Part 10

If these directions are carefully followed, a perfect transparency will be produced, which it will require an experienced eye to detect from real stained glass.

Transparencies in thin silk or muslin can be made by tightly stretching the material on to a frame. The designs are then subjected to two coatings of the clearing liquid applied on the wrong side, and when dry, one of the transfer varnish to the colored side. This is then well pressed down by the roller. When quite dry, if the picture appear at all cloudy, it will be necessary to apply the clearing liquid again, then varnish, and the transparency is finished. Be careful, however, not to remove the work from the frame until perfectly dry. This work is especially adapted for hall windows, by the side of the front door, or in the door.

We have seen beautiful specimens of this work done by a twelve-year-old miss.

24.--PAINTING ON GLASS.

Some of the works which profess to teach the art of painting on glass, contain directions for staining large windows in churches and halls; others merely give the process of producing the more common paintings, such as are carried about the streets for sale. These seem to have been much in vogue about a century since, as all the “Young Artists’ Assistants” of that day contain the mode of painting them. They direct us to fix a mezzotinto print upon the back of a sheet of glass, and to remove the paper by wetting and rubbing, leaving the impression of the print, which is afterwards to be painted in broadwashes, the ink of the print giving the shadows. The picture being then turned over, the glazed side becomes the front, and the colors first laid on, are, of course, nearest the eye. This mode of painting resembles the style of Grecian painting, that being painted from the back, and the shading is the ink of the engraving.

The methods by which glass is stained are scientific; they require some knowledge of chemistry, and such apparatus as must preclude the practice of this branch of art as an amusement. It may be interesting, however, to know something of the process. The glass being at first colorless, a drawing is made upon it, and the painting is laid on with mineral substances, the vehicle being a volatile oil, which soon evaporates. The sheets of glass are then exposed to a powerful heat, until they are so far melted that they receive the colors into their own substances. Enamel painting is done on the same principle. This is a time of great anxiety to the artist, as with all possible care valuable paintings, both in glass and enamel, are frequently spoiled in the proving, or vitrification. The art seems to have been lost during several centuries; but it has of late been successfully revived; and large windows have been executed for churches and Gothic halls, which almost vie with the fine old specimens in the cathedrals in point of color, while they far excel them in other respects.

The branch of the art which may be treated as an accomplishment, is the decoration of glass, flower-stands, lamp-shades, and similar articles, with light and elegant designs. Flowers, birds, butterflies, and pleasing landscapes afford an extensive range of subjects, which are suitable to this style of ornamental painting. The glasses may be procured ready ground. The outline may be sketched in with a black lead pencil; the lead can be washed off with a sponge when the colors are dry. The whole of the colors employed must be transparent, and ground in oil; opaque, or body colors, will not answer the purpose.

They may be purchased in small bladders, only requiring to be tempered with fine copal or mastic varnish, and a very little nut oil, to be ready for use. Blue is produced by Prussian blue; red, by scarlet or crimson lake; yellow, by yellow lake or gamboge; green, by verdigris, or mineral green, or a mixture of Prussian blue and gamboge; purple, by a mixture of lake and Prussian blue; reddish brown, by burnt sienna; and all the other tints may be obtained by combinations; for white, or such parts as are required to be transparent, without color, the varnish only should be employed. A very chaste and pleasing effect may be produced by painting the whole design in varnish, without color.

It is an advantage to this style of painting that but few colors are required; as from the nature of the subjects, and their purpose as ornaments, brilliancy is more desirable than a nice gradation of tints. The work must, of course, be carefully dried, but may afterwards be cleaned with a sponge and cold water.

25.--PAINTING ON VELVET.

Painting on velvet as well as on glass is an old art revived. No art that is really beautiful in itself will pass away entirely. As these paintings are very pleasing to the eye, and easy of execution, it is well to know how to paint them. The following directions are taken from a reliable English work.

The colors for this style of painting are sold at the drawing material warehouses in a liquid state, and prepared for use. In addition to these, a brilliant rose-color is obtained from the pink saucers, by dropping a little weak gum water upon the color, and rubbing it with a brush. A deep yellow may also be produced by pouring a few drops of boiling water upon a small quantity of hay saffron.

It is necessary to mix gum water with all the colors made, to prevent their spreading into each other; gum dragon is the best for this purpose. The brushes used are called scrubs; they consist of a small stick, with a camel’s-hair brush cut off quite short at one end, and at the other, a brush of bristles of a much harder description. A small box of black lead is necessary, and a piece of list rolled tightly round, to the diameter of about two inches, to be used as a sort of brush with the black lead, for making outlines in the manner we shall presently direct. A piece of linen rag, to wipe the brushes on, should also be provided.

