One feature of china painting that requires much study and
consideration is the combining of colors. A design that would be most
attractive if the colorings harmonized, would be almost a failure
otherwise. Browns go well with nearly all colors, but not as well with
greens and blues as with some others. Clear blues, with perhaps the
exception of the darkest blues and Copenhagen, are not very
satisfactory for borders. A border of this combination, however, is
very effective. A beautiful shade can be produced by combining yellow
brown, finishing brown, ivory yellow and just a little touch of gold.
Violet of iron and auburn brown on a grayish ground, combine very well.
Pearl gray with Copenhagen blue gives a soft effect. Ivory goes well
with yellow-greens, and violets with grayish tones.
A piece of china done in yellow tones, with say a conventional motif
decoration, or yellow flowers, looks well with a scroll of gold worked
into it, and should have a yellow background. If delicate effects are
desired, yellow cannot be used successfully. For soft backgrounds,
auburn brown, violet of iron, new green, olive green and Copenhagen
blue are very good.
A design in gold on a broad border of Copenhagen is both beautiful and
effective. There are few decorations stronger than this. For Turkish
effects peacock and Sultan green are used principally. A little yellow,
green, blue, black, red and dark brown can be used with success in this
style of decoration.
A design in silver is very attractive on either a dark gray or green
decoration.
Strong and decided contrast in colors, almost always produces pleasing
results. Among the best are black and yellow, black and red and black
and yellow-green. Rose and red do not go well together. Neither does
blue or blue-green go well with red, but red and olive green contrast
well. For a beautiful dark blue, mix banding blue with about one-fifth
part of hair black. Ivory yellow or light green look well on a dark
green band, and gold on maroon. To produce a good maroon use ruby
purple and one-sixth part of peacock green.
A very beautiful color that we can hardly name, comes from mixing three
parts of peacock green with one part of crimson purple. The result is
about a deep steel blue.
If a dark green ground is treated with ruby or crimson purple, before
the second firing, it produces a very warm effect.
Combine one-fourth of Russian green with Copenhagen blue and you have
dark gray.
Yellows destroy red and should never be mixed.
A very delicate blue-gray can be produced by mixing turquoise blue and
about one-sixth of black. Use more or less of black as desired.
Violet and brown makes a striking color. A light wash of hair brown or
Meissen produces a tan.
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