Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-19
VERY PRETTY IDEA.
FREsCo PAINTING by THE AID OF A
SHADOW THROWN ON THE WALL.
Fascinating and Novel Art Work
Amy One Can Produce the Most
OF Paint.
cMrltten for the plspatchO

kNIllLGu Tor Inc DlSpdLCn.)
They call it shadow ornamentation. 1t
is an entirely new way Of decorating the
home artistically; it requires no training,
and when done it is something that you
will feel proud Of calling in your friends
and neighbors TO criticise. The outfit is
inexpensive. If you want TO ornament
your walls with frescoes ia red, get pot
OF red paint and a paint-brush. II YOU
prefer black or green, or blue or yellow,
take your choice and purchase paint Of
your fayorite color. Then darken the
room to be decorated, light a lamp, and
study out the general outlines of the
fresco work that you propose to try and
paint on the wall.
To get the outline Of the ornamental
ton. place plant in front Of the light so
that a shadow IS thrown on the wall.
Study the shadow until you have an out
line that suits your artistic fancy. If one
plant does not throw pretty shadow try
another. Or. If your plants do not throw
shadows that meet with your approval,
discard the plants and try the effect OF
some cut flowers or tree branches If
both have pretty features and you can't
choose between them, try the effect Of q
combination Of both, IL you have suih-
Client wall space. The most interesting
part Of the new idea IN ornamentation is
the scope 1t gives for exercising natural
taste in the arrangement Of tho outline.
II Is necessary 10 use for "shadOWing'
those plants that throw a large and many
branched outline, as otherwise the pref
test effect will not be obtained when the
filling-in is done. The more delicate the
tracery work the better, and il is there
fore well to select flowers like begonias,
ferns, or branches like those Of the horse
chestnut tree. However, the selection Of
the plant to be used TO throw the sha-
dows can be lett to the taste Of the
artist it IS impossible 10 advise, as 50
many plants are equally good for this
purpose. Having decided on the ground
work, the next thing to do is TO paint the
outline OF the shadows very methodically.
This IS the most important part of the
work, and great care should be taken over
IL, as upon the outlining depends the sue
cess of the fresco. The hlling-in is COM
paratiYely easy. Go very carefully around
the outlines of the leaves and branches.
following the veins and tracing the out
lines Of the leaves and blossoms carefully.
When you have done this the rest OF the
work can be finished in the day time
when the light VIII enable you 10 work
with less strain on the eyesight. Having
the outline before you, you will be able
10 Judge OF the appearance OF the work
when completed, You viii be surprised
and delighted at the result even at this
stage. 1t IS not ali plain sailing. Some
necessary part OF the plant Will fail TO
show in the shadow in spite Of tho most
painstaking care TO have tho light just
right. This leaves room for artistic et-
fort on the part Of the one doing the deco
Eating and this 10 many Will prove the
most fascinating feature OF the whole
undertaking. To merely daub In an out
line IN a perfunotory way viii not suit
the Individual with an artistic soul IT
IS the finding cut that what has all the
appearance of the finest art work when
completed can be accomplished with so
little training that proves the chief charm
10 the one who tries the effect Of this
frescoing by shadow.
In painting in the outlines great care
must be exercised 10 follow the lines cor
rectly A warning is here given that what
will appear very plain when the shadow
is painted in outline will seem an incom-
prehensible arrangement OF lines when
the plant has been removed and tho work
OF painting In the outline is begun on the
following day. With care. however, II
will be found 10 be an easy matter TO fol-
low the lines correctly.
Some idea OF the result 10 be obtained
by the shadow frcsco artist IS shown in
the accompanying Illustration. taken from
q photograph. The artist iirst colored
the wall pink, and on this delicate ground
work painted the fresco work with paint
of brownish green. The effect was re-
narkably pretty.