RERAMIC STUDIO 
CRAFTS NOTES 
Art Crafts for beginners by Frank H. Sanford, has just 
been published by the Century Co. It is a very comprehensive 
practical work, and will be a valuable assistant to the student 
and teacher, for it fills a great need in the crafts world. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
This column is only for subscribers whose names appear upon our list. Flense 
il(j not send stamped envelopes for reply. The editors can answer questions- only 
in this column. 
All questions to- be answered in the Magazine must be received before the 10th 
day of the month preceding issue. 
Miss G. H. — The dull finish black of which you speak, is the "Mat black.'' 
It is dusted on the same as any grounding color. There is also a black lustre 
tliiit gives a metallic effect. 
Mrs. G. M. K. — In painting dark grapes the ruby is generally used pure 
Mild ii touch of black added afterward as n, note of emphasis. The same 
method is used in painting blackberries. First model lightly with the blue 
(50 that you get a pale wash of blue in the high lights, then shade with rui)y 
:iiul finally an emphasizing touch of black is added. 
Mrs. T. J. McC. — The paste for jewels is mixed with fat oil of turpentine 
to i'orm a stiff paste, just enough oil to hold the powder together, then add oil 
of lavander until of about the consistency of tube color. Make a tiny dot 
where you wish the jewel to set, then press the jewel firmly down upon it. A 
setting of raised paste for gold can be made around it and gilded when thorou- 
ghly dry. The enamel jewels are made in two ways. The tube Aufsetzweis 
can be colored with about \ to J color, or darker if desired, but the lighter 
tints need an addition of about J flux to the Aufsetzweis. Thin with oil of 
lavander and breath upon it several times till it stays "put" when a dot is 
made and does not spread. When the powder enamel is used, the powder 
is mixed with fat oil just enough to hold it together, add color if not already 
colored about I, then thin with oil of lavander, breathing upon it to make it 
thicken up and stay in place. When you breathe upon it, turn it over with 
the palette knife rather than stir it around — a horn palette knife is preferaljle. 
We have, at present, no study of lemon or orange blossoms, but hope to get 
them later. We do not know where they are obtainable. 
Mrs. A. T. A. — In making a conventional border with outlines, several 
different methods are used. When a lustre treatment is used it is safer to 
draw the outlines lightly in black and fire first, then fill in the various spaces 
with lustre, if a second covering of lustre is needed in third fire, then when the 
lustre is dry and cleaned off where it runs over the edges of the design, go over 
the outlines again firmly with black thinned with turpentine, but be careful 
not to use too much turpentine or it will run and the lustre will be spotty. 
When one is skilful enough this can all be done in one fire. The outline l)eing 
first drawn lightly in India ink, and after the lustre is laid, the outline can be 
put on with color, but it is much safer for a beginner to fire the outline 
first. Where a mineral treatment is desired, the outline is drawn in India 
ink, always lightly. If a perfectly flat tint is desired, the color is then tinted 
where wished and wiped off from the other parts or if a dark tone is wished, 
grounding oil is used in the dark places, and the color dusted on, the india 
ink will not be disturbed by wiping with turpentine. Then when the design is 
all laid in with color, the outline can be painted on, or the color can be fired first 
and the outline put on after the retouching is done in second fire. Gold out- 
lines are always put on after every thing is fired, unless one is very expert. 
Where flat enamels are used they are floated in with a full brush and the out- 
lines can be put around them at the same time or in a later fire. 
M. J. — To use India ink sticks put a little water in a saucer and rub one 
end of the stick in it until sufficiently black, then use with a brush or pen as 
desired. 
W. 11. O. — AVe thank you for your interesting letter. We receive a good 
many complaints that we do not give enough naturalistic work, but few are 
written in such pleasant terms as yours, and few people who thus complain 
seem to appreciate our efforts to bring a better standard of ceramic decora- 
tion in this country There is much truth in what you say, and it is certain 
that a bad conventional decoration is not a bit interesting, and many designs 
we have published are deserving a good deal of criticism. But the fact re- 
mains that naturalistic painting is not decorating, and that there is no earthly 
reason why a flower, however pretty and attractive in nature, should be re- 
produced in its natural colors and details on a vase for instance. If you do 
that, you forget that the vase itself must be the decorative object and that 
the decoration on the vase is simply to give spots of color to it and bring out 
its beauties of shape. If you give too much importance to the flower, it kills 
the vase, you have used the vase as a medium for flower painting instead of 
using the flower to decorate the vase. If you are so fascinated by a flower 
that you wish to paint it as it is, paint it on canvas in oil, on paper in water 
color, or if you prefer to use china, on a panel which is of no importance and 
interest in itself and simply replaces the canvas or paper of the oil and water 
color paintings. 
BOWL— EDITH ALMA ROSS 
Sky a warm grey; trees and outlines gold; clouds, white; buildings, light Ijrown. 
