Page:The Art of Modeling Flowers in Wax.djvu/35

 pyramid shape. Then take another strip of wax of the same color, double it, and turn over at the top; cut so as to separate it; roll round in the same way as before, so as to form the head or spike of flowers.

The next things to be made are the buds, which should be cut from pale green and white wax into six small points. These are rolled round, taking care that the ends are not pressed together; they are to be placed round rather lower, five in number. The next, half-blown blossoms, are made from light green, cut in the same way as the buds. Take a small piece of white wax, cut into a fringe of about the eighth of an inch in width and a quarter of an inch in height; roll these inside the green wax, taking care that the fine points expand at the top; these are placed on in the space left by the buds; add two or three rows under, made in the same way, with the addition of a few fine threads in the centre, made of No. 100 spool thread, waxed with pale yellow; this will give strength to the flower and delicacy to the stem. After they are made up, take a sable brush and paint the bottom of the blossoms with a little orange color; afterward add a little brown or red, to make it darker at the ends.

The principal difficulty in making this flower is the patience required in cutting and fixing the blossoms. Practice and attention to these rules will enable the student to attain to perfection. There