6 4 
KERAMC STUDIO 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
ROSE STUDY IN PEN AND INK. This is in many ways an improve- 
ment on the first drawing sent. It is stronger and simpler. Study the indi- 
vidual character of leaves more: they have serrate or saw tooth edges and 
should he drawn in broken lines. Your shadow lines in background should 
be made up of short broken lines rather than long, continuous ones. Be sure 
and have your stems come from some possible place. If you have a bunch of 
roses, the stems must necessarily come together, and even if not shown in the 
drawing should be indicated by the direction of the stems seen. Do not let 
the shadow run around a flower in a margin. It gives the effect of the flower 
being held close to something to throw so strong and marked a line, and the 
drawing of the flower itself shows that this is not the case. 
STUDY OF LEMONS IN WATER COLOR. When yellow lemons are 
wrapped in tissue paper, the paper is yellowish where it touches the lemon. 
White in high light, violet in half tones, and deep shadows are sometimes 
violet and sometimes greenish. Study your object closer, and avoid hard 
edges, let the outline be lost and found If you observe carefully you will find 
this is the case with your original lemon study. Try to keep your color clear 
and not let it get muddy. Paint what you see, not what you think. If you 
use wet paper as recommended by Mrs. Nicholls in the May number, you will 
find it easier to avoid hardness. The shadow of the lemons on the wall could 
not have been brown. They must have been greenish or violet. 
MRS. CHARLES A. The cause of your paste for raised gold turning 
greenish is the steel palette knife. An old steel knife which has been used 
for colors or gold is liable to discolor the paste; usually, however, it will fire 
yellow again. If you use a horn palette knife you will not have this trouble. 
The No. O Petite makes a nice size. Be sure and select a limber one. The 
stiff ones are more liable to break or split. 
MRS. THOMAS S. We will have plate and cup and saucer designs in 
every number, and hope you will find as many suggestions as you need before 
September. We do not like vellum for tableware as it is apt to hold the 
grease or food stains. Tableware should have a glaze especially for the center 
of plates. We should advise using Ivory Yellow if you wish a cream tint 
then you can use your old ivory effect in the border if you desire. However, 
unless your friend would be disappointed, we would advise white centers, 
using some of the color schemes suggested with our border designs. It is 
considered more an fait now to have tableware with white centers and the 
same design and color for the dozen pieces. It would hardly be worth while 
for you to rent designs as the magazine will have as great a variety as you 
need. One of the oriental borders in gold, color or enamel would make a rich 
and effective design for your wedding gift. 
MRS. R. J. R. We will be pleased to criticize your ivory miniatures for 
you at any time and answer any questions in regard to the manipulation of 
the ivory, colors, etc. There will be no charge beyond the expressage. Our 
publisher played a practical joke on the editors in saying to enclose a stamped 
envelope for immediate reply. We can only promise to answer through the 
magazine, for we are very busy and in answering this way we can help many 
besides the one who asks for information. When sending the ivories, ask 
about the points which you find difficult to understand and we will give you 
an article on ivory miniature in the next number of the magazine if sent in 
time. Any question to be answered in the next number must reach us before 
the fifth of the month, i. c\, to have a question answered in the August num- 
ber it must be received before the fifth of July. 
MRS. J. C. V. We hope your club will join the National League and 
try its course of study. In the June number we mentioned two publications 
of Keramic interest by Miss Kingsley and Mr. Barber and sent you the address 
of Mrs. Wait. Write to " Brentano's," Union Square, N. Y., for a list of pub- 
lications on china and pottery. As we hear of any new works on the subject, 
we will let you know through the magazine. We wish your club all success. 
MRS. ARTHUR E. G. Beside the specific treatment of the tankard de- 
sign in the first two numbers, you will find articles on lustre work in every 
number which will acquaint you thoroughly with the manipulation of the 
color. 
MISS H. E. B. STUDY OF NARCISSUS IN PEN AND INK. Unless 
conventionalized, flowers should be drawn and used as decoration in the order 
of their growth. The Narcissus is a flower, one of the chief characteristics of 
which is its stiffness. Thus, the tulip, the jonquil and other flowers of the 
same manner of growth, look much better if the character is kept and if used 
on a vase or pitcher should be drawn as if growing stiffly up from the base- 
In drawing with pen and ink, block in the forms squarely as much as possible. 
