12 4 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
CLASS ROOM 
FIGURE PAINTING 
First Prize — Emma S. Timlin, Kansas City, Mo. 
THE art of figure painting on porcelain is a branch quite 
by itself both in application and technique. It is 
more difficult, more taxing work for the eye, more subtle 
in all its details than the painting of flowers or of conven- 
tional forms, yet by so much is it the more fascinating, 
and the more satisfying in its results. A graceful figure 
on a properly shaped porcelain, well done as to color, draw- 
ing and modeling has a quality in texture, due to the glaze 
no doubt, which makes it a work of art indeed. 
There are many features which are essential to its 
being a work of art, namely, figure work is almost wholly 
applied to decorative pieces of porcelain, such as plaques, 
panels, vases, table tops, etc. One does not care for cupids 
on tea cups or a Diana on a chop plate. Large place plates 
however are very handsome with portrait heads, such as 
some of the Gainsborough or Asti heads. Punch bowls 
may be made attractive by a border of wood nymphs or 
light airy figures done in minature. Then too the shape 
must be in keeping with the line of the figure or figures; 
just as daffodils look well on a cylinder vase, so an upright 
full length figure needs an oblong shape, while reclining 
figures may be applied to oval or circular shapes; heads 
look well on round or rectangular shapes; the china must 
be large enough to admit of a background in keeping with 
the size of the figure, since a harmonious background is as 
essential to the whole as any part of the figure. 
Owing to the method of work it is next to impossible 
to paint from nature and since for decorative work, fanci- 
ful figures and pictures are largely used, it is necessary 
either to trace the figure on the china or else draw it free- 
hand. Very few are blessed with the ability to draw cor- 
rectly enough for this purpose, therefore it is best to have 
a study just the size desired for the work and to trace it 
on the china carefully. The implements needed for this are, 
a very transparent tracing paper, a finely sharpened pencil, 
light transfer paper, a tracer or a large needle in the end 
of a cork, also India ink and an outlining brush, as well 
as some kind of mucilage paper to hold the tracing in 
place. 
The main lines should be traced, always keeping the line 
on the dark portion and being very careful to get sharp 
corners such as those of the eyes and the pupil with its light ; 
in case of strong shadows the line should be kept on the 
shadow edge. The tracing should then be fastened by 
means of the mucilage paper and transferred to the china 
by going over the outline with the needle. The tracing is 
then removed and the outline made secure, by means of 
the India ink and outline brush. 
Next comes the painting for the first fire. The palette 
for flesh is quite different from the other palette; mixtures 
of the Dresden colors are used, but Mrs. L. Vance-Philips 
now has a palette in powder colors, all mixed for flesh: 
Blonde, Brunette, Reflected Light, Cool Shadow, Warm 
Shadow and other colors peculiar to figure painting. The 
medium is also different, being mixed with a view to working 
into it for some time, and for stippling. Mrs. Philips also 
has a medium or one may use six parts of copaiba to one 
part of clove oil. 
The oil is first painted smoothly over the entire flesh 
surface with a large square shader; if there is a large surface 
and any drapery divides it, it may be easier to do it in sec- 
tions as the oil is liable to get too dry to stipple in some 
places while one is working on the other parts. It is well 
to let the oil run into the hair a little, as this softens the 
outline when stippled. 
The local flesh tint, either Blonde or Brunette as the 
case may be, is next painted with a square shader over all 
the high lights, and Reflected Light is painted over all the 
shadow portions. The Cool Shadow is then hatched in by 
means of an outlining brush, No. i or 2, on all the half tones 
and cooler shadow portions. By "hatching" is meant 
short lines of color, taking somewhat the direction of the 
shape of the figure, and these lines linked into each other, 
giving the effect of an Indian's war paint. A little Pompa- 
dour is hatched in on the cheek and the Warm Shadow on 
the deeper shadow portions, letting the Warm Shadow link 
into the Cool Shadow. 
By this time it should be about ready to stipple, if the 
oil was not put on too thickly at first. The larger the stip- 
pler which can be used the better the results. 
The stippler is always kept pointed toward the deeper 
shadow and is pounced lightly but firmly and moved grad- 
ually. The lighter portions are stippled first before getting 
the brush into the darker paint, until the entire surface 
blends and the texture is fine and firm. Care must be taken 
to hold the drawing in all places. Light hair is painted with 
Ochre mixed with Brown, Shadow color or other tints to get 
the desired effect; Finishing Brown is used for dark hair and 
may be mixed with a little Blue or Cool Shadow, if black 
hair is the aim. It must be painted in washes, keeping the 
lights, then stippled about the face and on the high lights, 
softening the hard lines. The effect of hair is then pro- 
duced, by taking out lights with a very little cotton on the 
end of a tooth pick, or a fine needle may be used when the 
paint is dry. These are excellent tools with which to pre- 
serve the high lights on the flesh also. 
If light drapery is painted and this is the most effective 
on china, care must be taken to make one feel that the form 
is still under the drapery. Study of the form will assist in 
placing the shadows in the drapery. The same principle 
is applied in flesh, drapery and background, half tones are 
kept cool and the deep shadows warm in coloring. 
The background, whether of woods or marble or drapery 
effect must be in color scheme suitable to the coloring of the 
figure. If there is a good deal of high light it will have in it 
a suggestion of the light tone in the drapery. The general 
tones of background are put in with broad washes for the 
first fire and the details worked up later. 
It is surprising after the first fire to see how pale the 
painting appears, all the outlines are gone and a good deal 
of the color, some of the important shadows may not be held, 
it may be necessary to place the tracing on again, or even 
to make a second tracing to find just where certain shadows 
and lights should be. In the second and third fires it is 
well to work in a little corresponding color on the high lights 
of the flesh, for instance if the background contains a good 
deal of Yellow this is carried through the high lights of the 
drapery and a thin wash painted on the high lights of the 
flesh and hair, thus the coloring of the work is kept in har- 
mony, shadows having their proper values and the whole 
is blended softly and delicately. The same method of paint- 
ing is repeated each time. At least three fires are needed 
to bring all parts into their proper values and to work up 
the details. 
The difficulty of the work is apparent but the results 
are well worth the effort, since a thing of beauty is a joy 
forever. 
