In composing any new tint it will be well to leave out fullers-earth, pipe-clay, chalk, and other calcarious matters[13] which are generally used in the common way; the former—to bind the looser colours; the latter—to keep up the flake-white and white-lead, which otherwise would turn black; in encaustic those matters are wanted for none of the above ends; flake-white and white-lead will not change, and both together will make a body sufficiently connected to bind the lighter tints.
All colours used in oil and mentioned in the foregoing list, are good for crayons, and no others.
Note. What has been said at the end of the list of colours, that a few more colours, not commonly employed in oil, might be used for crayons, was a mistake of the author’s upon his experimental table; there are but two more that may be used for crayons, viz. bice and verditer.
The use of the crayons in encaustic is the very same as commonly practised, there is no difference; you must work and paint upon the waxed ground as you do upon the bare paper. Encaustic has the advantage over the common way as to expedition. The fine grittiness procured by the particles of the chalk mixed with the ground you work upon, will file off more colour from the crayon than the grain of the unwaxed paper; and the wax diffused through the ground will retain the colours better; so that when you sweeten your tints with your finger there will be no waste; for in working, the particles of the colour will intrude themselves into the body of the wax, which yields to them; which paper, bare or prepared with a ground tempered with gum or size, does not.
ART. III.
How to fix the crayons.
For fixing the crayons you must act and proceed in every respect, according to the directions given penciling system Art. IV. [page 35], [36], &c. you may retouch, and apply the dissolved wax on the back, and bring the picture to the fire as often as required.
Observations on the system for painting with crayons.
For painting with crayons I should prefer cloth prepared according to the first method, without paper, for the same reason I gave for deviating from Count Caylus’s system, [page 48], [49]. however, artists may decide for themselves.
Besides the two methods mentioned for preparing the cloth, one might paint upon paper pasted upon cloth as directed, without first laying on any wax or preparatory ground; but such paintings would not have that lasting solidity they ought; besides, laying on a ground preparatory and analogous in hue to the subject to be painted, is more expeditious, as such a ground may be made to serve for a half tint, and answers the purpose of dead colouring.