72 
HXRAMIC STUDIO 
whenever you can. If you find you can't get it to look well 
after repeated trials, then resort to the tracing paper, wait- 
ing for free-hand work until the eye and hand are better 
trained. When this part of the design is placed, go over it 
all with a delicate line of India ink. This must be a soft 
grey line, because it is very difficult to see exactly what you 
are doing in using color or oil over a very thick black ink 
line. For this, it is well to dilute the ink with more water 
after you have ground it on an old saucer. A very nice tool 
to have, is what is known as a Japanese inkstone. In this, 
the ink is ground and there is a depression at one end to 
hold the liquid. However, an old saucer or a little butter 
dish answers the purpose. 
Next, proceed to make a tracing of the little floret motif 
and the one used in the center of the plate. Transfer these 
carefully to the china, following directions given in the 
second lesson. It will not be necessary to go over this part 
of the design with ink, as with care, the grey ink left by the 
impression paper will be sufficient, Place upon the clean 
palette or china tile, a small quantity of Fry's special tinting 
oil. (It has not been the custom to mention the names 
of dealers in these lessons. In this case, we know of no other 
preparation which takes the place of this one.) Into this 
oil mix a wee bit of powdered black — just enough to tone it 
slightly, as you did with the grounding oil in the previous 
lesson. With this oil and one of your smallest square shaders 
paint in all the little flower motifs. It should appear of an 
even light grey tone. To assist in making it even 
use a tiny little pad, prepared like the one for tinting, only 
much smaller; pad the oil with this until it looks smooth. 
With a toothpick and cotton, clean off any oil outside the 
design; then put the plate aside until the oil is partly dry 
and tacky. The time required for the drying varies with 
the temperature of the room; usually an hour or two will do. 
Do not dry it by artificial heat. It should just be tacky 
enough to take color. 
When ready to apply the color, spread a newspaper on 
the painting table. For the little flower form, which is 
blue, measure out on your paper in little piles, two parts 
Banding Blue, one part Copenhagen Grey, and one part 
Pearl Grey. Mix this together dry with the palette knife 
until throughly blended. With a small tuft of cotton, pick 
up some of the color and, proceeding exactly as you did in 
ground-laying, rub it into the flower part of the design. Be 
careful to spread it over the leaves which are to be green. 
For the leaves and the stems, mix in the same manner on 
the paper, four parts yellow green, two parts Pearl Grey, and 
a scant part Dark Green, and dust this on the leaf forms and 
stems as you did the color for the little flower. The small 
center part of the flower is to be yellow. Use Albert Yel- 
low two parts and Pearl Grey one part. After this dusting 
is all done, clean the edges with the toothpick and cotton. 
Be very thorough in doing this, as every bit of the white 
china must be spotless, and the edges of your design should 
be crisp and clean cut. 
When this is all satisfactorily cleaned, the lines forming 
the border are to be laid in. Take the same mixture you used 
for dusting the blue flower, mixing it with just enough 
medium to bind it together much stiffer than you would 
want it for painting. Thin it with turpentine until it will 
flow freely from the brush. The sable outline brush is to 
be used for this process. Take up considerable color on the 
brush and then, holding the brush at a slight slant, follow 
the traced line of the design, letting the color flow in a firm, 
even line. This sort of outline does not want to be a thin, 
thready affair, but must be firm and solid. To flow the color, 
you must not press with the brush as in painting. The color 
should be wet enough to flow easily when the tip of the brush 
touches the china; experience alone will teach you just how 
wet the color must be. If excessively thin, it will run. If 
just thin enough, it will not spread, but to your delight it 
will stay just where it is put. With a toothpick and cotton, 
clean and straighten all uneven places. The blue of the 
bands and the edge of the plate, which are applied in the 
same way, being mixed with turpentine, will dry very quick- 
ly. When cleaning them be particular not to leave on the 
edges any little rolled up bits of color, scraped in cleaning. 
Lightly brush them off, brushing away from the design. 
£: 
BOWL— OPHELIA FOLEY 
(Treatment Page 82) 
