scrub and finish with the lighter parts. Let one color dry perfectly before another is put on, and make the colors as solid as they will bear. Add a little water to a color when it is being softened down, but with very great care. Two shades on a leaf or petal can be softened into each other by brushing the leaf with the hard brush the way in which the pile runs most easily, and then the contrary way. Sketch in the stamens, veins and fine lines of the design with a crow-quill pen after the painting is dry. When all the work is done, take a smooth, soft hat brush and brush it gently over the work so as to raise any part of the pile that may have been flattened.
"Dark colored velvets must have the design painted over in Chinese white before coloring. To do this paint the design over with a slight wash of veluntine; let this dry thoroughly, and then put on Chinese white, mixed with veluntine, putting it on as dry as possible. Then paint with the right colors, mixed with veluntine, and shading as sparingly as possible. Do not brush when finished unless the pile is much flattened."
