Where Art Begins

T OF G

raining in an hour or two, sufficiently well to be able to go about the country and ma

n up, by giving the reader minute details as to the way his hero worked. Thus, he landed at a country shop, had a panel planed and prepared, an

if he had used his own eyes when the painters were working in any of his residences, he must have seen that the feat was impossible, even for the smartest hero of his collect

erred, for the benefit o

anel, when it leaves the joiner's hands planed and dressed, has

ine with drier, which will take, in warm weather, a full day and night before it is

ed with a preparation called knotting before even t

tty, and the second coat, a mixture of white lead tinted to the colour of the intended graining-ground, and used a little thicker than the priming, is la

aining-ground, but in the case of a show panel, a fourth coat would be required, or perhaps a fifth, before that panel would

he would grain, if oak, with oil graining; if soft woods, he would use distemper col

that panel would take the smartest workman from six to ten days from the hour it wa

s pictures, the 'Virgin and Child,' of the same

his regret that he had no canvas with him, otherwise he would have repaid the kindness with a picture. The abbot at once presented the painter with his ow

r oil, and receive several coatings, each coat requiring to dry, be smoothed down, and recoated before ever he started painting, even if a stretcher was not made for it. He may have painted the picture in one day after the na

ional verdict, and as one who has spent years in acquiring the art and teaching it afterwards to my house-painter students, I now take up this subject as a very important

tting instruction in this highest branch of their trade. I suppose, however, that they know enough of the preliminaries

AK IMITATION

as well as one of the hardest to master, although as an imitation it is

ght tint, a little yellow ochre, with white lead, drier, oil, and turpentine, are all that are required; while if it is very new wood, the ground

before he begins, so that this ground is not likely to be torn or rubbed off with the combing or veining. I like a ground to be dry but not too hard o

may easily distinguish a professional oak-grainer by the length, strength, and tender care which he la

soft cotton or linen rags, and that properly trimmed thumb-nail. He will also require for oak-over-graining the same brus

utty or whiting, and a small quantity of water. By mixing all this up together you produce something like a stained megilp, and may

ead that over equally and thinly with a larger brush until the panel is covered. Take your largest toothed comb, and trail it steadily down the panel from top to bottom, wiping the comb carefully after every passage. It is better to trail the large comb in straight lines, and afterwards use the

al and pleasing variety in 'champing' or veining takes a great deal of practice; indeed, unless

f it; he will thus be able to get variety in the markings of his wood. He ought also to practise constantly when he is at home on a panel with his

alf cleaning out parts with his narrowest and finest toothed comb, also rag-covered. At this portion of the work the true artist comes in with his manipulations, like the manipulations of the etching printer with his ink on the

the professional grainer is generally a dashing-looking fellow with artistically long and bushy tresses and Vandyke beard and moustachios, the maid-servant's

es there are in it; cabalistic signs and figures which are for ever varying as they shift about in the light; strong markings in place

ater degree of discretion, so as neither to crowd the panel nor make it appear meagre; the bolder figures with the softened parts require about as muc

' which occupy the centre of the panel, is already qualified to produce a monochrome direct from nature; if gifted with the colour-fac

ry, probably one or two days, as the weather chances to be

e the light strikes direct, the figures will shine out whitely; but out of the range of light they will appear dark. The grainer who is an artist will take as his guide the light falling from

e outer waves which recede from the central knot, finishing off with a few flourishes with his nail. When this is done he will soften the whole effect by trailing his finest comb over the cork-work. To do this with more artistic effect he will use a co

g, or if the job is an expensive one, continued

k, some stale beer, a sponge, a piece of chamois leather, one over-grainer or more, a couple

' or running off in globules-i.e. to make the distemper colours lie flat an

water-colours. Vandyke brown will be the tint mostly used in oak, although as he proceeds he may require in portions touches of raw or burnt sienna, or where he wants to represent the effect of damp and gre

nesses out discreetly with his softener. With his wipers-i.e. short stumpy flat brushes-he will take out straight horizontal lights here and there on t

he work is ready for the finishing stages, the pencillin

dry, he takes his longest over-grainer, and having charged it with a thin wash of colour, he first draws a hair comb through it to separate the hairs, and next passes this wash in t

work may be like the abominations which so often greet us on common doors, or those awful oleographs which decorate the walls of workmen's cottages; but if well done the result is such that it must gratify the eye of

oneous. There can be no more degradation in imitating a brass kettle or a cut cabbage than there can be in imitating the Alps or the ocean in its differen

r an uninteresting panel of wood, try to rest content with the imitation and selection of the rarest and best. I would personally much sooner liv

uth. The portrait is not the man or woman any more than that false oak panel is the wood it represents, or the shilling any more than the symbol of the pleasure or comfort it sta

