The upper, or sky part of the canvas, being left clear, commence the work lightly about where the horizon will appear, and gradually strengthen the tint as you descend. The sketch being laid in, the painting of the picture may now be commenced.

Have near your easel a slab of ground glass, on which you can prepare your tints to a proper consistency or hue. A set of tints, of the hue of the sky, and for the distances, is now mixed, and you commence with the blue of the sky, working downwards, and securing a proper gradation of color; then follow the distances, mountains, &c. This being done, the work is left to dry. The mode of applying the color to the canvas is chiefly by touches, or pats of the brush in succession, from left to right. The color should be tempered with a proper quantity of vehicle, that it may work crisply, and above all, that it may be laid sparingly upon the canvas.

Short hair brushes are best adapted to painting with little color. In laying on, or “impasting” the lights, the brushes should be rather longer than those used for general painting—such a brush will yield the color more readily. Unless the colors be allowed to harden between the first and second painting, also between the second and third, they will be liable to be rubbed off by the application of the oils and glazing used in the after painting.

When the first painting is dry, the picture should have a damp cloth passed over its surface. Being then wiped dry, let it be rubbed over with a small portion of poppy oil, for this makes the after painting unite with the first. It is a mere moistening of the surface that is required—no excess of oil to remain. All that is not necessary should be removed by the moderate application of a piece of silk or linen.

In the second painting we advance by giving more attention to the details of various objects; their drawing, light and shade, reflected hues, and various tints in coloring are more elaborately made out; the relative distances of objects from the eye are most carefully preserved, and the shadows, which are yet painted thinly and transparently, are carefully united, with half-tints, so as to produce a roundness.

The third, or finished painting, is commenced by wiping and oiling the picture in the manner before described as necessary for the second painting. We then proceed to complete the details of form and color, which were brought forward in the former painting, employing for this purpose delicate touches of glazing and scrambling alternately, not to conceal, but improve and render as perfect as possible what has already been done. Sharp, vigorous touches where the markings of the details require them. These touches must be made with freedom and decision, or they fail in producing the desired effect. They should be of a warm tone, not cold—not grey. In this stage of the work do not attempt too much at one sitting. It is best to allow the colors to dry gently, and to repeat the operation when necessary.

Lastly, a mode of aiding the finish is by passing over a portion of the work with light, delicate tones, which are left only on the projecting touches of texture objects.

MATERIALS USED.

Many of the pigments which change color by the action of impure air, and are, therefore, useless in water-color painting, may, nevertheless, be safely used in oil painting; for this reason: In water color the powder colors are mixed with only just enough of some binding cement (called a vehicle), such as gum, size, sugar, etc., to prevent their being easily rubbed off the paper, and are, therefore, freely exposed to the action of the atmosphere, or of the colors with which they may be mixed; but in oil colors the powder colors are ground up in oil, so prepared as to oxidise rapidly in the air into a kind of impermeable leathery resin, which, completely enveloping each particle of color, effectually protects it, not only from the action of impure air, but also of neighboring particles of different colors. And it thus happens that pigments may be used in oils with tolerable safety which in water color might turn black in a few days. Indeed, the white which we invariably use in oils—flake white—is certainly one of the most unstable of colors in water colors; and nearly the same may be said of the chrome yellow, Naples yellow, emerald green, etc.

The colors named below will be found a useful set:

The colors marked with an asterisk do not dry quickly, except when mixed with much flake-white. To these it is necessary to add a very little drier—a mixture of sugar of lead and boiled oil.

Brushes.—After the colors, the brushes are the most important part of the artist’s materials. Flat hog’s-hair brushes are the most useful for general purposes. These should have polished handles, and the hairs should not straggle at the point, but keep together, so as to form a straight, thin edge. The small sizes are most convenient when made very short and very thin in the hair, it being difficult to make the long-haired ones keep together at the point. For fine touches, sable brushes are the most convenient, some flat and some round; the former thin and short-haired, the latter coming to a fine point.

Badger’s-hair softeners are used, as their name implies, to soften broad tints in skies, etc., but require the greatest caution in their use, or they will certainly produce a disagreeable “woolliness,” or smudginess. They are made with the hair radiating, or spreading out, towards the point, and are used by dabbing or jobbing them lightly over the work, and should always be used clean and dry.

The brushes should always be cleaned as soon as they are done with for the day. The easiest way is to rinse them in a little spirits of turpentine, and, after drying them on a rag, wash them out clean by rubbing them in the palm of the hand with thick soap and water, and then rinsing them in clean water, and allowing them to dry with the hair in its proper position. It happens sometimes that, leaving off in a hurry, one has no time to wash out the brushes carefully. In that case they may be laid by for a few days, dirty as they are, with their ends under water. The paint will keep under water without drying.

Canvas.—This is the best material for painting upon. It is sold ready stretched on frames, and is kept of all sizes at the artists’ color warehouses.

Prepared Paper is perhaps the most convenient material for the beginner, occupying so very little space when the picture is dry. It must be fastened, when in use, to a board by means of drawing-pins. It is also kept bound up into blocks, like those used for water-color sketching, and this is, perhaps, the most convenient form in which to buy it, though not the cheapest.