The most brilliant flowers, fruits, shells, birds, &c., are well adapted to this style of painting. The outline of the subject may be sketched in pencil on the velvet, which is of such a very delicate nature, that the greatest nicety is necessary to keep it in a state of neatness. Care should also be taken that the sketch is correctly made, as an error cannot be effaced by rubbing out, as on paper. It is a safer method, however, to make the sketch on drawing-paper, and to prick the outline very closely with a fine needle; then, the velvet being previously nailed on a flat piece of wood of a proper size, the pricked pattern may be laid over it, the roll of list dipped into the black lead powder, and rubbed regularly over the pattern from side to side; be careful to touch every part, and on removing the pattern, a perfect outline in black dots will appear on the velvet.

Where a set of articles of the same pattern is undertaken, this is a very good plan, as it insures accuracy, and saves the trouble of making separate sketches.

Even those who have no knowledge of drawing on paper, may produce a design on velvet with ease and correctness, by tracing off against a window, or by means of tracing paper, any drawing or print which they wish to copy, and pricking the tracing on the velvet in the manner just described. In order to keep the margin of the velvet from being soiled in the progress of painting, a piece of thick paper should be laid over the whole, and an aperture cut in the middle, sufficiently large to expose the part to be worked on. Each brush should be kept for that color alone, to which it has once been appropriated.

A small quantity of the color about to be used should be poured into a little cup, and a drop of gum-water added, and stirred with the stick of a pencil prior to its being taken on the brush. The mode of its application is so simple, that a short description of the execution of a single flower will suffice to give an idea of the process of painting almost any other subject on velvet. A very small portion of color is to be taken upon the brush, and the darkest part of the leaf touched with it; the brush is then to be dipped in water, and the color gradually softened to the edge; each leaf ought to be colored separately, and the darkest parts in the centre of the flowers may be finished with a small brush without softening. India ink is used to make the dark shadows of crimson flowers. The veins, and all the petals of flowers, and all the fine lines, should be done with a pen. Each leaf, as it is shadowed, should be brushed with the hard end of a brush that way of the velvet in which the pile runs most easily, and then in the contrary direction, so as to set it up again to become dry. A deeper shade should never be added to a leaf or flower until the color previously laid on is perfectly set, or the two colors will spread, and run into each other; this will be prevented by the gum, if sufficient time can be allowed for each shade to dry before a subsequent one is applied.

When the piece is finished, and quite dry, it should be brushed over with a small, round brush, about two inches in diameter, with hard bristles of an equal length, to raise up such parts of the pile as may have been flattened in the process of painting.

Toilet sets, sofa cushions, fancy tables, pincushions, and a variety of articles may be ornamented in this way.

26.--CASTING IN PLASTER, SULPHUR, &c.

Taking the impression of coins, metals, &c., is, independently of its utility, a most interesting amusement. This art is of considerable importance to collectors of antique coins, &c. It is often difficult and always expensive to purchase superior specimens, of which, however, exact models may be obtained by casting, without the slightest injury to the originals. The mould is made in the following manner:--

Take a strip of paper, a quarter or third of an inch wide; roll it twice tight around the rim of the coin or gem, of which a cast is intended to be taken, and fasten the end with very stiff gum-water, which will hold it instantly. Rub a very little oil, with a camel’s-hair pencil, over the coin, in order to prevent the plaster from sticking; then mix some fine plaster of Paris, with as much water as will make it almost as thick as treacle; apply it quickly to the coin, on which it will be held by the paper rim. It sets almost instantly, and may be taken off in a few hours; but the longer it remains undisturbed the better. The mould which is thus obtained is the reverse of the coin; that is, the impression is concave, like a seal. When the moulds are so dry that they will not wrinkle a piece of paper laid flat upon the surface, let them be well saturated with the best boiled linseed oil, placing the moulds with their surface upward, that the whole of the oil may be absorbed. They must be covered from dust, and nothing should touch their surface, lest they suffer injury. Moulds, well prepared in this manner, and dried about two days after being oiled, will stand a long time for the casting of either plaster or sulphur. When used, either Florence oil or a little hog’s lard (the latter to be preferred) should be applied very tenderly over the mould with a little of the finest cotton wool, and the cotton wool, without lard, afterwards passed lightly over the surface, to leave as little as possible of the unctuous matter upon the mould, that the casts may be the finer. Put paper around them, as was before done to the coin; pour on plaster in the same manner, and a facsimile of the original will be produced.

