Embroidery and Fancy Work. Anonymous

to the rule above, Harmonious with each tertiary we view The complemental secondary hue. Thus citrine—olive—russet harmonize With purple—orange—green, their true allies. These hues, by white diluted Tints are made; By black, are deepened into darkest Shade. Pure or combin'd, the primaries all three, To satisfy the eye, must present be; If the support is wanting but of one, In that proportion harmony is gone; Should red be unsupported by due share Of blue and yellow pure—combin’d they are In green, which secondary thus we see, The harmonizing medium of all three. Yellow for light contrasts dark purple's hue, Its complemental, form'd of red and blue. Red most exciting is—let nature tell How grateful is, and soothing green's soft spell. So blue retires—beyond all colors cold, ​While orange warm—advancing you behold. The union of two primaries forms a hue As perfect and decided as 'tis new; But all the mixtures which all three befall, Tend to destroy and neutralize them all; Nay, Mix them—three parts yellow, five of red, And eight of blue—then color all has fled. When primaries are not pure, you'll surely see Their complementals change in due degree: If red (with yellow) to a scarlet tend, Some blue its complemental green will blend; So if your red be crimson (blue with red), Your green with yellow would be varied; If yellow tends to orange, then you find Purple (its complement) to blue inclin'd; But if to blue it leans, then mark the change, Nearer to red you see the purple range. If blue partakes of red, the orange then To yellow tends: if yellowish, you ken The secondary orange glows with red,

      Reader, Farewell! my lesson now is said."

      In the first painting, the aim should be to get in what is called the "dead coloring," which blocks out the design in the principal colors. This done, the background can be laid in. If a smooth background is wished, it can be obtained by the use of the blender, using it somewhat after the manner described for china painting. If a mottled background is wished, two paintings are required. First, cover the background with a simple flat tone, say terre verte and burnt sienna. In the second painting, which must not be done until the first is perfectly dry, wipe the painting over with a little poppy oil, being careful to leave no superfluous oil on the painting. This causes the two coats of paint to combine. Now go over the painting with the same tints used in the dead coloring, correcting, improving, and softening, making the high lights (that is the parts nearest approaching to white), laying them on with spirited touches, and with rather stiff color. For the mottled effect in the background use Antwerp blue, yellow ochre and white, with a very little light cadmium; prepare also some terre verte and burnt sienna, with madder lake. Paint in ​these contrasting tones in alternate masses, large or small, as desired, and then blend them with a large soft brush. This will give a mottled olive-blue effect. A spray of pink and white chrysanthemums would look well on this ground.

      For the third or last painting, when perfectly dry, oil as before, and touch up where it is needed, putting in the last delicate touches which often serve to emphasize and bring out the picture.

      The "glazing" is put on at this stage. This process is the laying some transparent color, mixed only with megilp, over any part to enrich and give it depth; thus burnt sienna put on over red has a very good effect. It must be put on sparingly, so as to see the former paintings through it, and even taken off entirely with a rag or the finger, in some places, as in the highest light.

      In painting, endeavor to lay on your colors steadily and boldly, with as few strokes of the brush as possible. Keep your tints pure and distinct, each in the place you mean it to be. Do not, by going over and over them with the brush muddle and mix the tints, for some tints destroy each other, and the transparency and beauty of the painting will be lost. In softening or uniting the tints, it is best either to use an intermediate shade, or else, with a clean brush and no color, to melt them together. Much depends on the first painting. It should be lighter in color than the picture is intended to be, as all colors sink, more or less, into the ground as they dry, and it can easily be glazed and toned down to the proper color. The shadows should be put on thin in color, the lights with a greater body of paint, with a sharp and firm touch. The brightest lights may be painted quite white, and glazed to the required hue; beautiful effects are produced by glazing, but it is dangerous for the student to be too free in the use of it.

      "Scumbling" is the reverse of glazing, and is done by ​going over the painting, when quite dry, with opaque tints of a lighter hue, generally with a mixture of white. Colors that are too bright can thus be cooled down, and objects made to appear more distant; smoke mist, and the haziness of far-off hills, can be thus produced. The color should be laid on very thinly, with a hog's bristle brush, and should not be laid over shadows.

      When painting, often retire from your work and look at it from a distance, so as to judge of the effect. When copying from nature, as in painting flowers, look at them sometimes with your eyes half closed, or through a tube formed of rolled up paper. This will isolate your subject, and help you to see the lights and shadows more correctly.

      Much of the comfort, and success also, of an amateur depends on their keeping their painting materials in good working order. Brushes put away with paint in them will soon spoil, while if much paint is left on the palette considerable waste is involved. You can save your pure colors by taking them off the palette with your knife, placing them on a plate, and then covering them with water; they can be kept for several days in this condition. Now scrape all the waste color and oil off your palette; wipe it off with a rag and pour a little linseed oil on it (I believe kerosene oil is often used for this purpose); wash all the color out of your brushes, wiping~them with a rag, and then dip them in clean oil. Some prefer washing them in soap and water. Wipe the dirty oil off your palette and then rub it with a little clean oil. Put brushes and palette safely away from the dust.

      If possible, paint from nature; take simple objects at first which will await your time, as flowers and landscapes will not. A bit of drapery is excellent practice. If you are at fault in drawing get a good copy of a flower, and by it learn how to draw the real flower, but copy the ​color from the natural object. I have found this method very helpful. Don't destroy first attempts; they may serve to keep up your courage in times of apparent failure; date these attempts, that you may note the progress made.

      Painting, now-a-days, is used for decorating almost everything. It is so much more effective, for the time spent on it, than embroidery that, in this go-ahead age, it is not strange it should be popular. On silk and satin, decorative painting can be quickly executed by one who has a good eye for color, and command of the brush. The method is much the same as above described, only that some means often have to be taken to prevent the oil from spreading. Some use a mixture for this which can be obtained at the stores where artists' supplies are sold. Others paint over the design with oxgall, and others again find that by taking out their paints on blotting paper and using turpentine as a medium, all danger of this kind is averted. Satin, for painting, should be of a firm, even texture. The gloss on its surface is very trying to the eyes, and for this reason many have had to give up using it. Plush and velvet are also used to paint on. The aim must be to produce effective rather than delicate work. The plush must be firmly fastened on the drawing-board, the pile running downwards. The paint should be taken out on blotting paper, and about ten times as much will be needed as for ordinary painting. Use siccatif de Oourtray as a vehicle instead of megilp or turpentine. Sketch your design in Chinese white, and then press the colors down with a stiff bristle, poonah, or pounce brush, until they fairly take hold. Dog-wood, coreopsis, cactus and other large blossoms are most available for this kind of painting. Care should be taken that the shape of the plush left by the leaves or flowers laid on it is graceful.