The iris must be laid in with transparent color, then shaded, then finished with Chinese White. The pupil is touched with a dark color and the speck of white laid on last. Use the same color for black or brown as used for the hair, viz.: Light Red and Chinese White, and neutral or Purple tint and White for the latter. The face is now nearly finished; it only remains to add a few touches to the eyes and mouth, and impart life and expression to the countenance. If the person be dark, use Sepia and Purple Lake, equal proportions; but if fair, dispense with most of the Sepia. Next complete the background, after which finish up the hair over the background; after the last shaded parts of the hair lay on the high lights. Burnt Umber is most useful in brown and auburn hair; Indigo, Sepia and Lake, or Lake, Indigo and Gamboge, are the colors used for high lights, the lights inclining to a purple tint, the blue predominating. Keep the hair in masses; a good sized brush is needed. In painting cloth fabrics it will be well to use the local color at first very light, much more so than you desire it to be when finished. A black coat: begin by laying in a weak local wash as directed, and when it is dry go over the folds with a thin shadow color, which will prevent them being obscured by the next local wash. Having repeated this two or three times, you will find the garment to be as dark as necessary, but the shadows will be feeble; you may strengthen them with Sepia and Lake. A good black for gentlemen’s drapery is made of Indigo, Lake and Gamboge. When a blue-black is required, first make a purple-blue and then add the Gamboge till the tint is changed into black. In shadowing, always carry your pencil the way the folds run, instead of across them. The colors for backgrounds for fair people are blue, purple and greys. Dark complexions should have dark background. Stone is represented by a tint formed of Carmine, Indigo and Yellow Ochre, and the more distant you wish it to appear the more must the Indigo prevail. A background made of Cobalt, Burnt Sienna and a little Rose Madder works well. Madder Brown and Cobalt answers for the same. A purple cloudy ground is made of Indigo and liquid Carmine or Lake. An opaque ground, of a chocolate color, is composed of Lampblack and India Red.
Paint curtains over the background and put on the lights with body colors.
RUSSIAN,
OR
EGYPTIAN METHOD
OF COLORING PHOTOGRAPHS
WITH TRANSPARENT INDELIBLE COLORS.
This is the “biggest little thing” in painting that probably has ever been presented to amateur artists. For beauty of arrangement, ease and simplicity in its execution, no branch of art work of a similar nature has ever met with like success. With a fair idea of colors and their application, you may increase the beauty and enhance the value ten fold of any ordinary photograph, by following these instructions. To produce a first-class picture, you must necessarily have a good subject to work on. A photograph that will take a variety of colors, is best adapted for a showy picture.
Before applying the colors to a burnished or finished photograph, soften or cleanse the surface with the tongue until the saliva wets the picture evenly, without crawling; oxide gall is good, but saliva is the best for this purpose.
For a palette on which to mix or dilute colors, the bottom of a plate or saucer will answer. Always have a piece of blotting paper at hand to take up or remove superfluous paint from the picture, and use it after each application of color to the photograph.