The Art of the Old Masters (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ... hurt by the dust; and that your work may be fair and clean when it leaves your hands. Then take a minever brush without a point, and begin to lay on the dark colour, and make out the shadows in what should be the dark part of the figure. Then in the usual manner take the middle tint and paint the reflected lights, and lights1 of the dark folds, and begin with the same colour to make out the folds of the lighted side. Then with the lightest colour paint the light reliefs on the light side of the figure, and in this manner return to the first dark folds of the drapery with the dark colour. And thus, as you have begun, go many times over with these colours, first one and then the other, painting them over and uniting them skilfully, and softening them tenderly. And now it is time to leave your work and to rest yourself for a short space, and then return to the work on your panel. You should always take_pleasure in your work. When you have covered the ground properly with these three gradations of colour, take the lightest, and prepare another still lighter, always washing the former colours from the brush. Make another colour still lighter than this, and let them vary but little from each other. Then touch with pure white, tempered as above on the high lights; and thus paint the shades one after the other in regular gradations, until they reach the deepest shades of pure lake. And remember that, as you have made your colours in gradations, so you must arrange your vases in order of this gradation, that you may not mistake one for the other. Thus in this manner you may paint any colour you please, either red, or white, or yellow, or green. But if you would make a beautiful purple (bisso) colour take fine lake, and the best ultramarine blue, ..