_Of the crayons their preparation and use._
PREPARATION. There is no particular or uncommon preparation or
composition required for encaustic, all crayons hitherto commonly used
may be employed; some great lights only will be wanted for every set
of tints; for what has been said on colours, and their growing deeper
when fixed with wax, _penciling system Art. II. page 29, 30_. holds
equally here; therefore every artist, that may be inclined to make a
trial in this manner, will do well to make an essay of all his tints,
by preparing a piece of cloth as directed in the foregoing article,
and giving a few strokes of each crayon and fixing it, this will
immediately shew what new tints will be wanted.
In composing any new tint it will be well to leave out fullers-earth,
pipe-clay, chalk, and other calcarious matters[13] which are generally
used in the common way; the former--to bind the looser colours; the
latter--to keep up the flake-white and white-lead, which otherwise
would turn black; in encaustic those matters are wanted for none of
the above ends; flake-white and white-lead will not change, and both
together will make a body sufficiently connected to bind the lighter
tints.
All colours used in oil and mentioned in the foregoing list, are good
for crayons, and no others.
_Note._ What has been said at the end of the list of colours, that a
few more colours, not commonly employed in oil, might be used for
crayons, was a mistake of the author’s upon his experimental table;
there are but two more that may be used for crayons, viz. bice and
verditer.
_The use of the crayons_ in encaustic is the very same as commonly
practised, there is no difference; you must work and paint upon the
waxed ground as you do upon the bare paper. Encaustic has the advantage
over the common way as to expedition. The fine grittiness procured by
the particles of the chalk mixed with the ground you work upon, will
_file_ off more colour from the crayon than the grain of the unwaxed
paper; and the wax diffused through the ground will retain the colours
better; so that when you sweeten your tints with your finger there will
be no waste; for in working, the particles of the colour will intrude
themselves into the body of the wax, which yields to them; which paper,
bare or prepared with a ground tempered with gum or size, does not.