26 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
DESIGN FOR TEA SET— ANNIE R. FREDERICK 
(Treatment page 16) 
BEGINNERS' CORNER 
A SUGGESTION 
Laura Bartlett Mecutcken 
I FIND that small, folding tables with the top neatly cov- 
ered with white oil-cloth are the best to work on for china. 
Mine are so light that I can pick them up and move them with 
most of my materials on them, a good thing in cold weather 
when one must sit near the heat early in the morning. 
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ADVICE TO BEGINNERS 
Edna M. Wihnont 
MY advice to beginners in china painting is — first of all, 
do not, please do not, begin to "take lessons" unless 
you are serious in wishing to learn to paint, and are not just 
"taking lessons to get a few pieces I've always wanted", 
which means that the little merit, if any, attached to said pieces 
will be what the teacher has done. Usually, what the "pupil" 
has daubed on under such conditions, simply spells ruin to the 
work. If pieces of china are what you want, go to some repu- 
table artist and buy his work outright — which will be worth 
more to the "pupil", the artist, and the world at large. Ameri- 
can homes and stores are already too full of badly painted 
china, which is neither artistic nor beautiful. The country 
is also scourged with inartistic, illy prepared teachers. If 
you are in earnest, find the best teacher to be had, the best 
pays from the beginning, and prepare yourself for many weary 
hours of painting, wiping out and painting in again, striving 
always to improve over the former effort. Never hesitate to 
take out work and do it over again. The secret of success 
in china painting, as in everything else, is "keeping everlast- 
ingly at it." Study the work of others, taking note of how it 
may help you to improve something in your own work. Re- 
member that the head must work as well as the hands. 
The earnest worker will have many days of exaltation over 
some achievement perhaps succeeded by days, or weeks, in 
which she will dwell with despair in the slough of despond, only 
to go to work again with renewed vigor and hope, working 
away to final accomplishment. 
I trust this article may put heart in some discouraged 
beginners, as it is written from the heart by one who has made 
an uphill fight against many obstacles, but who is beginning 
to see a "bright light" due to strength of purpose and dogged 
perserverance. 
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OUTLINING 
Zoa E. Brown 
IN conventional work, a good outline is all-important. That 
shaky undecided line which so many beginners get, even 
after considerable effort, will ruin the appearance of the finished 
product, even though the rest of the work is well done. First 
of all, care should be taken in mixing the black out-lining 
paint. Place a very small quantity on a slab and grind it well, 
then add enough medium to make it about the consistency 
of thin cream. When these are well ground together, place 
the mixture in a well of the palette, add a drop of turpentine 
and stir well with the palette knife. Then try it on the palette 
cover, it may be necessary to add more turpentine, but be sure 
that it is mixed exactly right before starting to outline. If it 
is too thin the line will spread, if too thick it will not flow from 
the pen readily enough. It is always best to prepare just a 
little at a time as the freshly mixed paint will give better re- 
sults than that which has been standing for several days. Use 
a fine pen for fine lines and a coarse one for heavier work. 
Trouble sometimes arises from using a pen too long. Change 
for a new one often and wipe pen frequently while using. Work 
slowly, holding pen quite erect and using same pressure through- 
out design. The result should be a firm line of uniform width 
with almost no cleaning out to be done. 
K K 
HELPFUL HINTS 
Lizzie H. Goulding 
ONE difficulty often experienced by teachers is that many 
pupils are unable to imagine how the black and white 
or "half-tone" designs will look when worked out in color. 