Millboards seem to me to possess no advantage over paper, and are very heavy, and liable to break at the corners.

Panels are heavy and rather bulky, but are peculiarly well adapted for works requiring high finish.

Palettes are usually made of mahogany or satin wood. The latter are the best, the colors being better seen on the lighter colored wood. The rectangular shape is the most convenient, and packs best into the lid of a color-box. A wooden palette should have plenty of raw linseed oil rubbed into it before being used, and be allowed to dry. This will prevent the colors sinking into the wood and staining.

A Dipper is a small tin cup made to fix by sliding on to the palette, to contain oil, turpentine, varnish, or any other vehicle used.

The Rest Stick is used to rest the right hand upon, while painting those parts of the picture that require great steadiness and care. It should be as stiff and as light as possible, and is held in the same hand as the palette.

Palette-knives are necessary implements for mixing and manipulating the colors on the palette. It is convenient to have two of different stiffness.

Easels are inconvenient usually in proportion to their cheapness. They should be tolerably firm and heavy, and should allow the picture to be raised easily and quickly.

Vehicle is the diluent used to temper and thin the colors for the purpose of bringing them to a proper state. Linseed oil, rendered drying by boiling with certain metallic oxides, is the vehicle generally used. Drying oil should dry quite free from stickiness in two or three days, in ordinary weather. Copal varnish is also an excellent vehicle, but dries so rapidly that it will not do where the colors require considerable manipulation with the brush—as in skies and broad tints generally. Colors used with varnish will require frequent thinning with spirit of turpentine. Megilp is a most pleasant vehicle to use; so pleasant, indeed, that one is apt to use far too much of it. It is made by mixing strong mastic varnish with drying oil.

The beginner should bear in mind that all oils and varnishes have a strong tendency to turn dark brown with age, and should therefore learn to use as little as possible; indeed, the colors, as generally sold, are ground with sufficient oil for use with a hog’s-hair brush; and it is only where greater freedom is required, and when using sable brushes, that an addition of vehicle is of use. It is absolutely necessary, however, in the process called “glazing,” which is where a transparent color is rubbed thinly over parts of the picture, the general tone or color of which it is desirable to modify. And in this case, too, as little vehicle as possible should be employed.

The following are given as examples of some of the tints that may be obtained by mixture of the more important colors.

Rose Madder and Cobalt. With these colors a variety of delicate tints of great purity and permanence may be produced; of general use in distances, skies, water, etc.

Yellow Ochre, Rose Madder, and Cobalt. Being made up of the three primaries, are duller or greyer, but will produce a greater variety. Of use in distances, middle distance, etc.

Vandyke Brown and Cobalt, Brown Madder and Cobalt. Of use in the same cases as the last. Good for middle distance foliage.

Yellow Ochre and Orange Vermilion. Of great use in obtaining warm, sunny effects in distances, skies, clouds, and for brilliant tints in foregrounds. Will give beautiful flesh tints with Chinese white.

Yellow Ochre and Prussian Blue. Pleasant, cool, greyish-greens may be produced with these colors; especially useful in middle distance trees. May be saddened with black or Vandyke brown.

Rose Madder and Prussian Blue. A variety of useful and permanent sober greys and purples may be thus obtained. Of great use in cloudy skies and distances, etc.

Vandyke Brown and Prussian Blue. Useful in the same cases as yellow ochre and Prussian blue.

Vandyke Brown and Yellow Ochre. Gives good tints for earth, etc., in foregrounds.

Vandyke Brown and Gamboge, Vandyke Brown, Gamboge, and Prussian Blue. Give colors of the greatest use for foreground and middle distance foliage.

Burnt Sienna and Carmine, Gamboge and Burnt Sienna. Warm, rich, transparent colors. Of use in autumnal foliage, and for bright tints in foregrounds, such as the shading of draperies, etc., and cattle, birds, and flowers; in fact, in all cases where very rich transparent color is required.

Burnt Sienna, Gamboge, and Prussian Blue. Of the greatest use for foreground and middle distance foliage.

Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre. Useful for the same purposes as Vandyke brown and yellow ochre.

Raw Sienna, Carmine, and Prussian Blue. With these three colors an immense number of beautiful transparent greys and browns may be obtained, useful in all kinds of foreground shadows.

Burnt Sienna and Cobalt. For distant and middle distant foliage.

Carmine and Prussian Blue, Carmine and French Ultramarine. Whenever brilliant and transparent purples of great depth are required in foregrounds.

Indian Red and Cobalt, Indian Red and Prussian Blue. Useful in the same cases as rose madder and Prussian blue.

Raw Sienna, Madder Lake, and Cobalt. Give quiet, semitransparent greys for middle distances, cloudy skies, etc.

Carmine and Gamboge. For transparent deep oranges and reds in foregrounds.

Emerald Green and Gamboge. May be sparingly used where very bright greens are required in foreground foliage.

Orange Vermilion and Cadmium Yellow. Safe colors to use for all very vivid oranges.

Lamp Black and Cobalt, Lamp Black and Gamboge. Illustrate the use of lamp black in saddening other colors. The most beautiful greys may be thus obtained. Of universal use, whether for foregrounds, distances, or skies.