GENERAL REMARKS UPON DRAWN MARBLES.

All marbles that are drawn by the stylus or knitting-needle are, in their treatment, more or less similar to the comb-marble, therefore the way to produce them is similar to that described in the former article upon comb-marbles.

To produce a pretty coloring, it is unavoidable, to use those four colors which I have named in the former article on comb-marble.

If it is desired, to use more colors than the four named, greater perfection in marbling is essential and it takes a perfect practical marbler to achieve beautiful products with eight colors, but practice and a zealous heart will even overcome these difficulties. The lustre of the colors is due to their combination, according to their power of spreading out and to their harmony.

Wall-paper will frequently show what beautiful and fine effects can be produced by three, or at the most four colors.

If the colors are separated by white, they develop a greater lustre, while black employed in the same way is productive of a more sombre effect.

The separation of colors by white and black is most decidedly more profitable and effective, than a marble in which the different variegated colors immediately touch each other. It is therefore advisable always to take black as the ground-color, white will be produced without adding any coloring matter whatever by the drawing of the colors with the stylus.

Black is the ground-color, upon which all the rest, blue, yellow, red are thrown; it is understood, that they must expand in the proper proportion, to produce a clear marble.

The lustre of the colors is mainly a result of white and black, which form, as it were, a frame about the other colors by their own durability.

The other colors, which we may add to the four nonpareil colors, are, different shades of red and yellow. A bottle is filled to one half its height with carmine-lake, then black is added until a very deep purple is obtained; another color is a powerful orange, which, if not on hand, can be produced by mixing red and yellow. To produce a beautiful combination use the following colors, black, light blue, orange, light yellow, purple and finally scarlet red, (a color which I have recently introduced under the name of safflower carmine) this combination of colors gives a surprisingly beautiful result. To produce the nonpareil (or comb) marble with eight colors, two more mixed colors are used, one of which serves as a shade to light blue, while the other enhances the lustre of the lighter colors. To this end, pour a little dark-blue into a glass bottle and mix it with the same quantity of green, obtaining a dark bluish-green. As a second color mix green and white until the color is pale green. To produce a desirable effect with these eight colors we must observe the following order, black, light blue, dark bluish-green, orange, light yellow, purple, pale green and scarlet-red.

In this wise numberless variations and combinations can be obtained, but it should always be taken care, that the primary colors only receive shading tones of secondary or tertiary colors. The mode of throwing the colors on the size is always the same as I described it for nonpareil marbles namely; form a ribbon of black from 4 to 5 inches in width in the prescribed way and throw the other colors into the black and at both rims of it but so that they are situated within the black. The same colors which are on one rim must also be thrown upon the other rim in the most uniform way possible. The marble therefore, before it is drawn is similar to a ribbon which has in its centre the black stripe about 2 inches wide, and on each side, a border of different colors 1 to 1-1/4 inches wide.

The more colors are used for the drawn marble, the less of each color except black should be thrown on the size. Although the colors have been adapted to each other in regard to their power of expansion before using them, it is indispensable in producing these marbles with such a large number of colors to assist the expansion of one color or the other by a few drops of ox-gall.

It is necessary to see, that the second color should not too greatly be displaced by the third, the third by the fourth, etc., because the color, which is mostly displaced would not appear in the marble at all.

In producing peacock marbles, I obtained most excellent results even without primary colors. They were not so bright and lustrous in their general color effect, but their most subdued tones were most pleasing to the eye.

To one of these marbles I used the colors in the following order; black, medium olive green, dark bluish-green, bronze or ochre yellow, dark blue and bright chrome yellow, (to obtain the olive, use the following mixture; 3 parts light orange, 1/2 part dark blue; bluish-green as described above; ochre yellow, 2 parts light chrome yellow, 1 part brown; blackish-blue, 2 parts dark-blue, 1 part black; light chrome yellow, 2 parts light orange, 2 parts white.)

Beautiful bouquet marbles are obtained from the following colors; blackish-green, 2 parts black, 1 part green; yellowish-green, 2 parts yellow, 1 part green; light-brown, dark bluish-green as above, scarlet-red and light ochre yellow. In this way many combinations of color can be obtained, and it is left to the judgment of the marbler to select colors and make the mixtures. Having succeeded in producing beautiful marbles with few colors, it will be easy for anyone to produce others with more colors.

MARBLED EDGES.

MARBLED EDGES.
(SEE [SPECIMEN PLATES].)

Many of my colleagues are of the opinion, that marbled edges are inferior to drawn edges, but this is a great mistake, and here we are able to show in what directions the marbling art is able to develop to its full glory.

The field for marbled edges is so large and prolific in the variations of shade, that there are really no limits to its capabilities.

While making experiments in this field, by accident I came across some edges without having an idea of the effect of the combination which so astonished me by its beauty.

It would be endeavoring too greatly to describe the method of producing all effective marbled-edges which came to my knowledge in my many years' experience, I therefore name but a few which will certainly invite imitation and study.

Marble is the design of an edge of a book, which has a ground or back color and over which a net of veins of different colors is stretched.

For the production of marbled edges, the following preparation of size is advisable and in general use: boil 7 quarts of water and 3-1/5 ounces of carrageen moss, after boiling add 1 quart of cold water, in which one ounce of common soda has been dissolved, allow it to stand for 12 hours, and filter it through a linen cloth when it will be ready for use.

The preparation of colors is effected as with drawn marbles on a small surface of size, but it is necessary, that the colors for marbled edges expand more than the others. As first color, black is generally used, which is thrown on by a brush in the same way as in making nonpareil marble, but the other colors must be thrown on by a broom-corn whisk and the more colors are used, the smaller must be the drops of the colors which are thrown on the size, and it is further essential that they should be evenly divided around. Then use gall-water which consists of 10 parts water and 1 part gall and serves to arrange the different colors so that one color can be concentrated in one point, secondly, it has the effect of forming a white network of veins, which enhances the effect of the other colors, and finally, the ground color comes into play, putting the whole carpet of colors into motion. This color is nothing but a common nonpareil color and is used either by itself or in a mixture with other colors.

In preparing the ground or body color, enough of gall is added so as to slightly force the other colors into veins. An equal part of sprinkling-water is added to it, to give it the energetical power of spreading out essential to the formation of a beautifully veined net. The body-color is thrown on by a medium sized bristle brush, which must be tied near the end for this purpose. This brush is to be equally moistened with the body color, the best would be to moisten it by the aid of a common brush. When this is done throw the color by beating the bristle brush on a small board upon the carpet of colors. By this process larger or smaller specks of the body-color are formed.