Problem: _Decorating a Table Runner_.--This problem is easily separated
into four distinct parts--making the design, cutting the block,
printing, and finishing. The materials needed are as follows:
(1) Making the design
Ordinary drawing paper
Rice paper
Charcoal
Pencil
Japanese or sable brush, medium size
Water-proof India ink
(2) Cutting the block
Gum wood
Small penknife
Vise
Sand-paper, fine
(3) Printing the design
Printing board
Sheet of glass
Oil paints
Turpentine
Palette knife
Cotton batting
Cheese cloth
(4) Finishing the runner
Embroidery silk or mercerized cotton
[Illustration: The peacock design]
_The Design._--To carry out the problem as illustrated, it is
necessary, first of all, to make the design. Geometry, nature, and the
imagination are satisfactory sources upon which to draw for the motif.
If the inventive faculty is quite undeveloped, one should study for
suggestions the figures in Oriental rugs, photographs of early Eastern
art, and the fine old tapestries in museum collections. Some good
geometrical designs, like that used on the pillow cover illustrated
on page 104, were made by school-girls after drawing many figures
found in rugs; and interesting bird patterns, after studying numerous
reproductions of Coptic designs. In no case was the block pattern in
the least like the designs studied. They served only as ideas to start
with and led to the production of truly original work. It is essential
to keep a few simple principles in mind in working out the design: (1)
Both the dark and light shades in the patterns should be varied in
size and form to avoid a monotonous result and should be as beautiful
in proportion as possible. (2) There should be a centre of interest,
one part of the design dominant--more attractive than any other. (3)
The design must be a unit--_i. e._, the parts must hold together. All
feeling of unity is lost if the parts of the design call attention to
themselves to the exclusion of the whole.
[Illustration: Block used in printing the peacock design]
_Preliminary Sketches and the Drawing._--It will be found desirable to
make many preliminary sketches in charcoal or soft pencil, rubbing in a
part of each sketch with a tone in order to secure immediately the dark
and light effect. These should be compared, keeping clearly in mind the
principles stated above. When one possessing the right qualifications
has been found, the next step is to draw on a fresh piece of paper an
accurate 3-inch square and copy upon it the satisfactory design in
pencil outline. This should be done very carefully, that the spirit
of the original charcoal sketch may not be lost. When the drawing is
completed it must be put into shape to be transferred to the block. To
do this we fasten a piece of rice-paper over the drawing and trace with
very light pencil lines, filling in the dark spaces with black ink,
using a brush. This brush work may be done directly without the pencil
line if the drawing underneath shows very plainly through the paper.
When the ink has thoroughly dried, the design may be cut out on the
edge of the 3-inch square.
[Illustration: Bird pattern]
_Laying the Pattern and Cutting the Block._--A block 3 × 3 × 7/8
inches will now be required. This should be procured and sand-papered.
One face of it should then be covered with a coating of library paste,
the pattern laid upon it, and rubbed down smooth. If the design
is symmetrical it should be pasted on the block, ink side up, but
otherwise with the ink side down, or the design will be reversed upon
the cloth. When the paste gets quite dry one may then fasten the block
in the vise and, holding the blade of the knife at a slight angle and
always away from the dark spots, proceed to cut the design along the
outlines. These must be kept very smooth and sharp. All of the white
shapes should be cut out, leaving the black ones in relief. Usually
an eighth of an inch will be deep enough for the background, but it
will be found after practise in printing that the larger spaces should
be cut deeper and that, when the edges or corners of the block form
a part of the background instead of the dark pattern, they also need
a deeper cut. The paper that still adheres to the face of the block
may now be removed by rubbing it upon a sheet of sand-paper laid upon
something hard and smooth like glass in order that the block may have
an absolutely level surface.
[Illustration: A flower and leaf design]
[Illustration: Block used in printing this design]
_The Padded Board._--All block printing should be done upon a padded
board. A very convenient one can be made by laying upon a bread board
three or four sheets of blotting paper, and tacking over these several
thicknesses of cheese cloth. In place of these an ironing board may be
used.
