53. In water color work the heart growth of veins, some of the flaking, knots, burls, etc., are done by pencilling the same with a camel’s hair brush. Some is left just as the outlines made by the brush leaves it, but only in such outlinings as those of knots or in the imitating of defects and in some burls.

54. The “pencilling” requires a steady hand with a perfect control of the freedom of movement of the hand doing the work. To insure this it will be found much the best way is to use a mahl stick for a rest. It will insure against unsteadiness and will enable the operator to do his work just as he wants it and where he wants it. It will enable him to give the heaviest part of the stroke at the center of the heart growth, where it ought to be, and to gradually lessen its width toward the sides, where it is not so full nor heavy.

55. The operator should be careful while executing his veining that the blender is used while the color of the veining put on is still wet, as otherwise it will not blend and the chances are that the work will be spoiled, or at least greatly inferior in quality. (Fig. 2 shows the blender.) The blending itself is the drawing of the soft hair over the wet color, which softens it and divides its stiff outlines in serrated, uneven, pore-like, outlines. While the operation is not a difficult one, good blending requires an intimate knowledge of what will be the effects produced by the use of the tool, as the blending can be overdone as well as underdone. A little practical experience will soon teach the operator its proper use.

56. Fan overgrainers, as shown in Fig. 4, come in various widths. It was said in paragraph 14 describing them, that many grainers preferred to make them themselves. This no doubt is due to the reason that in preparing them themselves they are able to arrange the hair so that they can get various effects from them, such as graduated lines, and again thick or thin lines, etc. But one can easily obtain the same results by buying a dozen or two of the ready made ones. They usually are made with a surplus of hair, and with a pair of sharp scissors the operator can easily cut out all the superfluous hair from the parts desired. With a good supply of overgrainers thus prepared before hand, he will be prepared to do an endless variety of veinings in lines equidistant, or graduated to suit.

57. The fan overgrainers are used for many purposes, not only in overgraining, as their name would seem to indicate, but also in laying out the veining adjacent to heart growths wherever a succession of fine lines are required, and which in water color work corresponds to combing in oil work. The brush is dipped into the distemper color, then it is run through the teeth of a coarse horn comb such as is used in hair combing. This will separate the hairs into lines, when the operator can use it on his work by drawing it along the outer edge of his pencilled out heart growth, and continue it to the outer edge of the panel. In overgraining proper it is used in many other ways, and by the proper motion of the hand many forms and variations suitable to the character of the woods being imitated can be done. In this proper use of the overgrainer the skill of the operator will be shown. It will be well to say that these lines made by the overgrainer are to be blended for most woods, and the student is referred to what was said regarding how it should be done in paragraph 55.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XI.

53. What is said of the “pencilling in” of veins, etc., in distemper graining?

54. How are the veins pencilled in?

55. How is the “blending” done?

56. What is said of the fan overgrainers?

57. How are the fan overgrainers used?