Grapes. For painting dark blue grapes, use a mixture of about two parts banding blue to one part each purple and black. A strong contrast between light and shade should be an essential. Red grapes are treated the same as those above, but here violet of iron should be used for shadows, and dark pompadour mixed with about one-eighth part ruby for lighter portion. These applications should be applied very lightly.
Green Grapes. Shadows of green grapes should be laid in with a light wash of olive green. The light parts are left white. A delicate stroke of egg yellow around the under side of berry will give transparency to the fruit. The reddish tones may be added with a mixture of poppy red and pompadour for second firing.
Strawberries. It will be noted that dark pompadour is a very useful color for fruits. The shadows in the strawberries should also be laid in with this color and the light parts with a very light application of light pompadour. It will not be amiss to remind the decorator that in china painting all deep shadows are painted in for first firing and the lighter tints applied for second and third firings.
Crab Apples. Paint in the dark parts with brown green, and a light wash of yellow brown and yellow green over the light parts for first firing. Add the reddish tone with a mixture of dark pompadour and yellow red, and refire.
Oranges. Oranges are usually painted with yellow brown. Shadows are obtained by laying one application over another, and blending out the color thinly for lights.
Red Raspberries. These are laid in with dark pompadour for both light and dark parts.
Gooseberries. Lay in the shadows of the tints with moss green and apply wash of apple green over the light parts. Ripe gooseberries have a pinkish cast. To obtain this tint, a light dusting of peach blossom over a very light application of light pompadour will produce a delicate pink, very suitable for this purpose.
Peaches. The greenish cast in the outer edge of dark shadows of peaches, is laid in with brown green. This color should be blended with the light parts with a wash of bluish violet color. For the pink tones of the fruit apply a light wash of dark pompadour and the painting is ready to fire.
For the second firing, paint over the entire fruit with a mixture consisting of one part of yellow brown and two parts of ivory yellow. Then strengthen the reddish tints and the shadows.
Do not attempt to work too fast by using the colors too thick. China colors should be used sparingly. The strength of tints is obtained by frequent firings.