The San Francisco call., 1909-12-12

brown are useful colors, and each of
these cost but 10 cents for a large
tube. Csrmine is more expensive and
may not be necessary unless vivid
red or some modification of 1t is needed.
Mix your colors before starting work
in a saucer with the benzine or tur-
pentine, and when this evaporates add
a little more as 1t is required. Do not
work near fire or flame of any kind,
as an explosion of your infiammable
medium would probably result Elec-
trio light is a convenience for evening
work in cases of this kind.
Pin out your material smoothly on
some fat surface, placing blotting
paper under all the parts TO be dec
GRATED and fastening the stencil down
firmly around the edges with thumb
tacks. Have the paint about the con-
sistency Of very thin cream when you
apply it and be sure the color and the
benzine are thoroughly mixed before
using.
Round, fat stencil brushes are the
best, and you viii need to have at
least two of them, unless your work
is to be all in one color. Use very
little paint on the brush, press 1t
against the edge of the saucer and let
most of the color run out before you
apply 1t.
In stenciling "pounce" the color on.
that is. drop the brush on the work.
then Nft it again without moving 1t
around. or II you do move 1t give 1t a
quick circular twist and do not drag it
in the least. Paint the ties; that is
the secret Of getting into the little
corners without letting the color run
under the stencil A little practice on
a waste scrap OF material before start
ing will show you how 1T should be
done.
When one section of the work is
finished, lift your stencil, and making 1t
match exactly, pin IL down for the next
repeat Wipe off the under side of tho
stencil before putting it down again
and do not move the wet blottin g
paper from one part OF the work to
another, but have enough for the whole
design; it can be dried out and used
again another time.
If your work is to be in two or more
colors or several tones of the same
color, have a number OF pieces of stem
Gil board and place these over the
parts that you do not wish to paint;
then wipe the pieces carefully and
move them so as to cover the other
parts when you use a fresh color.
Measure your space before you be-
gin work and arrange the design so
that the repeats Will come out even,
placing the most important figure in
the center.
In the Iris border SHOWN In the IL
lustration, the iris is the form OF most
Importance and should as a rule oc-
cupy the central position. II it is nee
essary to make the design turn cor
ner, draw a right angle and a dag
onal line cutting 1T in half, then place
one of the buds consisting of the three
center sections and two small leaves)
on this diagonal, and place the iris
flower and two long leaves on each
side of the bud following the line of
the right angle, so that the tip of the
leaf is a little over an inch from the
bud; this will make a perfect corner.
This design can be changed and
adapted in a number OF different ways,
for instance. the bud alone can be used
for an ornament IN the corner of q
portfolio or magazine cover, with sim
ply a straight line connecting it with
the buds in the other corners; or the
iris flower and It's two leaves can be
used alone where a single ornament
is needed.
II the border is too wide the three
large petals of the iris and the tip or
two end pieces of the bud can be omit
ted, and in other ways the design can
be varied to suit special needs.
The Iris border has been made in a
size suitable for picture frames, music
rolls, book covers and other similar
articles, but If the pattern is wanted
in a larger form, it could easily be
enlarged to twice its present size. as
the lines Of the design are exceeding
Iy simple.