98 
ftERAMIC STUDIO 
THE CLASS ROOM 
The next subject for the Class Room will be "The Art 
of Teaching," a course for beginners, referring to some 
design published in Keramic Studio for illustration. 
This should explain just how to start a beginner, what kind 
of piece to work upon, what style of work to attempt, what 
steps to take in the work, etc., up to the advanced and 
finished work. A special extra first prize of $10.00 will be 
added to the usual prizes if a sufficiently good article is 
sent. Articles should be received not later than Sept. 5th. 
000 
RAISED PASTE 
First Prize— Mrs. G. B. Strait, Cazenovia, N. Y. 
Raised paste which is to be covered with gold, is 
useful for scrolls, conventionalized flowers or geomet- 
rical figures, for tiny wire like lines around conventional 
or semi-conventional designs, for modeling delicate roses 
to be formed into garlands whose daintiness is their chief 
beauty, or even rococo ornaments if the scrolls are well 
balanced and reversed so as to produce a dainty and 
pleasing effect. 
MATERIALS. 
The materials needed are, powder paste, fat oil, lav- 
ender oil, turpentine, small ground glass slab, paint rag, 
pointed sables 00 and o and 1 for use in fine work, 
flat sables 1 and 2 for larger work, a small square shader 
for flat paste work, and a stiff palette knife. 
Paste may be purchased in various forms. Water 
paste, requiring only the addition of water to make it in 
working condition, is not considered as durable as other 
kinds, but is fairly satisfactory for pieces not requiring 
much handling. This kind of paste should only be used 
on the plain china, never over tints. If too much water 
is added when working it, the moisture must be allowed 
to evaporate, which may take some hours, or additional 
paste may be taken from the tube and mixed with it. If 
too wet it will spread as it dries. 
Gold cannot be applied until the paste is fired, and 
the firing must not be at a temperature above rose heat. 
If very high modeling is desired apply one coat, and then 
another when the first is nearly dry. 
To avoid a rough appearance, see that the surface 
of the paste is smooth and even in every place, remov- 
ing any irregularities in line with a brush dampened in 
water. Good paste may be bought in tiny jars prepared 
ready for use except that turpentine is to be added to 
facilitate its manipulation. This is a great convenience 
to beginners. But the usual way of preparing paste for 
gold is to buy it in powder form (preferably Hancock's) 
and prepare it in the following manner. Take some of 
the powder, which is a heavy dull yellow paint, on the 
palette, and with a stiff palette knife mix in thoroughly 
a little turpentine. Now rub until every trace of grit 
has disappeared and the mass is perfectly smooth and 
free from grains; then add just enough fat oil so that the 
mass is thoroughly incorporated with the oil, but is not oily. 
It should cling together when pressed with the knife, as 
flour will hold together if pressed into a mass in the hand. 
Breathe on it several times to give a little moisture to the 
mixture and prevent too rapid drying out. Add enough 
oil of lavender to make it a trifle more thin than wanted, 
breathing on it again occasionally as it is worked, and until 
it becomes hard enough to adhere to the knife in a stringy 
way and will stay exactly where it is placed. 
The breathing is to cause the mass to stiffen. It is 
now ready for use, and should be about the thickness of 
heavy cream; stringing easily from the brush in a steady 
firm line. If it becomes thinner as it is used, and flattens 
out when applied, it may be breathed upon and worked 
over until of the right consistency. But if it becomes 
too hard to work well add more lavender oil or turpentine, 
preferably the latter. It is well to prepare a quantity 
of paste at once, as it may be safely kept in a small jar 
any length of time. Paste may also be mixed with fat 
oil and oil of tar, in the proportion of 2 to 1. Or with 
lavender oil alone. Or with Dreseden thick oil to dampen 
the paste, and an abundance of turpentine, the evapora- 
tion of which will create the necessary oil. 
Or after using enough turpentine to hold the powder 
in a mass, it may be mixed into a thin paste with oil of 
tar. 
APPLICATION OF PASTE. 
No matter how the paste may be mixed, the method 
of application is the same. Take a small bit on the tip 
of the brush and apply it to the china in a smooth raised 
mass if flowers and leaves are to be attempted. If large 
dots are desired, apply in much the same manner as enamel 
dots, touching the china delicately with a slightly rotary 
motion, holding the loaded brush in an upright position. 
For small dots, suitable for flower centers, etc, just 
touch the lump of paste to the china, lift the brush 
straight up, and if the paste is in exactly the right condi- 
tion it will settle down into the round dot wanted. If 
any projection or point remains it may be removed by 
touching lightly with a dampened brush or finger tip. 
If the pressure of the brush is too heavy the dot will be 
flattened. If misplaced it should be allowed to remain 
until dry, when it may be removed with the point of a 
pen knife without injury to adjacent dots. 
In case the first application does not make the work 
of the desired height, a second or more applications may 
be made provided the first be surface dried, and looks 
dull and hard, which will be in from 10 minutes to one- 
half hour. If it takes a longer time than this to look 
dull, it is probable that too much oil has been used. The 
addition of a little alcohol will overcome this difficulty 
or more paste may be added. 
Paste lines should be fine, firm and even in width, 
and free from the least roughness. This is produced by 
using rather more oil than is required for modeling scrolls 
or dots, and in drawing with rapid, short, steady strokes 
the bit of paste along the design drawn on the china, at 
each refilling of the brush going back a little on the line 
that no break may be discernible. If the brush becomes 
clogged clean it in turpentine and wipe on cloth. 
When fairly large surfaces or flowers are to be covered 
with flat paste, the paste is prepared in the usual way and 
is still further thinned by the addition of lavender oil till 
more fluid than heavy cream, and is painted on with no 
trace of a brush mark. 
In every instance let the size of the brush used be 
governed by the space to be covered, and if the design 
is heavily laid let the brush be used in much the same 
manner as though color was the medium employed. 
Where heavy shaded effects are desired let the shadows 
be more heavily painted than the lights. 
If at any time the paste becomes too thick to work 
easily, add a very little turpentine rather than more oil, 
as the latter might cause the paste to blister or scale off 
during firing, or else cause the paste to run in an unsight- 
ly manner. Neither should any paste left on the palette 
