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KERAMIC STUDIO 
FTER spending my summer in the 
wilds of northern Michigan, I am 
more firmly convinced than ever 
that we can always find material 
for original designs, but not all can 
branch out at once into conven- 
tionalizing flower, leaf and branch 
into satisfactory designs. Do not 
despair, study and work — and then 
study and work again. I am 
glad so many teachers are advising this individual study, 
for now we may hope to see our Ceramic exhibitions show a 
higher and more original style of work each year. 
Take anything that appeals to you. Make a sketch of 
flower — full front, side and back, study the way the flower 
and stem join, then tear it apart; sketch petal, calyx, sta- 
men, seed-pod and leaf separately. Color these as nearly 
exact as possible, then lay the study away for future con- 
ventionalizing. In the winter, when one can not have the 
inspiration of field, forest and garden, then is the time to 
work out the summer's gathered treasures. So let nothing 
escape you. And when this message reaches those who are 
fortunate enough to live where there are ' ' green things 
growing," let them go out and gather the nuts, leaves and 
berries touched by Jack Frost, and see what beauties lie all 
around. 
If one has never seriously studied conventional work in 
china, but always the naturalistic, it may seem like a diffi 
cult proposition, but the pleasure you can find in it will 
more than repay you for the necessary serious study. At 
first copy good designs; study the color tones, the spacing, 
the arrangement of design suitable to the shape, the care- 
ful and correct drawing. You will soon find yourself able 
to distinguish between good and poor conventional work 
and to be satisfied with only the best. And, also, you will 
never want to say that ' ' conventional work is purely me- 
chanical." Only those who know nothing about design 
could say that. 
Do not be afraid to make tests of color schemes before 
applying the color to the piece of china. Make these tests 
and keep a memorandum of each; it will be of great value 
in future work. 
One word more — simplify. Do not attempt merely to 
make an elaborate design for itself alone, with the china sim- 
ply as a background for your work, but carry the thought 
always to make the design a part of the china, to add to its 
beauty solely, that the observer may say, ' ' What a beauti- 
ful satisfying bowl or plate!" not "What a perfect rose, or 
bunch of grapes!" Let the shape aid the design, and the 
design fit the shape, making one perfect whole. And only 
study will enable you to compass this. 
In order to avoid repetition and simplify the direc- 
tions for each design, let me give a few general rules 
here. Where the make of paint is not specially mentioned, 
use Da Croix. The outlining colors are Black, made of 
Ivory Black, two-thirds, Dark Blue one-third; Blue, made 
of Dark Blue, with a little Deep Purple and Dresden Bruns- 
wick Black; Red, made of Capucine Red, one-half, and Deep 
Red Brown, one-half; Brown, made of Brown No. 4 or 17, a 
little Dark Blue, Deep Purple and the Brunswick Black. 
These four are the only outlining colors I use. They can be 
bought mixed ready for use under the names of Outlining 
Black, Outlining Blue, Outlining Red, Outlining Brown — 
the "M. D. "colors if one prefers. 
There are two ways of outlining. Grind the colors with 
turpentine only, and use a fine No. 1 Tracer, or grind the 
STEIN— MABEL C. DIBBLE 
