150 
OIL PAINTING WITHOUT A MASTER. 
[Nature and Art, October 1, 1866. 
there is much colour to mix at once. Take care 
never to let the background be darkest close to the 
face, or it will appear to touch it, and there will be 
no air behind the head. It should be quite hat and 
even, or a very little lighter (almost imperceptibly 
so) just where it is painted close to any part of the 
face or figure, &c., unless, of course, they really 
come in contact, as might be the case, were a chair 
or cushion to be the background, and then the 
shadow of the figure cast on such objects should 
be carefully defined in shape, to show that it is 
shadow, and not dirt. 
Now, put in the hair, slightly touched in the 
lights with raw umber and white, and darkened in 
the shades with raw umber alone. Also the dress, 
with whatever colour it may be, only thinly painted 
at first. Remember, in all parts of the face and 
figure, to keep the lights and shades quite clear and 
distinct ; that is, the shadows must have a definite 
shape, according to the form of the feature, lock of 
hair, drapery, &c., that casts them ; for, if they 
are allowed to be indistinct, they will only look 
like dirt on the face. The edge of each shadow, 
may, after its form has been carefully left by the 
flesh tints, be slightly softened by touching it gently 
with the brush that the flesh tint has been put on 
with, after having wiped it on the cloth to remove 
some of the paint. This will do for the first day’s 
painting, and the picture had better dry before any 
more is attempted. The brushes must now be 
washed in turpentine, wiped, and dipped in sweet 
oil, before they are put away, and the oil carefully 
washed out again with turpentine before use the 
next day, as sweet oil will not dry, and must on 
no account get into the paint; its use is only to 
prevent the brushes getting stiff and hard while 
not in use. The brushes may often be washed in 
turpentine, and wiped, while the painting goes on, 
if needed, but not in sweet oil. The palette must 
be scraped clean with the knife, and wiped with 
the cloth, and rubbed with a little drying oil, to 
polish it, and the paint thrown away. It is of no 
use to try to keep it in water till the next day, for it 
becomes very disagreeable to work with ; therefore, 
to prevent waste, no more should be put out on the 
palette than will be wanted for each day’s painting. 
If the paint sticks to the palette, and does not wipe 
off readily, a little turpentine will clean it effectually. 
Second painting. If quite dry — which may be 
tested by touching it with the finger — rub a little 
drying oil over the picture, and wipe it off again, 
as before. Then put out the same colours on the 
palette as on the first day, and after washing the 
brushes in turpentine, wipe them, and let them dry 
a few minutes. Then begin to paint in the flesh 
tints as before, putting in more white in the bright 
lights, and painting all the paler shadows over with 
flesh tint, till they are nearly of the right strength, 
and lay on the same in the darker shadows 
thinly and sparingly, always remembering that 
every shadow has its depth. In painting over the 
dark shadows with the opaque flesh tint, great care 
must be taken not to put it on too thickly, but let 
it appear like a thin veil, over the raw umber 
ground. Paint the lights more thickly, so as to 
leave the thinly-painted parts of the day before to 
serve as half- tint. 
Now, you may alter the drawing of any part of 
your picture if defective, but this must be done 
with care, so as not to get the picture hard and 
wooden, or dirty ; and always use rarv umber, or 
raw umber and white, for any alteration in, or 
addition to, the shadows and half-tints ; as long as 
raw umber and white are alone used, the picture 
will keep its clean and fresh appearance. And 
don’t be tempted to put in any blue or yellow into 
the picture at present, although you may see it in 
the copy, or in nature. Paint the dark lines and 
shadows of the mouth with vermilion and raw 
umber, or vermilion and burnt sienna, according 
as you require darker, brighter, or lighter shadows, 
and the half-tints with vermilion alone. Then put 
a slight touch of vermilion in the reflected lights, 
if they are warm, and in the centre of the darkest 
shadows, such as that cast by the nose, and in the 
deep shade of the nostrils, in the shadow cast on the 
throat by the chin, on the chin itself where the 
shadow is deep, in the corner of the eyes, in the 
upper line of the upper eyelid, under the ear, and 
inside it, &c. ; and’ in the shadow thrown on the 
flesh by the hair, dress, Ac. You will always find 
this warm tone in nature, unless some other colours 
in the dress, background, &c., are reflected more 
strongly, but it is never such an agreeable effect if 
they are. The vermilion in the deep shades may be 
subdued with raw umber and white, if too harsh and 
strong. It is only of use to give a rich, warm glow to 
the shadows. Some artists use Indian red for this 
purpose, but it is so apt to become heavy and dirty 
if used unskilfully ; and its tendency to give a dull 
lilac tone to the flesh, makes it a very undesirable 
colour to use, except in draperies, when glazed with 
other colours, or in the shadows of clouds in land- 
scape backgrounds. 
Wherever you see a grey tint or shade, leave 
the flesh tint thinly painted on the ground, as this 
gives the pearly tint I before mentioned, and it is 
better than any blue colour laid on, until quite 
near the last painting, as blue is so apt to look 
heavy and black if not most skilfully used. Pure 
white alone will look quite blue on the brown 
ground, unless the latter has become very much lost 
in the colouring ; and it will look blue if painted 
over any part that has been touched again with 
raw umber, or glazed. 
Be very careful to leave no hard lines. There is 
no line in nature ; therefore, to prevent the picture 
being wooden, and to give the soft appearance of 
flesh, stipple along the edge of every line, with 
shadow or half-tint as the case may be, until the 
line ceases to be a line. To explain my meaning 
better, I will sujrpose you have painted in the lips 
and the dark shade between them and on the upper- 
lip. You will find that there is more or less of 
half-tint above the edge of the red of the upper lip; 
this should be stippled with raw umber and white, 
where the red and flesh tint join, and the red itself 
stippled at the extreme edge with rather lighter red. 
