indigo 
Litmus 
Smalt 
Prussian blue 
Light ditto 
Ultramarine 
Ultramarine ashes 
Blue bice 
Reds. 
Native cinnabar 
Burnt ochre 
Indian red 
Red lead 
Minium 
Lake 
Vermilion 
Carmine 
Red ink 
Indian lake 
Yt lloxvs. 
English ochre 
Gall-stone 
Gamboge 
Masticot 
Ochre de luce 
Orpiment 
Roman ochre 
Dutch pink 
Saffron- water 
King’s yellow 
Gold yellow 
French berries. 
Directions for preparing the follozving 
single colours. 
Whites. The best white for painting in 
water-colours is flake-white ; some recom- 
mend a white made of pearl and oyster-shells, 
brought to an impalpable powder, called a 
pearl-white, which will mix well with any co- 
lour. If you use white lead, clarify it with 
white-wine vinegar ; after the white is settled, 
pour off the vinegar, and wash it with water j 
thus : Put the powder into a glass of water, ' 
stir it, and presently pour the water off, while 
it is white, into anoth -r clean glass ; when it is 
settled, pour off the w ater, and you will have 
an excellent white ; to which add as much 
gum as is necessary, to give it a gloss. 
It has been often noticed, that white lead 
will turn black, if mixed with water that comes 
from iron or clay; so that, in the space of a 
month or two, you may perceive it; and it 
will also change any colour with which it is 
mixed. 
Some therefore recommend the pow r der 
1 of egg-shells, of the brightest and whitest sort, 
1 well ground with gum-water, to the state of 
an impalpable powder, to which they add one- 
twentieth part of white sugar-candy ; others 
esteem it most when clarified in spirit of 
wine, and then use it with gum-water. 
It has been found, by repeated experience, 
: that this egg-shell powder is extremely ser- 
j viceable as a white, in water-colours; and 
that this, and the oyster-shell powder, recti- 
fied and well bruised, will make an excellent 
mixture with other colours, to keep them 
from changing. 
A fine white, for water-colours, may be 
made by dissolving filings of silver, or silver- 
leaf, in aqua-fords, evaporating the aqua- 
fortis till it appears like crystal in the bottom 
of the glass ; decant the other part of the 
aqua-fortis, and wash the silver four or five 
; times in pure water, till it is entirely cleaned 
I from the aqua-fortis, drying it for use. It 
: must be used with the waters of gum and 
sugar-candy. 
A good white for water-colours, proper for 
miniature, is made thus : Take a pound of the 
; shreddings of glove-leather, and steep them 
in water ; boil them with twelve quarts of 
I water, till it wastes to two ; strain it through 
a linen cloth, into a well-glazed earthen pan ; 
this is called glue or size, and proper to use 
with colours in candle-light pieces; to know 
if this is strong enough, try if it is stiff, and 
firm under your hand. 
The glue being melted, reduce some white 
chalk to a powder, and w hile it is hot, add 
such a quantity of the chalk as will bring it 
to the consistency of a paste, letting it steep 
for a quarter of an hour ; stir it with a brush 
made of hog’s bristles. 
Iu order to make this white brighter, add 
more glue. Be careful to observe that every 
layer is dry, before you put on another. 
If you work upon wood, you must put on a 
dozen ; but six or seven are sufficient if your 
paper is thick. Afterwards dip a soft brush 
in some water, draining it with your fingers ; 
rub the work with it, in order to make it the I 
smoother. When your brush is full of white, 
you must wash it again ; and also change the 
water when it is too white. Or you may use 
a wet linen rag, instead of a brush. 
Ytllozvs. In some objects there may be 
seen a shining, like that of gold, through co- 
lours of red, blue, or green, such as some 
sorts of flies or beetles, and the cantharides. 
This gold or transparency may be w'ell imi- 
tated by laying some leaf-gold on the shaded 
side of the drawing, giving a little to the light 
side. To lay on the gold-leaf, press it 
smooth and close with cotton, after you have 
washed it with strong gum-w'ater; but care 
must be taken, that in laying on the gum, 
you do not exceed the limits through which 
you would have the gold appear. In this 
case, the gold is only to shine through the 
transparent colour, which is to be laid over 
it. 
As leaf-gold will not receive water-colours 
regularly, it is necessary to be provided with 
water of ox-gall, and with this liquor to 
stroke over the gold-leaf ; by which it will 
receive any colour you are desirous of laying 
over it, and will also retain it. 