A curve indicated by several straight lines has much more character than a 
continuous curved line. Do not cross-patch your drawings. Make your shad- 
ing lines follow the curves of your flower, or if making a mass of shadow draw 
all lines in the same direction, and have all shadow lines drawn at the same 
angle, not one part slanting to right, another to left, some up and down and 
some horizontal. Draw things as you see them, not as you know them to be- 
Get the masses of light and shade and general effect first, the details after- 
ward. Do not see loo much detail, put in only necessary detail. A bunch of 
Narcissus looks better held straight up, than it would bent sidewise. A few 
strong shading lines are better than many fine ones. Draw rather hea\ il\ 
and firmly for reproduction. Be careful that your stems come from some 
specific flowers and do not look as if tacked on anywhere. Do not draw any- 
thing not conventional out of your head, but have the natural object before yoil 
so you can refer to it and see that you are right. Get every flower, leaf and 
stem in its exact relation to every other leaf, flower and stem in the bunch. 
You seem to have a natural talent, but you need good instruction and we will 
be glad to do what we can for you. Your drawing is not weak but could be 
stronger. 
SCROLLS. The chief fault with amateur scroll work- is the broken bacii 
effect of the curves. A scroll to be agreeable to look at, should have no jerks 
in it, should flow evenly, should not branch off at the wrong spot. One curve 
should start from another at a tangent. If you are using a scroll border with 
flowers do not let the scrolls wander aimlessly down into the painting. Let 
the flowers come from under the border. Flowers and scrolls should not be 
combined in painting unless the flowers are conventionally used. 
MRS. M. C. A. The lustres you see advertised in our magazine are the 
best. They come in liquid form in vials of different sizes according to the 
amount desired. They are used directly from the bottle and seldom require 
thinning. When they do lavender is preferable to essence as the latter some- 
times makes the lustre "creep." You will find an article on their application 
in the current number. Paste and enamel can be used upon lustre when dry 
before firing, but it is preferable to fire first. The same is true in regard to 
gold. They require the regular china color firing and can stand a hard fire. 
ABOUT GLASS. The safest glass for the amateur to decorate is the 
Bohemian glass. The Baccarat glass is also fairly safe. The glass needs a 
very careful light firing, hardly more than a rosy glow in the kiln. It would 
be best to experiment first with some broken pieces to find the desired de- 
gree of heat. Gold fluxed for china can be used, on paste for glass but a 
special glass gold must be used directly on the glass. Hancock's paste for 
china can be used for glass but you need special glass enamels and colors. 
There are no houses which carry a regular line of glass for decoration, but if 
you desire we will select pieces for you, if you specify what you wish, and 
send to you on receipt of price. The different colors need so little variation 
in firing that it is hardly necessary to go into that. If you can fire a piece of 
glass so that any color glazes without melting the glass you are safe to try 
the other colors at the same degree of heat. 
In regard to the tinting. If you put it on and blend before putting on 
your paste you should have no brush marks showing. If you are using deep 
color, paint it on thinly and with a little oil then rub in some of the powder 
color with a bit of cotton, then clean edges for the paste. 
MRS. C. L. M. In regard to paste clippings after firing. It is caused by 
the paste getting fat. Sometimes toward the last of the paste mixed it begins 
to get heavy and fat. This is liable to chip after firing especially if it does 
not dry quickly and without a shiny look. If you are putting paste and 
enamel over dusted color, it is best to clean out where the design is to go after 
firing. Most colors will make the paste roll up. 
Hard Enamel— aufseitzweis, will stand any number of fires. The soft 
enamels are safest applied for the last tire, though it is generally safe to risk 
two fires. Both enamel and paste can be built up after firing il it is necessary, 
but it is best to do this before firing after the modeling is dry. If you wish to 
make squares or diamond shaped ornaments or any other form, lay it in as 
smoothly and as high as it will go, then when thoroughly dry go over the 
enamel a second time. If it comes out of the tire uneven, you can till in the 
enamel and fire again. 
You wiil find fat oil and lavender better to use for both enamel and paste, 
than fat oil and turpentine, if you wish to do much modeling. The Frv's 
medium for color makes a good medium for enamels used flat. Use less fat 
oh when it is old and thick. The effect of over-firing most colors is a lading 
out in depth. Your dusted tint will be smoother if the oil is dabbed first 
before letting it stand ten minutes, then dusting in the color. 
