Page:Embroidery and Fancy Work.djvu/125

Rh china is to be fired but once, the painting must be more carefully finished in every part than if a second painting is to be done. Gilding should be deferred to the last firing.

Mineral colors come in two forms,—the Lacroix colors, which are ready mixed for use,—and in powder shape. Amateurs generally prefer the former as they are much more convenient to use, while professional decorators more generally employ the powdered colors. The latter are said to retain their brilliancy longer, are cheaper, and furnish some very desirable tints not procurable in the tube colors. When used with turpentine, they must first be thoroughly ground. To do this, put a little of the color on the palette, then add just enough fat oil (oil of turpentine) to allow of freely mixing the color. This must be thoroughly mixed with either palette knife or glass muller, the latter being preferable, and then mixed with turpentine as with the tube colors. Care should be taken not to use too much fat oil.

The smell of turpentine or oil of lavender is extremely unpleasant to some people, in some cases rendering it almost impossible for them to practice this branch of art work. To obviate this difficulty some use glycerine as a medium, and as this mode of mixing the colors has certain advantages it may be well to give directions for it.

Grind up the colors with equal parts of finely powdered gum and glycerine, making the color when mixed about the consistency of butter (in ordinary temperate weather) and using glycerine to paint with in the place of turpentine.

Painting done with glycerine does not dry as rapidly as when turpentine is used, and it is well to place the painting in an oven between the painting and the retouching, as two wet colors will spoil each other. To beginners this slowness in drying is sometimes an