124 
RERAMIC STUDIO 
center of design on line which marked one-eighth of the 
border surface. A small piece of graphite transfer paper 
was slipped underneath and with a sharp point the design 
was traced over accurately. Never go over the same line 
more than once, else it may look double. Be sure to trace 
every line. If the tracing paper does not fit on plate per- 
fectly, cut the paper up to the defined and inked edge of 
design; then the paper may be made to fit closely over the 
edge and be fastened underneath with wax. When the 
first section is traced, take off tracing paper and apply mid- 
dle of design to the next perpendicular line on the plate and 
fasten paper with wax, transferring as before. 
Third step — Take out small quantity of Fry's special tint- 
ing oil, a tiny bit, as it dries so quickly; mix with it a few 
grains of grey for flesh, black or whatever the color outline 
is to be, and then with red sable rigger No. o outline the 
pattern carefully and smoothly, keeping oil always same 
consistency and having dried sufficiently, dust with same 
color and fire. 
SECOND FIRING. 
First step — Oil all background of design, also the lines of 
the circle on edges with special tinting oil and grey green, 
just enough to show whether oil is even as it goes on. With 
the edge of the square shader paint first along the edges of 
this background with sharp clear strokes. If you can keep 
the edges crisp there will be no wiping out process. Then, 
keeping brush flat, blend all together from edges of back- 
ground to center, brushing over it both ways — (cross-ways) 
but not working it over only to even without padding. Do 
not pad. When dried just right dust with grey green. Give 
it all it will hold. Let stand a while and dust again. Fry's 
special oil absorbs so much even after it seems dry. This 
makes a more solid even ground. If this is true and even 
fire, but if not take out and do over. There is no merit in 
a conventional design done in a slipshod manner. The 
beauty of the piece is in the accuracy of the lines and the 
color scheme. But no matter what the color scheme, the 
beauty is all lost if not accurate in every particular. 
Third firing. 
First step — Paint all over everything with special tinting 
oil and grey for flesh (just a little.) This is called the en- 
velope. Pay attention, go over everything, pad evenly. 
See that there is no dust or lint. 
Second step — Dry rather dry and dust, being careful to 
keep plenty of powder under the lamb's wool and do not 
stop to look or rest till you have gone over all, or you will 
have a dark spot. Do not rub more in one spot than an- 
other. With a rotary motion keep moving over the powder 
color till all is even. For envelope use i part grey green, i 
part pearl grey. Fire. 
REMARKS TO PUPIL. 
Do not go on until you can do one plate perfectly. It 
may have to be taken out several times. Dont be dis- 
couraged, for when you can do this one perfectly you have 
learned the mechanical principle of all the rest. 
Whether you intend to do conventional or naturalistic 
work in the end, do not neglect this ' ' start" either by doing 
a tile or plate in these flat tones. It is the foundation of 
all work, and if you can not do this well, do not expect to 
make a success even of naturalistic work; for the day has 
gone by when you can slap paint on china with ' ' artistic 
carelessness" just anywhere and have it called art. Think! 
COLOR SCHEMES. 
Study soft color and harmony. Make nothing finished 
which has not an envelope containing some grey or grey 
yellow to hold the color scheme together. It need not be 
dark. Try to make your own designs, remembering that 
china is dainty and beautiful in itself. So designs which 
might be appropriate for wood or coarser material or textiles 
may be quite out of place"on china. 
Consider the use to which the piece is to be put in deciding 
character of design as well as color scheme. 
Much gold is only appropriate for elaborate dinner service 
or for ornaments. Yellow and browns are nice for coffee 
or chocolate service. Grey greens with orange or yellow 
pinks, as capucine red used thinly, etc., are appropriate 
colors for salad sets. Shades of blue for a breakfast set. 
Green for tea or luncheon sets, and so on. Don't put cupids 
in salad bowls or roses on meat platters. Consider the use, 
and if you are any good as a teacher you can make the pupil 
soon see the principle as you do. 
Do not antagonize; do not be arbitrary; respect others' 
views, but never sacrifice your principle by allowing things 
to go out which you know to be wrong, if an effort on your 
part can change it. 
You can teach, but you can not force people to see cer- 
tain things when their whole education has been on the 
other side. Be patient, and be confident that in the end of 
all things only the true will survive, and be content with 
the survival of the fittest. 
o o o 
Teana McLennan Hinman 
To succeed as a teacher one must be absolutely sure 
of what one is trying to teach and know how to tell 
what one knows, so that the pupil will understand what is 
told. 
Teaching is an art, most painting is a trick. 
To show a beginner how to find what he is to draw is 
first, how best to place on paper what he has found, second, 
and the simplest method of making a composition of what 
he has placed on paper, the third. 
All beginners should be taught how to outline the mass 
or main part of the study they are to undertake, and a study 
that one may see every day is best, for in each glance one 
sees a new line, a new shadow or a different composition of 
color effect. The every day garden flowers and the fruit 
and vegetables we have every day are in my opinion the 
studies that all beginners should have, and each day as the 
eye grows accustomed to the form and the value of light 
and shade, the hand finds it much easier to draw, for one 
can not put on paper what is not in the mind first. Have 
the study photographed in the mind and the drawing is 
three-quarters finished. 
' ' Avoid complication of form and hold to values, ' ' is one of 
the most difficult things for a pupil to understand, and as a 
matter of fact very few teachers know the real meaning of 
the word value in painting.* Another error that most be- 
ginners make is that they always wish to put in a picture a 
number of things that really are not in the study from 
which they are working. Many times have I been asked by 
pupils, "Shall I paint only what I see." This is a very 
important part of the teacher's Avork, impressing on the 
minds of the pupils that only what they see is to go on 
paper. For example, most children given an object to 
draw — a wooden box, for instance — will not only make a 
drawing of that portion of the box which they see, but of 
*Value in painting is the relative light and dark, or relative purity Ui 
ntensitv of color. — Editor. 