_Material Required._--It is essential to select for the runner a piece
of crash of fine texture and even weave. This is sold under the name of
Russian crash and is from 15 to 16 inches wide but varies considerably
in quality. It is very difficult to print well upon the coarser grades.
[Illustration: Alternating animal and geometrical design]
[Illustration: Blocks used in printing this design]
_Trying the Colours._--After deciding upon a colour which will
harmonize with the general colour scheme of the room in which the
table runner is to be used, it is in order to mix the paint and try
the block upon a small piece of crash. To prepare the paint, squeeze
a small quantity of the true colours chosen upon a sheet of glass and
blend thoroughly with the palette knife, thinning with turpentine to
the consistency of cream. It is seldom that a colour right from the
tube will prove a pleasing one to use. Other colours mixed with it will
change its hue and intensity; black or white will alter the value.
Tie a little cotton batting up in a small square of cheese cloth or
old handkerchief linen, being careful to remove from the raw edges
all ravellings that might drop into the paint. Spread out quite thin
upon the glass a small portion of the prepared paint and press the
pad into it a number of times until it has absorbed all it will. Now
charge the block by lightly pounding its surface with the pad. Press
the block upon the cloth evenly. Only by repeated experiment will it
be possible to determine just the right quantity of paint to mix, its
brilliancy of tone, its consistency, how heavily to charge the block,
etc. A good print shows the texture of the cloth through it, is even
in tone, and has clear-cut edges. If the print looks like a painted
spot, or if, when quite dry, you find it has stiffened the cloth, the
paint used was too thick or else the block was too heavily charged.
Different materials require different treatment. For a thin silk the
block should be very lightly charged and lightly though evenly pressed
upon the material. In printing upon crash it is necessary to press
the block very firmly upon the material; and frequently, to insure
getting a sufficiently strong impression, it is advisable to tap the
block lightly with a hammer or wooden mallet. If one has a steady hand,
the block can easily be lifted at one side to determine just where the
extra pressure is needed. The block should be thoroughly rubbed with
old cloth after each impression is made and occasionally sand-papered
to remove any paint that may adhere to it. The first print made after
sand-papering the block is liable to be a little less distinct than the
others and should therefore be made upon an extra piece of the material.
_Centring the Work._--A good way to plan the placing of the panel
design is to run a basting thread across the crash between two of the
woven threads. Mark the centre of the runner upon this thread, and,
using these guides, print the design, beginning with one of the central
units.
_Additional Features._--Considerable charm can be added to the pattern
by filling some of the spaces with a simple darning or running stitch
in some bright colour. The embroidery thread used should be rather
fine. It is well to finish the ends of the runner by button-holing with
ravellings of the crash. Tiny dots of some colour used in the panel
may be embroidered at intervals just above the button-holed edge.
_Colours._--The following list of oil colours will be found practical:
ivory black, flake white, burnt sienna, light red, crimson lake, chrome
yellow, chrome green, permanent blue.
_Materials._--Linen, cotton, soisette, all or part silk pongee, crêpe
de chine, cheese cloth, and unbleached muslin are excellent materials
for block printing. Beautiful background tones can be obtained by
dyeing the two latter with easy dyes.
In place of the gum wood for the block, basswood, maple, or holly may
be used. It is possible to get along without a vise by fastening the
block between two cleats nailed to an old table or heavy board. Success
is sometimes achieved in cutting blocks while simply held in the hand.
_Laundering._--If the material used for the foundation is washable,
block printed articles can be satisfactorily and easily laundered in
soapy, lukewarm water. The colours are not injured in the least. A
liquid called stencil mordant is sometimes used in place of turpentine,
insuring still greater permanency of colour.
_Other Applications of Block Printing._--Other articles suitable for
decoration by block printing are curtains, pillow covers, table covers,
cushion covers, bureau scarfs, Portieres, table mats, bags of many
sorts, etc. Printing may also be used to ornament articles for personal
use, such as aprons and scarfs.