Good casts may be made of sulphur, melted in an iron ladle, either pure, or colored with a little red lead or vermilion, powdered and stirred up with it. The moulds and casts are made in the same manner as with plaster of Paris, only that the sulphur must be poured on the mould when hot, and water, instead of oil, must be used, to prevent adhesion. Sulphur makes the best moulds for plaster casts, and _vice versa_--as similar substances can seldom be prevented, by either water or oil, from adhering, in some degree, to each other. Plaster cannot be used twice; that is, old or spoiled casts cannot be powdered and again employed; for the moment the material is moistened, being a species of lime, it is no longer plaster without being reburnt.

Another way of making casts of almost any color, is with a strong solution of isinglass; it must be used when quite hot; and it is so thin that a box, exactly fitting the rim of the coin, is required, otherwise it will escape. It may be colored with saffron, wood, &c.

Very beautiful impressions may be taken by pouring melted wax upon the metal, which comes off easily when the wax and metal are perfectly cold; but any one attempting this had better try it first upon a penny, or other coin of little value.

Impressions may also be taken in wax, which, for this purpose, should be rendered pliable by kneading it with the hand before the fire, a little oil having been previously mixed with it. When softened to about the consistency of putty, lay it and press it close down on the coin, the form of which will then be perfectly obtained.

The following is another mode of taking impressions: Procure tin or lead foil as thin as possible, place it on the coin, and with a pin’s head, or any small, smooth instrument, work it into every part; then take it off, revert it into a shallow box, and pour plaster into its concave side; a durable plaster cast is thus obtained, covered with tin foil, which will resemble silver.

27.--ENGRAVED BOXES.

The box should be white or light straw-color, in order to show the faint impression to advantage. It should be varnished five or six times in succession, and suffered to dry thoroughly each time. While the last coat of varnish is yet so fresh that your finger will adhere to it, the engraving must be put on, the picture side next to the varnish. The engraving must be prepared in the following manner:--

All the white paper must be cut off close to the edges of the engraving, which must be laid on a clean table, with the picture downward, and moistened all over with a clean sponge. It must then be placed between two leaves of blotting paper, to dry it a little. Before putting it on the box, take great care to have it even, and determine exactly where you wish it to be. Lay one edge of the print, picture downward, upon the varnish, and gradually drop it to its place, passing the hand successively over the back of the print in such a manner as to drive out all the air, and prevent the formation of blisters. Then carefully touch it all over with a linen cloth, so as to be sure every part adheres to the varnish. Leave it until it is thoroughly dry. Then moisten the back of the engraving with a clean sponge, and rub it lightly backward and forward with the fingers, so as to remove the moistened paper in small rolls. When the picture begins to appear, take great care lest you rub through, and take off some of the impression. As soon as you perceive there is danger of this, leave it to dry. In drying, the engraving will disappear, because it is still covered by a slight film of paper. You might think it mere white paper; but give it a coat of varnish, and it will become quite transparent. Should you by accident have removed any part of the engraving, touch it with India ink and gum-water, in order that no white spots may appear; but when you put on your second coat of varnish, you must take care to pass very lightly over the spots you have retouched. The box should be varnished as many as three times after the engraving has been placed on it, and suffered to dry thoroughly each time. The white alcoholic varnish is the best. It should be put on in the sunshine, or near a warm stove. After the last coat is well dried, sift a little pulverized rotten stone through coarse muslin, and rub it on with linseed oil and a soft rag; after being well rubbed, cleanse the box thoroughly with an old silk handkerchief or soft linen rag. Some persons say that a very thin sizing of nice glue should be put on the box before it is varnished at all; others say it is not necessary. This work requires great patience and care; but the effect is very beautiful, and pays for the trouble.

=SOLITAIRE GAMES OF CARDS.=

There are very few games one person alone can play. Mrs. Cheney has compiled a collection of these games, under the name of “Patience,” which are very desirable. These games are an acquisition to any home. They amuse an invalid, and often act as a sedative to men wearied of business cares, who desire some simple amusement before sleeping. They do not produce the feverish excitement of games of chance and skill played against an opponent. Yet they can become a social pleasure, by others looking on and sharing in the interest of the game, and the pleasure of success. Boys and girls would do well to learn them, as they will not divert the mind from study, yet may help to pass pleasantly an idle hour, besides exercising the _patience_. The publishers have allowed us to give the directions of some of the games; we also will add “The Army Solitaire,” and when you play it, think of the pleasure it has given to many a weary soldier, in diverting his mind from the hardships of war. Our famous generals often played it the night before a battle, and if successful, looked upon it as a good omen. We will add a few simple social games.

1.--THE LEGITIMIST.

TWO PACKS.

