The times., 1898-11-27


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b. piciiaras r b. aan- vtth Vi 10
risln4 stuaeut- hints - technique aud
some idea of the artists puint % view.
Professionals. 10 whom an this Is no
news. will remember that these com
meuts are not Tor them Lovers OF pic
turcs. who simply know what they like.
may CLEAN some useful information from
these notes written for the instruction of
students who are just beginning the study
OF water color.
There are four distinct schools or meth
DDS Of painting in water color The first
is the early method in which the English
excel. pure transparent wash of color
spread over the entire paper--this being
repeated after driving the paper until
these successive layers produce the de-
sired effect. Detail and strength is M
parted by repeated washes of traEspar-
crt color in parts of the picture.
The second method is rather French
and Italian. In this after the drawing Is
made in pencil patches of color are paced
N'''i
strength desired at that point, and is
often never touched again. When dark
patch and a light one are side by side,
and both are still wet. fine line of TIE
paper is allowed 10 remain between them
This prevents the two patches or nts
running into each other and gives very
fascinating sparkle to the finished pic
ture By some this is considered the true
province of water color. 1t is a delightful
method. especially adapted to rapid
sketching from nature.
That method by which the most distin-
guished and altogether satisfactory re-
suits are obtained is a combination of
these methods with the addition of Chi
nese white, which is a thick Opaque white
and imparts qualities that are distinctly
like oil painting in appearance. This is
called the Dutch school. and it at present
quite in vogue. The possibilities of Wa
ter color in this method are almost lin
| itless, for 1t combines the fine qualities
of the older transparent method, the
! French and also is able to produce quail
| ties that have long been thought to be-
! long exclusively 10 oil and pastel In pic
! lures OF moderate size the Dutch method
| is capable of wonderful results, \ number
| of Americans have taken up this method
and made pictures of the highest class.
/ Ranger. Smell and Lathrop. of New York,
! being the ablest American representa-
/ tives of this school.
! The fourth and last method is the en-
/ tirely Opaque where the colors, resemb-
! ling tube all paints, are used solidly pre-
! cisely as painter in oil places his col
ors on the canvas The finished picture
! in this method resembles oil so exactly
that it is difficult Ia tell such a picture
from an oil painting if il happens to be
under glass: if not under glass one can
/ tell whether il is oil ar water as readily,
and for the same obvious reasons. one
can tell whether a fence is whtewashed
! or painted with white oil paint-the one
Is shiny and the other is not. In this
/ method theatrical scenery Is painted and
! the process goes hack to the early ages
! of fresco. 1t is perhaps the first form OF
! painting. At present it rivals oil which
it so much resembles. In this method us
ing only black and white. 90 per cent ol
the illustrators work and some OF the
finest water color pictures shown in the
| New York and London exhibitions are
done. We have residing here in Wash
ington a painter in this method who was
Il great London success some years ago
and whose work today stands very higf
in the estimation Of connoiseurs-Mr
Howard Helmick. The present exhibition
is fortunate in being able 10 present {
I
method. The Waysidc Confessional" No
-. Examine il closely and it will be seer
how much it resembles oil There is n
one in America working so entirely Ii
this method One often hears of legiti
mate water color, and pure water color
and there are those who mold that tn
transparent method is the only method
but they are a small minority and grow
smaller every year.
The student should master this trans
parent method before attempting tina
combination which produces the Dutcl
picture-the highest and truest of tn
four "a Study of Tulips. No. ~, b
Mrs. Elwell. is very simple and yer
skiIlful bit of pure wash. One may Sc
here exactly how every brush mark
laid on, no attempt Is made To obscur
the coarse strokes of the pale shadow
on the white petals: nearby the techniqu
is rough. and sketchine lacks delicacy
but viewed at the proper distance. fiv