RERAMIC STUDIO 
12^ 
India ink is not disturbed by using the mineral paint over 
it; while the lithographic pencil marks are often lost if 
mistakes are made— both disappear all right in the firing. 
Now let us try to tint a plate or saucer in one even tint. 
To do this, take about enough color to cover half of a one- 
cent piece, add one-third flux, (as in thinning colors for 
tinting more flux is required to unite the color with the 
glaze of the china) then rub well together with as much fat 
oil as color and flux combined and thin with lavender oil 
till it flows freely from the brush ; have ready a wad of cotton 
covered with a piece of silk (an old handkerchief is good), 
take the broad tinting brush and fill with the paint and 
cover the china to be tinted as evenly as possible with the 
paint; wait until a little tacky, and then pad in little quick 
dabs all over the tint until every brush-mark is merged into 
an even tint; if not successful the first time, do not be 
discouraged, but wipe off and go through the same process 
again. When the clear, even stroke of the flower and the 
process of tinting is mastered we have gone farther than a 
beginner realizes in the art of china painting. 
o o o 
Ella F. Adams, Yellow Spring's, Ohio. 
[extracts only.] 
As much depends upon the painter as upon the cook 
who makes a good or bad cake with the same material. Vial 
colors seem preferable since there are no oils to ooze out and 
leave the paint to harden. No one make seems the make 
since all are similar! Reliable stores are careful to carry 
only paints that have been tested, so there is little danger of 
securing poor color. All colors should be well mixed with 
the palette knife so that they are perfectly smooth and free 
from grain. Always use as little mixing medium as possi- 
ble, since it keeps the paint open and gathers dust. Don't 
be afraid to experiment with the mixing of different colors 
for they are not explosive, even if the wrong colors are 
combined at times. A rag wet with turpentine removes the 
experiment and gives one courage to try again. The best 
way to fill your brush with color is to first cleanse the brush 
in turpentine, wipe dry, keeping the shape of the brush. 
If a square shader, wipe flat; if a pointed brush, roll into a 
point. Brushes should be "wiggled" in the color to fill 
them well with paint, always putting the brush in shape 
before painting with it. A brush should be washed in tur- 
pentine after each color has been used and every few days 
a bath in soap suds will prove effective. Always keep the 
brush in shape or it loses its usefulness. 
Mix color with medium on a ground glass slab, using 
steel palette knife, then remove to covered palette. Add 
to your list of materials a package of surgeon 's cotton and 
a lot of old white wash silk for padding color in tinting, also 
a pointed stick to use with a little cotton wound on the point 
for removing high lights, etc. 
We are not satisfied to do simply the things which we 
can do. We must draw something too hard for us. We 
must sing songs that have notes too high for us. How rare 
to hear a singer whose voice is not strained to reach im- 
possible tones! Who wants to hear the highest tone that 
you can sing? We want to feel that there is a reserved 
force. 
JAocuit} ^■ouJZa.u.<^ 
M 
FRINGED GENTIAN— MARY TURNER MERRILL 
Flowers violet blue, leaves a whiteish green. 
