RERAMIC STUDIO 
227 
Then, with a bit of kneaded rubber take out lines and 
spaces to divide your vase or cup in good proportion. Yes, 
you have to judge the proportion yourself, but you can do 
so, if you will make three of these flat drawings and divide 
each one differently. And unless We do make several plans 
of each exercise that is given we cannot hope to develop 
our critical judgment, for judgment must be based on 
comparison. 
So let us try several of these designs, all for the same 
piece of china, and we will place our bands differently, 
changing the proportions, and will alter the shapes of the 
little white spaces until we achieve something that we feel 
is the very best we can do. 
Working on a charcoal tone prepared in this way is as 
easy as working on a slate, for the cotton rag with which 
the tone was rubbed in will quickly erase a mistake, freshen- 
ing the surface to be used again. 
For our last exercise this month let us see what we can 
do with a design for a small oblong tray, square-cornered. 
When we make a variation of a given design we so change 
the proportions as to give a practically new design. Mr. 
Arthur Dow has made this exercise in variation such a help- 
ful one to his students that we feel that the study of pro- 
portion would be many times more difficult without it. 
In our space representing the tray we are to design let us 
make some variation of one of the little squares given in 
our illustration. 
Blot in your design on paper with a brush filled with 
ink or black water-color, using the same shapes and general 
plan as one of the squares, but altering the proportions. 
Depend wholly upon this good proportion of spaces 
for your decorative effect, and study to have not only a 
good pattern of dark on light, but also a good pattern of 
light on dark, — for you remember what we said of back- 
ground spaces being part of every design. Do not use 
any outlines, work in mass. 
Now compare the designs you have chosen out as the 
best you have done, with the Gothic window and theDaubigny 
landscape. No, I am not joking, we must measure every- 
thing we do by something that is so fine that there is no 
CATHEDRAL, RHEIMS, FRANCE. 
appeal from it; we will not grow nearly so fast or nearly so 
strong if we are content to emulate something that we 
think may be good ; we want something to measure by, which 
we know is good. 
The one thing to consider is whether, in the work you 
have just done, you have caught any of the spirit that is 
in these great works of art. 
Perhaps you will conclude that one of your designs 
has "quality," perhaps there will be two that have. If so 
you may be happy; and by all means put the best one you 
have done upon a piece of china. 
Work it out in two tones of the same Color, or in a soft 
grey and one color, keeping the same arrangement of dark 
and light; that is, don't put the spaces that are dark in 
your design into light tones on your china. To fix your 
designs on paper so that the charcoal will not rub you must 
have a bottle of fixative, which can be sprayed over the de- 
sign with one of the small tin atomizers that art-students use. 
(to be continued) 