This name is of French origin, but it seems to have no special adaptation to the game. It may have been applied to it from some old royalist, who solaced his years of exile with the company of mimic kings and queens. It requires close attention, but is not otherwise difficult.

Take a king and place it at the left. Then, having shuffled your cards well together, begin to lay them off. You place in succession, in a horizontal row, next the king, the queen, the knave, ten, nine, eight, seven, and six, as they appear from the pack. On these you form the families of thirteen cards each, piling downwards, not following suit, and ending each family with the number next to the bottom card, so that you will finish, if successful, with a row of piles, whose top cards number from the ace to the seven, inclusive. Put the cards that you cannot immediately use in stock. You can take up this stock, re-shuffle it, and re-lay it twice.

You must be very careful to observe when your families are complete, for as each one ends with a different number, you will be likely to put on too many cards if you are inattentive.

2.--THE SULTAN.

TWO PACKS.

This is, perhaps, the most curious and interesting of all the games of Solitaire, and, if successful, it forms a pretty picture of the sultan or king of hearts, surrounded by his eight queens. As it is rather difficult to understand the arrangement, we have prepared a little diagram to illustrate it.

Take out the ace of hearts and all the kings. Place one king of hearts in the centre. Just above him place the ace of hearts, and below him the other king of hearts. On each side of the ace place the kings of clubs, who represent war. On each side of the first king of hearts are the kings of diamonds, representing the treasury; and on the lower line, each side of the second king of hearts, are the kings of spades, representing the industrial forces.

Then shuffle the remaining cards, and lay off from the pack. Put the first four cards on one side off the square formed by the kings, placing the ends of the cards towards the square. Put the next four cards on the other side in a similar manner; these eight cards form the divan.

Leaving the sultan untouched, form the other families by placing the aces on the kings, and so piling in regular succession, according to suits, ending with the queens. Place all cards which you cannot immediately use, in a pile on the table, which is called the stock. You can use the cards you are laying off from the packs, or the top card of the stock, or any card in the divan, in forming your families. When a card is taken from the divan, you may fill its place, either by the top card from the stock, or by the next card from the pack, as you think most likely to be favorable to your purpose.

When you have exhausted the pack, you can take up the stock and use it as a pack, always keeping your divan full. This you can do twice. Some skill is required in placing the cards in the divan, and in selecting them for use, and constant care is needed that no opportunity in placing a card in the families escape you. You will, after a little experience, generally be rewarded with success.

3.--FRENCH SOLITAIRE.

ONE PACK.

This game is very simple, and well adapted to invalids who cannot make much effort.

Shuffle the cards well. Lay the four aces as they come in a row. Place the other cards as they appear from the pack, on the aces in order, without following suit; as, ace, deuce, three, four, &c.; this is called putting the cards in families.

Place the cards which do not fit on these, in due order in four piles below, and whenever the top card will go on the upper line, in regular sequence, you can use it, which will thus free the card beneath it.

The skill consists in deciding on which of these four piles to place the cards from the pack, and which card to use, if you have two top cards of the same number. Of course you must not, if you can help it, place a higher card on a lower; but if you have already four piles, this will often be unavoidable. You must then endeavor to get off the higher cards, to free those beneath. According to the old, strict rule, of not looking to see what cards are beneath the top card, it becomes an excellent exercise of memory to recall in which pile are the cards you want at the moment. It is not well to place many cards of the same number in one pile. If you can complete the families in the upper row to the kings, you have succeeded in this game; if not, you have failed.

You may make this game still easier by taking out the aces, and placing them in the upper row, before beginning the game; or you may make it more difficult by following suit in the families, in which case you are entitled to take up the lower piles, re-shuffle them, and re-lay them twice.

4.--THE ARMY SOLITAIRE.

ONE PACK.

The army game is a decided favorite with all who like solitaire games; we have never _seen_ any printed directions, yet there may be in some book we have not had access to. We prefer it to any other game of solitaire, and we hope these directions will be sufficiently plain to interest our readers to try it.

Shuffle the cards thoroughly. Then deal off the first card, whatever it may be, and place it on the upper corner of the left hand side of an imaginary square. This is called the foundation card, on which to form a family. For instance, if it were the six of diamonds, the next card to place upon it would be the seven of diamonds, as the family must be formed in regular succession, according to suit. Whenever you come across, in playing the cards, the six of spades, hearts, or clubs, these are the foundation cards (as the first card dealt gives the requisite value of the other three foundation cards, or as some call them, the four towers of the fortress), and can be placed in the other three corners, to form a square. On these build your towers, as we directed in diamonds. If you succeed in forming the four towers or families in suit, and in succession, you have conquered.