Sometimes it is necessary to wipe out a design from a background. In this case the following suggestions are recommended:

The design to the “cut out” must be seen from underneath the tint. A design to be wiped out of a tinted background must necessarily be drawn in with India ink. For dusted grounds the oil should be wiped off the ink lines with a pointed stick so that the tint will not adhere to the line.

Dusted backgrounds require about twenty-four hours to dry, but by artificial heat the time is considerably shortened. To remove the tint covering the design, make a mixture of oil of cloves and a few chips of soap. Apply a light coat and be careful that it does not spread beyond the lines. The color requires about five minutes to soften and may then be removed with a piece of cloth over the finger tip. Do not try to remove the tint until the design is perfectly dry. Use care in removing the color so as not to drag it over onto the background, change cloth frequently so that you are constantly working with cloth free from oil and color.

Designs may be “cut out” from powdered background by using a stick and scraping off the tint. It should be done while the tint is still fresh. The former method, however, is more satisfactory, tar oil may be used instead of oil of cloves if preferred.