I will now explain the specific use and nature of these materials, reserving the various kinds of photographic enlargements and their special qualities and advantages, for treatment under their different manipulations.

The easel should be set so that the light strikes the picture at an angle of 90 deg., and, when working from a side light, it will very often be necessary to darken the lower part of the window to accomplish this result.

The mahl stick is held in the left hand, and is used as a rest for the right arm in working. Though a trifle awkward and difficult at first, its use must, nevertheless, be learned, as the hand will not be steady without it, especially in portrait work.

The square black Conte crayons are for filling in where there are large dark places. The No. 1 is used with the black Conte crayon sauce in making the crayon sauce (to be applied with the ends of the fingers) to produce a broad effect and to make the stipple effect on the paper after it has been rubbed with pumice stone.

The crayon points, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, are used in making outlines and also in putting in the lines to produce the line effect. In general, they are to be used in free-hand crayons and on silver and platinum enlargements.

The Hardmuth black chalk points are similar to the crayon points, and, if preferred, should be used according to the directions given for the crayon points.

The Hardmuth points are made in five numbers and will, therefore, produce more shades of black than the crayon points. They are also twice as long as the latter, without costing any more.

The Conte crayons, in wood, are used for finishing the crayon, especially the No. 0, its hardness adapting it to that purpose.

The 6 B. Faber's holder, for lead pencil points, is for holding the Faber's Conte crayon No. 0 after it has become short, the wood being carefully removed before the crayon is placed in the holder.

The 4 H. holder, with Siberian lead pencil point, is used in the very finest work on bromide paper, for finishing in the light places. Care must be employed not to use too much lead on the paper, as, being of a different color from the crayon, it would show if too freely applied. It is also used in making monochromes.

Velour crayon is very black. It is only used to produce a velvet effect and whenever it is necessary to make a very strong dark—that is, a dark that is deeper than an ordinary shadow.

The Peerless crayon sauce is the same as the crayon sauce made from No. 1 Conte crayon and the black Conte crayon sauce in foil. It is made and put up in bottles by F. W. Devoe & Co., and can be bought of any dealer in artist's materials. It will be found more convenient to get it in this form than to prepare it in the studio; it costs no more and saves the expense of a mortar and pestle. As it is ground by machinery and passed through a very fine screen, there are no small hard particles in the preparation, and its use is recommended.

Black Conte crayon sauce, in foil, is used in making the crayon sauce to be applied with the fingers.

White crayon, in wood, is for touching up the high lights of white drapery, and especially for the high lights on white lace; it is to be used very sparingly.

Tortillon stumps are used in making the face, when it is desired to produce the stump effect, and also in making the hair.

The large grey paper stump serves to make the broad effect of shade in the stump effect in the hair and dress.

The Peerless stump is used to produce the same effect as the large grey paper stump. It will be found far better than the paper stump for work on the bromide paper, as it is made of softer material and causes the crayon to adhere to the paper more readily.

The large rubber eraser is to put in the broad effects of light in the background and dress. The small nigrivorine erasers are used when it is necessary to remove the crayon, in order to produce small decided lights—principally in making free-hand crayons and to produce the line effects over a platinum and silver enlargement. While the stumps are used for putting on the crayon, the erasers are used to remove it. The chamois is also used for removing the crayon, to produce broad effects of light.

The cotton is for applying the crayon sauce to the paper and for rubbing the crayon at different stages in the completion of the picture. The crayon cannot be removed with the eraser unless it has first been rubbed with the cotton; and this must be borne in mind, as the use of the eraser at this stage would only result in making a black line or spot, when it was intended to produce a white line or spot.

It will also be well to make a chamois block for applying the crayon sauce, to be worked with the tortillon stump. This is done by tacking onto a block, four inches long, two inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick, a piece of chamois skin, three inches wide by five inches long, allowing it to cover the top, while it is fastened along the four edges. This is placed face down in the box of crayon sauce and rubbed around in it, so that the crayon will adhere thoroughly to the chamois.

Emery paper is used to sharpen the nigrivorine erasers and the crayon points.

The knife, which is a very important tool, should be a good one, always kept well sharpened. The best for this work is an ink eraser, with a rounding point, a long edge on one side of the blade and a short one on the other side, extending about an inch from the point.

The mortar and pestle are for pounding or grinding the Conte crayon No. 1 and the crayon sauce, in making the special crayon sauce mentioned above.

The paste-board box is intended to hold this special crayon sauce or the Peerless sauce.

The back-boards are one inch thick, made to fit the back of the strainer (described in the next chapter), and are used in mounting. It will be necessary to have three different sizes, the most useful being 11×15, 15×19 and 19×24 inches, to fit, respectively, strainers measuring 16×20, 20×24, 24×29 and 25×30 inches.

The pliers should be either what is known as shoe-maker's pliers (which are the cheapest) or the canvas pliers, used in stretching that material; they are needed to stretch the cloth on the strainer.

The pulverized pumice stone is used in preparing the surface of crayon paper and bromide enlargements, to produce the stipple effect.