HXRAMIC STUDIO 
POPPIES 
Mrs. Adelaide Alsop-Robineau 
O FLOWER is more decorative than the Poppy and no flower more 
carelessly abused. A normal Poppy has but four petals, yet we see 
it drawn with three or five almost more often than with four. The 
petals are drawn of varying sizes instead of two large and two 
slightly smaller, the buds and seed pods are drawn " any old way " 
and no observation is made of the way the leaf clasps the stem or how the various 
buds, seeds and flowers combine in one plant. There are of course various types of 
the flower, but all agreeing in essential points. The drawings of the ordinary field 
Poppy by M. Verneuil make very good models from which to evolve conventional 
designs. A word now about drawing designs. We give here two cuts of the same 
plate. The design is by Mrs. Alice Ross Hadley and has some very nice things 
/^■^trneinl. 
about it. In No. I the design is over elaborated, the 
criss cross shading is quite unnecessary and weakens the 
drawing. Enough thought is not spent on the real shape 
of the flower and the different tones of the narrow and 
wide panels are not sufficiently indicated by the back- 
ground. In No. 2 we have all that is necessary to in- 
dicate what is desired. Make your drawings always as 
simple as possible. Shading is hardly desirable in a con- 
ventional design, still it is possible, but must not be too 
finicky. In carrying these designs out in colors do not 
use too many, rather keep a somewhat monochromatic effect. This 
is more elegant and permanently satisfying, especially in table ware. The plate 
might be carried out in browns and yellows, ranging from cream to yellow brown 
and a darker brown. A touch of green would not be inharmonious if desired, or 
of dull violet. If carried out in reds the gamut could be run from red to red 
