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Whoever may be so fortunate as to have in their possession fine feathers
can certainly make fine flowers. Have at hand gum in solution, French
paper for winding stems, and wire of different sizes. Draw the under
side of the feather gently over the edge of your penknife to bend it in
the required direction; make a lump of bookbinder’s thick paste or wax
on the end of a wire for a stalk, and begin your flower by sticking the
smallest size feathers into it for a center; place other feathers of the
same kind, but larger in size, around in order. Choose green feathers
for leaves and calyx, and pure white ones for japonicas and white roses.
Twist the ends of the same on a wire, and make fast with gum, glue,
paste, or other similar adhesive substance. Be careful to select
feathers of the same kind for the same flower. Arrange in a vase, and
cover to keep free from dust. In this, as in all kinds of fancy work,
let taste and neatness govern the process.
It will often be found necessary to color the feathers to give the
desired variety of hues; this can easily be done by attending to the
following directions: Put the feathers into hot water, then drain them;
rinse two or three times in clear cold water; place them on a tray, over
which a cloth has been spread, before a good fire; as they dry, draw
them gently into shape between the thumb and finger.
TO DYE FEATHERS BLUE. Into about three cents’ worth of oil of vitriol
mix as much of the best indigo in powder; let it stand one or two days.
When wanted for use, shake it well, and into a quart of boiling water
put one tablespoonful of the liquid. Stir well, put the feathers in, and
let them simmer a few minutes.
YELLOW. Put a tablespoonful of the best turmeric into a quart of boiling
water, when well mixed, put in the feathers. More or less turmeric gives
different shades.
FOR ORANGE, add a small quantity of soda to the preparation for yellow.
PINK. Three good pink saucers to a quart of boiling water, with a small
quantity of cream tartar. If a deep color is required use four saucers.
Let the feathers remain in this dye several hours.
RED. Dissolve a teaspoonful of cream tartar in a quart of boiling water;
put in one teaspoonful of prepared cochineal, and then a few drops of
muriate of tin. This dye is expensive, therefore use the plumage of the
bird ibis.
LILAC. About two teaspoonfuls of cudbear in a quart of boiling water,
let it simmer a few minutes before you put in the feathers. A small
quantity of cream tartar turns the color from lilac to amethyst.
Bunches of orange blossoms can be made with good success of feathers;
the buds are to be made of starch and gum mixed; the stamens of ground
rice, colored with turmeric, into which the gummed ends of manilla grass
have been dipped.
The inhabitants of the Pacific Islands make beautiful feather flowers,
rivaling the natural ones in delicacy and beauty. Pinks, orange
blossoms, and roses of exquisite workmanship are often brought from
these islands. Old ostrich feathers can be made to look as well as new
by holding over hot steam, then drawing each vane of the feather
separately over a knife to curl it.
LUSTRAL
BRONZE PAINTING.
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Prepare your board for bronzing by first coating it over with a strong
solution of size, made by dissolving isinglass in hot water; strain it,
and coat over with a flat camel’s hair brush while the size is warm.
When dry, coat it over thinly and evenly with gold size; let it remain
until sticky, then apply the powder bronze, with a soft dry brush. You
may use a variety of shades of bronze if you wish; pale, blush and
white. Blend them together to suit your subject, and allow two days for
it to dry before commencing to paint. Make a drawing of your figure on
thin white paper, rub some white on the back of it, fit it upon the
picture and mark over with the sharp end of a stick, pressing on very
lightly; after all is drawn in, remove the sketch, and mark over the
outlines with a lead pencil, lightly. If you are copying from an
engraving, notice on which part of the building the light rests, and
select those parts for gold, coating them over with gold size, and
putting on the leaf gold when sufficiently dry. If there are any parts
of your figure which you want rich colors, do them with gold at the same
time.
The painting must now be wiped with a silk handkerchief, to remove all
the particles of gold and dust, and supposing the thimble palette ready,
with all the colors, first mix a pale tint of purple, made with Prussian
blue and a little crimson lake, and pencil over the mountains of the
landscape evenly, then go over the water with a very pale shade of blue.
