234 
ttERAMIC STUDIO 
BOWL— E. NEELY 
(Treatment page 242) 
wiping off the surplus on the paint rag. A brush treated 
in this way does not split. Now Avork the brush well into 
the peach -blossom, spreading and turning it, until you 
feel the color is free and smooth. You cannot lay a clean 
wash of color unless the color "gives" well. When tested 
on the palette, it should be smooth and clear and delicate 
in tone. With a curving stroke of the brush lay in the 
"ball" or body of the rose, having only the faintest wash 
on the high-light, or upper side of the rose, shading it to 
a deeper tone on the under or shadow side. This should 
be done with as little working over as possible. Next, 
take a bit of peach-blossom somewhat heavier in tone on 
the corner of the square shader. With a series of clean, 
crisp little circular touches, lay in the centre of the rose. 
In painting the centres be particular to not pile on the 
color, else it will chip off in the firing. A touch of ruby 
or American beauty added to the peach-blossom or rose 
will give the desired depth. Even this must not be put on 
too thickly. Try to get the depth rather by a few sharp 
crisp brush strokes. If you lay the color so very heavily, 
there will be more color than the glaze of the china will 
take up and consequently it will chip off. Next lay in 
the little petals which turn back from the "ball" of the 
roses. Take out the high lights on the edges of the turned 
back petals, and little lights in the centres, with our good 
friend the tooth-pick and cotton. This may also be done 
with a clean brush slightly moistened with medium. As 
the brush may spread and the tooth-pick will not, the 
latter is the best for general use. 
The rose should now be sufficiently worked up for a 
first firing. Do not try to do too much for a first painting. 
Aim to have good modelling, that is, good dark and light, 
and one should also have clear transparent color. If it is 
muddy and grainey from over working, do not delude 
yourself with the idea that the firing is going to make it 
all right. It will probably look several degrees worse. 
Rose of all colors will bear the least fussing with. If worked 
into after once laid, it will grain and then will not fire well. 
One must study to make every brush stroke count for 
something, and then let it alone. Much otherwise good 
work is ruined by the fussy type of worker, who, in a de- 
sire to make things look better, goes back and labors over 
cleanly laid color. The result is a messy piece of paint- 
ing which has lost all transparency and "swing." Keep 
the roses delicate and clean for the first firing, relying upon 
your second painting for more strength and sharper con- 
trasts. Having laid in the roses, proceed with the paint- 
ing of the leaves. These are done with olive green and 
violet, adding enough violet to the green to "grey" it. 
These small leaves are meant to be painted in very sim- 
ply, keeping them soft in color and without much detail. 
If you observe the study, you will notice little sharp bits 
of darker color, which separate and bring out the model- 
ling of the leaves. These are painted in with brown-green 
and dark green, and must be kept crisp and clean. Take 
just a bit of color on the brush for this, and avoid work- 
ing into it when once placed. Learn from the very start 
to work in a direct way, and your work, even though it 
may fall short in other respects, will have the charm of 
being transparent and clean. 
The stems and briars are painted with brown green 
with a touch of carnation to warm it, greying it with 
vdolet toward the tip of the stem. The briars have a 
slightly redder tone than the rest. The stems should be 
kept soft in tone, else they will seem to "pop" out at you. 
The treatment of stems and "trailers" is the "give away" 
of the amateur, so be careful to keep them always sub- 
ordinate. Who has not seen paintings of flowers with 
stems branching out in every direction, apparently sup- 
BLUE BELL DESIGN— F. A. RHEAD 
(Treatment page 236) 
