Commence to mark the scales in gray No. 1 by making a line of them with a fine-pointed brush downward across the body of the fish (Fig. 186) and this will be a guide to build out from (Fig. 187); after the painting has thoroughly dried begin again by marking, on the head and around the eye, the tiny scales in gray No. 2, with a little fat oil and turpentine, and paint a line along the upper edge of the head and back with brown No. 4, and another lighter line of the same color along the back just below and adjoining the first one; paint the eye and markings on the head brown and strengthen the tail and dorsal fins with gray No. 2; touch up around the gills with sky blue, also with yellow ochre where the copy requires it. Then turn your attention to the sea-weeds; mark the thread-like branches of these in different colors, using carnation, brown No. 4, gray No. 2, and brown-green; paint each weed in one color, place the sea-weeds on one side or corner of the plate, making them branch out this way and that, as in nature. Now clean off your palette and mix some mat relief for the fish-net, which is to be placed over and across a portion of the plate; with a lead-pencil mark the netting on the plate, but do not touch the fish; then with a very fine brush follow the markings with the relief, when it is necessary to paint across the fish, your eye and the copy must be your guides, as it would take the paint off the fish to attempt any marking on it. The relief on the fish cannot be altered, so be careful to have it correct the first time. Should the line of relief be too broad in other places, remove it with your scraper and make another trial. When the plate is perfectly dry it must be fired, after which put in a background of warm gray mixed with capavia and turpentine; bring this to an even tint with the blender, and if any paint blends over on the fish wipe it off while the color is damp; also remove the paint from the netting and set the china away to allow the color to thoroughly dry; next paint broad sweeps across the plate, but not over the fish, with gray No. 2 mixed with fat oil and turpentine, to represent the different tints of the water, and again remove the paint from the net; now touch up the sea-weed and the fish where they need strengthening, then give the fish a very light wash of gray No. 1.
Here and there along the upper edges of the water colored gray No. 2 make a very fine line with enamel or relief-white mixed with a little fat oil and turpentine; gild the fish-net, using either pure gold or mat gold, cover the relief carefully with the gold, and put it on thick but in fine lines; this accomplished, finish by gilding the edges of the plate with mat gold, and when dry send it to be fired. To avoid mistakes when sending china to be fired, state whether you wish the gold burnished, dull, or polished.
Foliage on China Made With a Sponge.
Prepare the paint with fat oil and turpentine, rub it down smooth, then with a small sponge apply the colors, using different shades as the first dry, and touching up afterward with a brush; in this way you can also paint backgrounds which cannot be made with the brush.
Mixing Colors.
The best way to paint with safety when you are in doubt what colors will mix, is to test them yourself. For this purpose take a French china plate and make experiments with different colors on the plate; at the same time write down a memorandum of the paints used and of those mixed, have the plate fired; then paste your memorandum on the back. Use this for reference, and with experience will come the full knowledge of the use of all the paints.
Royal Worcester Ware
is very delicate and dainty and something quite novel for amateurs in the way of china decorations.
Very beautiful pieces of this ware may be seen now in all the leading china establishments in New York City, and so choice is it that even some of the largest jewelry stores have rare Royal Worcester vases among their most valuable articles on exhibition.
We know of no book that teaches this art of decoration, and although we have seen some amateur work which only an expert could distinguish from the genuine article itself, we think our exposition of the method is the first of its kind printed in this country; and girls, if you would know the secret, so that you also may be able to paint and gild in this beautiful fashion, you have only to listen while the writer tells how to decorate a Royal Worcester vase as she did; then you will have a practicable and detailed method which we know to be good, having tried it.