ever brilliant, and all his gilding, however well done, will be thrown away or will serve to show only the more plainly the defects in the form.
Which to admire the most, the beauty of the letter shown in Fig. 81, or the plain sense of its designer, who, discarding the terms Classic, Runic, Tuscan, or other names abso-
Fig. 80.
lutely inappropriate to the character, bas called it simply Ornamented, a name which it really deserves, being one of the handsomest characters in use. the coloring must be left to the taste of the painter, but it must be pointed out, that the space between the surrounding line and the letter itself is not to be filled in, in which case it would form a heavy broad border, but it is intended to be a single outline only, thus lightening the effect of the letter, and increasing at the same time its distinctness.
Fig. 81.
Fig. 82 is an example of Rustic character, well adapted for the name or inscription of a horticulturist or somewhat similar trade. In order to elevate the art, the sign-painter should be prepared to submit sketches of the inscription as a whole, and of individual letters drawn full size, and a
