The Portland daily press., 1880-12-02
[Harper's Bazar.l
Painting on Satin and Silk.

With the revival of art IN the present day,
painting on satin has become deservedy popu-
lar. 1t very effective, by no means difficult,
and it can be utilized in various ways. 1t is
particularly suitable for large folding screens,
hand scret ms, table borders, tennis aprons,
and dress trimmings. Some of the handsom-
est court dresses have lately been prepared
with sprays of flowers painted on them, and
ladies have begun painting little bouquets on
their long kid gloves to match their dresses.
We will now give few simple instructions
in the art. To begin with colors
Transparent.-Carmine Pruss n blue, pur-
pie lake.
Semi-transparent.-Bu sienna, terre-verte,
Vandyck brown.
Opaque.-Flake-white Venetian red, cobalt,
vermilien, chrome-yellow, Nos. /, 3.
You will find these sufficient to make a be.
ginning. They are prepared in tubes at any
colorman's. You will also require bottle of
turpentine,sa wooden palette and palette-knife,
and some sable-brushes, Nos 8 and A.
The satin may be cotton backed, but the
finer the grain the better. 1t can be procured
at any dry-goods store. Now for your design.
If you are able to draw. you will prefer taking
fl wer and copying it as you go along, and
indeed this is much the best way but for
those who are unable to make design of their
own. should suggest their utilizing their old
crewel patterns. Honeysuckle, jasmine ox-eye
daisies, apple blossom, and any other flowers
with good deal of white or yellow in them
always come out well on black satin. We will
now imagine that you are going to paint
sprig Of apple blossom. Take your palette;
SO ieezp ont Of your tubes little carmine and
good deal of hdke-white for the apple blossom
aud terre-verte. chrome yellow, burnt sienna,
and Prussian Llue for the green leaves. Be-
gin by putting in the high lights with fake
white, using little turpentne and while the
work is still wet. apply little carmine mixed
with white to those petals that require it, For
the calyx use terre-verte mixed with yellow
chrome and put in the stamens with orange
chrome. You will now begin the leaves, using
the paint as thin as possible, and working the
way OF the leaves instead of putting on a Hat
tint as in water-color. Ii you wish toshow the
under side of leaf, use a little fl fike-white
with the green. The stalk might be of Van
dyck brown mixed wi b white, burnt sienna
being used in places showing the knots in the
wood d. not use much turpentine with your
colors, but be very Cal eful to wash your brushes
well i'll it after using them This is of the
utmost importance. for if they are left dirty
the paint will stick to them and loosen the
hairs of the brushes.
For decorating screen YOU might have
some such design as the following: kingfish-
er flying over lake with water-lies growing
on it, and bulrushes in the background; or
storks by the waterside, and large yellow flags
growing near: or the beautiful golden oriole
flying upward TO bough of pale blue wistaria.
For dado to room, red poppies or purple
clematis would have charming effect. Paint
ing in water-color, though not so effective as
oil, is not without its merits II is not SO much
trouble as oil, aid has the advantage OF being
free from smell. Oils depend very much on
the weather whether they smell or not; on a
fine dry day with the windows open it is inn
perceptible, but damp day makes all the diff
ference. Painting in oil on silk presents no
further difficulties than painting on sa' in, al
though it is sometimes recommended to have
the silk prepared by sizing it. In painting in
.water-colOr the chief thing to rememDer is to
use plenty of Chinese white; this may be pro-
cured in bottles, aud lasts much longer than
the tubes generally used. A little gum added
to the color brightens the general effect.
quick artistic eye for the beautiful COM
bined with neatness aud determination to
persevere, is all that is required to carry this
useful art to perfection. A love of the heauti-
full is a refining influence, one that raises the
mind to higher level, and opens out to it an
Overwhelming field of Intellectual enjoyment.