The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-12-31
FAIR HANDS AT THE EASEL.
Amateur Painting In Oil the Present Craze
Among Young Ladies-How to
Paint Flowers.

ladies is for painting" said society
man to a reporter for the New York
Mail and Express. "All the art schools
are full to overllowing with pupils. and
young ladies who are unable to attend
them are either taking private lessons
or endeavoring to become accom-
plished in this line Of work through the
medium of books of instruction end
patient, industrious practice at home.
The art department of the Cooper In
stitute never was so crowded as now,
and 4 vacancy there does not look
probable for from two to three years to
come. In a large number of the
schools, SO great has become the in
terest in the art, professional artists
are taking part as instructors. The
regular technical schools connected
with the Metropolitan Museum and
the Academy of Design have both be-
come of increased importance, and at
tract large attendance" said the repre-
sentative of large Fulton street firm
dealing in art materials to the reporter.
"The craze is particularly noticeable
for painting in oil on brass, silk, vel
vet, plush, china, tapestry, etc. A set
of artists materials in oil costs from
~ W CIV duu, W uiG tic NOIh 10 81
decidedly the fashion, great many
young ladies earn considerable PIN
money by what they paint, selling
their work to dealers i'll fancy articles.
Lustra-painting is just now quite the
thing. Lately we have sold one thou
sand sets of lustra paints, and the de-
mand for them is increasing every day.
The designs chiefly painted are flowers,
fruit, and birds, and they are especially
satisfactory on velvet OF plush. The
lustra cOlors are not regular paints,
but are metallic colors, and on velvet
OF satin they give very brilliant
effect-more so than tube paints. A
set costs 50. so. 1t is quite the fashion
to paint with them on portieres. Only
yesterday a lady was in here with a
pair of portieres which she had painted
that were worth fully S75. The rage
is especially for decorating room orna-
ments, such as plaques, vases, and
Limoges ware, the latter of which,
when painted in oil, has the full effect
of the imported ware, and ut one-third
the cost. A new thing in this line are
reliefs of models. They are made in
France, of white cardboard, and in
clude heads, figures, flowers, and in
fact every design for the student in
modelling. Their advantage lies in the
small expense, saving the buying of
casts. and that they do not break.
Would you give me some points OF
amateur painting in oilP"
Certainly. All that the beginner
needs are few colors of tube paint,
several brushes, a palette, palette
knife, an easel. little linseed oil and
turpentine, a rest stick, and some can
vas, and few pieces of silk and satin.
For painting flowers you want about a
white, ivory black, rose madder or
low, yellow ochre, cinnabar, green
in both light and medium, cobalt
burnt sienna, Italian pink. and bitumen.
The best authorities advise beginners
to paint flowers, from nature if possi-
BILE, at first simple flower or spray.
A mode of getting the ground-work
often used is to stamp the flowers or
figures in outline on the material from
paper prepared especially for the pur-
pose. Henri Clarise, who has written
good deal on the subject of learning
to paint without a teacher, says on
this subject: Study your shadows
carefully, shutting one eye and squint-
ing at your subject, as it were. Some
artists always paint in the principal
shadows first with neutral gray made
very thin with oil. Gray is made by
mixing red, blue, and yellow. or ivory
black and white, with little blue.
One will have to experiment consider
ably at first in making grays, both for
shadows and backgrounds Perhaps
for beginner it would be better to
buy the neutral grays all ready pre-
pared, though they are apt to be cold.
| that is, to have rather too much blue
| in them. When the shadows have been
painted in take a fiat sable brush and
take the general tones of the flowers,
ami paint from the center of the flower
to the edge of the petal, generally put
ting on the strokes firmly and not
working over Some of the paints viii
not need oil, others you will find quite
sticky, and you will have to thin then
from time to time by dipping your
brush in the oil-cup. If you wish tc
mix colors, do so on your palette Will
Your palette-knife. The high lights
are generally put on last, and be very
sparing of them; they are to be mixet
with white and put on much thicker
If you have flower picture to copy, bt
sure it is a good one. Sketch it IL
lightly; it is easier to begin in the cen
tire of the picture, also in the centre o
the flower, and in drawing leaf if tn
centre line or middle rib is drawn hrs
the rest will come easier.