After coating the mountains and water once, it is best not to touch them
again until dry. Now paint in the foliage, making the tints with yellow
lake and Prussian blue; if you want them bright for the different
shades, add burnt sienna and Vandyke brown, or both, as your tints
require.
Stems of trees are mostly done with Vandyke brown, and other tints added
to suit; faces of figures do with white and a little sienna, mixed
together; white drapery coat over with white, scarlet with scarlet, and
yellow with chrome yellow; all other parts of the figures with white,
except the parts you have already gilded. This will answer for the first
painting.
The second shade upon the mountain is made with a neutral, composed of
three primative colors, crimson lake, yellow lake, and Prussian blue.
The tone you desire must predominate in making all your neutrals. If you
want a greenish neutral, the yellow lake must predominate, if you wish a
bluish neutral, the blue must predominate, and if reddish neutral, the
crimson lake must predominate. Having selected your shade, be sure to
have it about the right strength before beginning, as it is difficult to
avoid a patched appearance on the mountains with varnish color,
especially on the second and third coating, unless you are quick in your
work. If the water requires more color, paint it in the darker places,
then repeat the shades on the foliage, where it is required.
Your figures now claim some attention. Any part you wish to have
crimson, paint over with crimson lake, repeat it when a little dry if
you wish it darker, and for the shades add a little blue with your
crimson lake. Blue dresses paint with a pale shade of Prussian blue on
white or pale gold, for the shades, paint in with a little stronger
Prussian blue, and when you wish to make any of these colors paler add
varnish, and when you want to thin it use turpentine. Green dress, with
yellow lake and Prussian blue on pale gold or white; purple dresses,
with crimson lake and a little Prussian blue, on white or pale gold. Any
part of the figure you do with scarlet, shade it with crimson lake;
yellow, shade with burnt sienna, (pale shade). In faces, paint features
in with Vandyke brown, and different tints with yellow lake, crimson
lake, and sienna paled down, and repeat to suit the eye.
Parts of mountains may require a third and fourth wash, if so, do it
with neutrals mentioned above. Sometimes we heighten the effects of the
near foliage by touching the edges with a little opaque color, made of
chrome yellow, white, and a little blue. It must be done very carefully,
as opaque colors are powerful, compared with transparent ones. If what
you do shows too abruptly, you have a remedy by putting on a little more
of the transparent color. Parts of the figures may be heightened by
touches of opaque color, and the faces also may require retouching. When
the painting is completed, a full week should pass before varnishing,
and great care should be taken not to touch the bronze, as it will leave
a stain, bronze being so delicate.
=Varnishing.= In varnishing, care must be taken to have a clean brush,
and the dust wiped from the painting with a silk handkerchief. Lay the
painting flat, and with a one inch camel hair brush coat over with copal
varnish, as evenly as possible, being careful to cover every part. Leave
it flat down, as it is, for a couple of hours, or more, before removing,
or the varnish is liable to run in streaks. Once varnishing is
sufficient to preserve the painting, but if you wish to polish it,
another coat of varnish must be given, allowing a week between; then
after another week, it should be rubbed with pumice sand and water, in
the following manner: Take a piece of woolen, put it over cotton, to
make a rubber of it; wet the rubber pretty thoroughly with water, dip
into some fine pumice sand, and rub it backwards and forwards on your
varnished picture, carefully. After you have rubbed for a short time,
wipe the sand from a part of it, to see the progress. If not
sufficiently smooth, rub again, care being taken not to rub through the
varnish. When smooth, wash all the sand off, wipe perfectly dry, and
give another coat of varnish, allowing the same time for it to dry, then
rub again with water and pumice sand. When smooth, wash off the sand and
proceed to polish with very fine powdered rottenstone, and rubber made
of satin or silk. Saturate this with water, and rub with the rottenstone
for a short time, until it shines, then wash all off. You can make it
shine by rubbing with your hand, using a little sweet oil and a little
more rottenstone.
When wood is used for painting on, choose that which is close grained,
and coat over several times with paint, rubbing down with pumice sand
and water. After the third coat, give plenty of time between each coat
to get dry and hard.