TION OF S

the other foreign and home woods which serve to decorate our houses a

LE

n of maplewood is one of the most delightful and artistic of all; there is so much variety in it

f the work. I must insist that all soft woods ought to be worked in water-

about over-graining, with the

hes, twirling it about in parts, until the whole effect appears like a thunderstorm in sepia. Then, while it is still wet, fold your hand in a loose way and knock the backs of the fingers slackly and flatly against the panel, making long dabs all over it, yet more leading to the centre towards which you have drawn your shadows wit

e described in the oak, only with your pencils accen

n eye where wanted for variety, or a knot, yet taking great care not to crowd the work; and always bear in mind that, although knots may

NY AND

y you require burnt sienna and Vandyke brown over a salmon-tinted ground; for walnut, Vandyke brown alone, over a yellow or buff ground. In mahogany most of your work is done with the badger or camel-hair softener, with just a lit

er-graining, study how the lines run in a real piece of walnut, and try to imitate them closely with the knots. Satin-wood and most other woods are imitated in the same way,

ON OF MARBLES-

rite marble, and partly because it leads directly from

again with yellow and white, also in oil. This is the way to do it cheaply and

uld be exactly the same as that

hanging coat of raw and burnt sienna, with an adroit blending of Vandyke brown; in fact, produ

rs and hog-haired softener in order, with the fitches and colours required; fo

fitches, with a small sable brush, half a dozen stiff hen's feathers, a mixt

he medium make thin with the turpentine, something in this proportion: one

he underground like a rich golden stream to follow its course between them. Then, when you have done this to your satisfaction, blend a little white with the black so as to produce an unequal grey over the black markings; soften very slightly

ky'-that is, when you touch it with your finger it will be found sticky,

ing some parts, leaving others clear and hard, and only a thin semi-transparent and milky-like film over other portions; soften these films as

prices are not to be considered, it is well worth the extra labour in the satisfaction it gives to the worker, and its infinite superiority over the other method, which will always lack purity, richness of

E M

fossils of all kinds, and the imitation of these natural curiosities

nd the materials are the same as for the black a

look at your work, and with your sash-tool put in the dark grey portions loosely, leaving the covered ground for the light as you might if painting a picture; rub in your larger masses roughly; soften these off lightly, and next proceed with a

feather-tips, so as to produce stronger veins, remains of fish, she

, with the exception of the first working of black and gold, are worked in oil-colour, although, of course, as in wall-papers,

e charged brush lightly with a stick, or else dabbing them on with a spon

They had learnt to work from other grainers, and never paused to inquire what they were producing. Many of these grainers never studied a piece of real marble in their lives, and possibly would not like the sober reality if they di

to me, as I dare say it would be to John Ruski

satisfy the botanist and geologist: for as he paints he will be preaching a sermon on the stone, and writing out a record of the world's history before man came on the scene. He will not then put meaningless

so much the noble Roman men and maidens who force the cries of admiration from them, as the broad spaces of white and coloured marbles which predominate in these compositions; those time-stained, rusted blocks, with the slight suggestion of a flaw here and there; the iron-stains s

ow panel, as a rule, exerts himself too much, and attempts to put into one panel the results of a whole palace, and that is the mistake which makes his work appear superficial and unreal. Alma Tadema puts no more w

own line of life; for the work on a door, a dado, shutter, skirting-board, or mantelpiece, is of as much importance

d must possess himself with the true di

e causes for those effects which he has been trying to imitate, and aim at giving a specimen as free from blemishes as pos

here is a very lovely piece of sculpture-work, representing an angel watching over Margaret Wilson, the virgin martyr, which was purchased comparatively cheap by the don

at grainer will try his hardest to make his work look like marble without introducing this blemish. The other marbles are easy if he w

ectator and yet be flawless, then he may take his seat amongst those immortals who painted fruit to deceiv