52 
RERAMIC STUDIO 
steadily that you can disentangle the separate flowers. Also yon do not get 
either a full or a side view of every flower so tliat you lose the Ijeaut}^ of line 
that comes from variety when you draw them all without perspecti^'e. The 
stems should be more solid — get your masses and general outlines first, then 
jot down the most prominent details. Keep your color soft and use Col)alt to 
soften shadows. 
M. S. P. — Lustre usually can be used just as it comes from the bottle, if 
sticky or thick, thin with oil of lavender, this will keep it open until you can 
pad it, if you wish a light, even tint or if a dark tone is desired it will allow the 
brush marks to soften out. In a dark tone it is not necessary to have the 
color even. Spots come from dust — put away pieces as soon as finished and 
wipe off with soft silk rag before firing. Lustre is always put on with a large 
brush and padded if e\'en tone is desired. The black lustre has a golden 
brown lustre, two to three coats ought to be sufficient for a good even color. 
V. M. — ^^'our questions were too late for May Ker.\mic Studio. Tlie 
Fry flesh palette is sufficiently fluxed and should fire with a good glaze if fired 
sufficiently, never use ivory glaze over flesh tones, it injures reds. You cannot 
obtain the same brilliancy of glaze on china as on Pjelleek which has a much 
softer glaze. I^'ories for miniatures cost from fifty cents up, according to 
size and fineness. 
Miss S. — We have never seen or heard of the effect you speak of on your 
placque, as if a fine tracing wheel had been run over it. The trouble must be 
in the china. We have ne\'er used anj^ so-called dust-proof oil — oil is never 
dust-proof unless kept out of dust until dried. For any art work the first 
study should be drawing, the next, composition and design, then painting in 
whatever medium you choose. 
J. E. H. — If you wish a rich dark background you must dust on powder 
color. The design is first outlined in India ink, then grounding oil is brushed 
OA'er the surface and padded evenly with a silk pad untU tacky, the design is 
wiped out clear of oil, then the color is taken up on the blade of a palette knife 
and dropped on the oily surface over whicli it is pushed with a large brush 
until the whole surface is covered and shows no damp spots. Keep putting on 
color until it all looks dry, being careful not to let the brush touch the oil 
directly, wipe out design again and fire before putting on gold and outline, 
unless you are ("juite expert, even then it will probably have to be retouched. 
The color scheme is good. Use anj^ green that you like. As a rule it is best to 
stack all the plates that you can upright in a kiln, we would not stack more 
than six plates in a pile, but a few saucers and cups could be added on top. 
Mrs. R.. H. S. — Large pieces are A'-ery liable not to be fired as well at top, 
the only remedy is to turn them upside down and fire again to get a uniform 
appearance. Too many repeated fires are not good for any ware and especially 
for Belleek, three or four are about all tliat are safe though it is possible some- 
times to get good results with more. The trouble with the green on the Belleek 
-\-ase, howe\-er, was due not to repeated firings f)ut to the fact tliat it is almost 
impossible to get a tliick tint of green on Belleek, it almost always turns brown, 
even lighter greens are not always satisfactory on it. With a heavy tinting it 
is never safe to risk any more fires than absolutely necessary, it is liable to 
scale off where tinting happens to be a little thick. Refiring at the same 
temperature might not change the effect, it is always better to fire harder if 
the glaze is not satisfactory. Cones for testing the firing of clay can be obtained 
of Prof. Ed. Orton, University of Ohio, Columbus, O. You would need the 
very lowest cones for flower-pot clay, say 010 to 01. We do not know the 
price of red or yellow clay but presume from .50 cents to a dollar a barrel. 
Mrs. G. B. W. — ^We would suggest using for your tea set either the 1st or 
3rd prize design given in May Keramic Studio. The heeded edge need not be 
especially considered, it can come on a white or a colored band. If you use 
the 1st prize design the seaweed should be altered slightly to curve up into the 
scalloped edge. The 3rd prize design can be modified by om'ttlng the long 
lines that come to centre of plate and allowing tlie cluster of tliree leaves to 
run up into the scallop. The plate design by Rhead might also be used effect- 
iA'ely, the trees changed slightly to fit scallop and trunks lengthened for tall 
pieces, a single color scheme of grey blue or grey green is suggested but any 
color scheme can be used. 
J. R. H. — When rose turns purplish from overfiring it can sometimes b.-^ 
remedied by slightly retouching with rose and firing lightly. 
Mrs. S. R. A. — A good medium for mixing powder colors is made of six 
drops of oil of Copaiba to one drop of oil of cloves, use with tills rectified 
spirits of turpentine for painting. 
L. C. S. — It is always best to have a separate chimney for kiln pipe but if 
the chimney has a very strong draft, by shutting all drafts in stove while fiiring 
you probably can succeed, especially if the opening for kiln pipe is above the 
one for stove. 
M. C. — For the dragon handle of your pitcher use green lustre over gold. 
This gives a brilliant green metallic effect. The dragon can also be done in 
lustre to harmonize with whatever color scheme you have on the pitcher or it 
can be finished in gold and brown or green bronze. 
L. S. C. — Belleek ware is fired the same as any china only that it must not 
have too hard a fire, it can rest on stilts but it is safer not to rest one piece on 
another even with stilts between; always cool off slowly. 
L. H. — The bismuth must be in powdered form for flux for gold. You 
can get it at Eimer & Armend, Eighteenth street and Third a\-enue, New 
i^ork. 
VANDERLEEDEN ART SUPPLT CO. 
C. "W. CUTLER, Prop. 12 State St., CKicago. 
Send for PYROGRAPHY Catalogue. 
Mail Orders rilled for Artists' Material. 
MENTION KER.\MIC STUDIO. 
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Best of Imported Outfits and thousands of Designed 
or Plain Articles in Wood and Leather. 
Write for Catalogue. 
032 SOUTH 
SyMcfise.rj.Y. 
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IS SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS 
In Quantity and Quality. ^ All we ask is a Trial for this Gold. 
LESSONS IN CHINA PAINTING. 
6o8 13th Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. 
FITCH KILNS 
Six Sizes, — For Firing China and Glass. 
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