In some manuscripts there may be seen 
gold letters, which seem to rise above the 
surface of the paper. ’ The composition 
which raises them, is made of vermilion and 
the white of an egg, beaten to the consistence 
of an oil, and fixed to the paper with gum-ara- 
bic ; on this figurative letter, wash some 
strong gum-water, with a camel’s-hair pencil ; 
lay on the gold-leaf close with some cotton; 
and when dry, rub it again with cotton, and 
burnish it with a dog’s tooth, and it will ap- 
pear as if it was cast in gold. 
There is also another way of working in 
gold, which isperfomedby shell-gold (but then 
it must be pure, and not that brought from 
Germany, which turns green in a few days). 
Cover the shady parts with vermilion, before 
you use this gold, and when you have recti- 
fied it with spirit of wine, lay it on ; when 
dry, burnish it as before directed. 
In laying on this gold, it is best to leave 
the lights without it, as it will appear to a 
much greater advantage than if all the objects 
were covered : but, provided the whole 
performance should chance to be covered, 
the best way of setting it off, is to trace over 
the shady parts with gall-stone, or the yellow 
made of French berries, (of which we shall 
treat hereafter), heightened with minium. 
Of y elhws in general. Gamboge is, be- 
yond doubt, one of the mellowest colours na- 
ture has produced ; it is of so mild a tempe- 
rature, that when it is touched with any fluid, 
S<)3 
it instantly dissolves ; so that, consequently, 
it wants neither gemming nor grinding ; it is 
productive of a variety of the most agreeable 
and pleasant yellow tints, that fanc y or art 
could ever imagine; it will generally shade 
itself, though -sometimes it requires help. 
Gall-stone is u very rich deep yelLow, 
tending towards a brown ; it is exceedingly 
useful in many cases, needs but little gum- 
ming or grinding, works free, but will not 
shade itself. 
Mr. Boyle says, if you cut the roots of 
berberries, and put them into a strong lix- 
ivium, made of pearl-ashes and water, from 
them will proceed a very agreeable yellow. 
This experiment has often been made, and 
as often attended with success. 
He also gives an account of another fine 
transparent yellow, by boiling the root ot a 
mulberry-tree, well cleansed, in the foregoing 
lixivium. 
Yellow ochre makes a very good pale yel- 
low : and, being ground with gum-water, 
will prove extremely useful. 
Another very useful yellow, is made by- 
infusing the plant celandine in clear water, 
gently pressing it, adding to the liquor some 
alum-water, letting it boil. 
The virtue of tire yellow extracted from 
French berries is so well known, that we need 
only give the directions for preparing it : In 
a quart of the preceding lixivium, boil two 
ounces of French berries, till the liquor is ot 
a fine yellow. ; strain it from the yellow ber- 
ries, and when cold it is fit for use. To the 
berries put a pint of the same lixivium, and 
boil it till the liquor is as strong as gall- 
stones ; with which you may shade any yel- 
lows ; this you may boil till it comes to a 
brown, and will, with the addition of a little 
ox-gall, serve to shade the gold-leaf. 
'You may likewise make a yellow, by. in- 
fusing saffron in pure water. When this is 
steeped in rectified spirit of wine, there is 
nothing higher; but it is very apt to fly, un- 
less it is high-gummed. 
A good yellow, for the illumination of 
prints, may be extracted from the roots of 
ginger; which make a good green, when 
mixed with transparent verdigrise. 
Those yellows called English and Dutch 
pinks, are made with French berries, ground 
to a fine powder, and then boiled. 
King’s yellow, a fine body-colour, is much 
used in heightening the ochre for gold lace, 
&c. 
Orange colour. This colour is made of a 
mixture of vermilion and gamboge, the 
latter most predominant, in which you have 
a serviceable colour in painting lilies, and all 
other orange-coloured flowers. Orpiment is 
likewise a pleasing colour. 
Reds. 
Red-lead, or minium, is a strong heavy 
• colour. Mr. Boyle has given us the follow- 
ing directions for preparing it : Put four 
ounces in a glass, to a quart of rain-water, 
and when it has been thoroughly stirred, pour 
off the water ; and by a frequent repetition 
of this, there will remain at the bottom of 
the glass a beautiful red, when dry, which is 
to be used with gum-water. When the co- 
lour has been thus prepared, you must not 
expect above twenty grains to remain out of 
four ounces. 
Carmine affords the brightest and most 
perfect crimson, and is the most beautiful of 
