Embroidery and Fancy Work/Kensington and Lustra Painting
KENSINGTON AND LUSTRA PAINTING.
Many people who desire to beautify their homes or to make handsome and acceptable presents, are unable to spare the time required by needle work. To such, Kensington painting offers a quick and easy means of decoration. The materials required are oil paints (in tubes), a porcelain palette, red sable brushes, Nos. 4 and 6 (it is well to have several of these), spirits of turpentine, and the inevitable rag. The same care must be taken as to background, coloring, etc., as in embroidery, and the same hints should be observed as to realistic treatment. The object is decoration and not picture making.
Squeeze the colors out on the palette, mixing them to meet the requirements of your work. Do not thin them, but use as thick as possible. A little sugar of lead or megilp mixed with them will facilitate drying, and prevent the possible spreading of the oil. If the colors seem to contain too much oil, take them out on blotting paper before placing them on the palette.
Have your design distinctly outlined, but keeping the lines as light as practicable. Lay on the colors smoothly, painting from the edge of the design in, so as to have the outlines definite. Use the colors which you will need in the finished work, but the shading and blending of the tints need not be done as carefully as in ordinary painting. Let it dry for a few minutes, and then with a steel or lacquered pen scratch in the coloring so as to simulate the stitches in "filled in" work. An ordinary pen will do, but pens with three, five, and seven points each, can be bought for ten cents a piece, and the work is done much more quickly with them.
If you wish to use a light shade of a transparent color on a dark ground, paint first with white, scratch it in, and then paint with the required color.
Satin, velvet, velveteen, are all good materials on which to work, and I think holland linen might be used to good advantage. I have seen a lovely mantel scarf painted in oils on such linen, the background being relieved with dashes of gold. The design was dogwood, a plant that is extremely decorative in character, and that has been very much used for this purpose.
Kensington painting is not considered artistic, but it is quite pretty, and many can avail themselves of it who have not time or patience for that Art to which, like Learning, there is no royal road.
LUSTRA PAINTING.
It is quite important in doing this work to procure the best materials, as the metallic colors lose their tone and brilliancy if of inferior make. Bragdon's colors are recommended by the highest authorities on the subject. A complete outfit consists of from three to six hog's-hair brushes of different sizes, a china palette, six bottles of metallic, and five of opaque powder colors, palette-knife, turpentine, and a bottle of medium.
The medium must be used very freely, and must be thoroughly mixed with the colors. One can begin, however, with a much smaller assortment. One or two shades of bronze, two shades of gold, and some of the bronze green can be used to begin with; the assortment being enlarged when needed.
One great advantage that Lustra has over ordinary painting lies in the fact that it can be washed, if care is taken in the process. Linen, satin sheeting, velvet, velveteen, and plush, all offer a good surface for these colors. Care should be taken to select velvet, velveteen or plush, that has a short nap, as the colors wet the pile and cause it to lie flat. The work is very much more beautiful on velvet and similar surfaces, but lately an invention has been patented by means of which a plush-like surface is given to a design on any material, whether of wood, stone, paper, metal, or textile fabrics. The effect is that of plush appliqué. The process is said to be a very simple one, and the material used—"plushette"—is comparatively inexpensive.
In beginning work, select a simple design, choosing one in which the forms are large and distinct. A good crewel design of large flowers or leaves is an excellent one for a beginner. Transfer it as for embroidery, drawing in veins, and stalks, but no lines indicating shading. On velvet and similar material it is generally best to have the stamping done at a fancy work store. Fasten your material on a drawing board with thumb tacks. Take a little of the metallic color, either gold or silver, out on the palette, and rub it down with the knife till it is perfectly smooth; then add medium, mixing them thoroughly until you have a perfectly smooth liquid. This is to be used as a stopping, to prevent the opaque colors- from sinking into the material. Rub it well into every petal and leaf, using it freely, so that it will adhere as a flat wash. Use the brightest silver or gold metallic colors over all the parts of the leaf they are used for; work in the various shades of metallic colors in this way, using both silver and gold on the same flower, if contrast is desired, and working over every petal and leaf until a strong, smooth surface of color is obtained, the lightest part being either bright gold or silver, and the deepest shades with the darker metallic colors. On linen the metallic colors need not be used for "stopping," the painting being done in opaque colors, often with only a few metallic touches. After the surface in metallic colors described above has been obtained, take the opaque powder color, treating it in the same way as the metallic color, and the first painting being dry, deepen all the shadows with their proper colors, using a clean brush and rubbing them well in. Use rose red tints above the gold, the white, etc., above the silver, and white and black above the green metallics.
Do not attempt any fine gradations of shade, but trust to the effect of broad masses of color well combined, Omit stamens and other very fine lines. The two things to be chiefly attended to in lustra painting are, the rubbing the colors perfectly smooth, and working them up until not a trace of the material remains.
PAINTING IN GOLD.
Very pretty decorative effects are produced by painting on crash, linen, etc., in gold, and afterwards outlining the design in silks. A bold conventional design must be used for this purpose. When the design has been clearly stamped on the material (even such coarse stuff as sacking or burlaps can be used), paint it carefully with oil paint.
A good tint is made by mixing chrome yellow, raw sienna, and a very little Prussian blue. This will give a greenish tinge to the gold. When this coat is thoroughly dry, paint it over with gold paint. Care should be taken to get a good article, as poor gold, silver, or bronze paints, tarnish very quickly.
The painting done, outline the design with silk matching the paint or a shade darker. Twisted chain stitch would be very effective for this purpose. Both gold and silver paint might be used in the same design. Very charming door panels could be painted in this way. The tacks used in fastening the work in place should be concealed by a narrow gilt beading, or a narrow strip of Lincrusta Walton could be used. Screens, friezes, stripes for portieres, would be very novel decorated in this way.
