The Artist's Assistant, In the Study and Practice of Mechanical Sciences: Calculated for the Improvement of Genius. Illustrated with Copper-Plates (Birmingham, [ca. 1785])

THE ARTIST'S ASSISTANT, sot

10 hurt your out-lines ; and that you may the better
fee what you clo, with the thumb and fore-finger of
the left hand, hold a piece of tranfparent paper,
Hoping, jufl over your right hand, and you will
foon be a judge of the different teints of the work
you are doing, fcraping off more or lefs of the
ground, as the different ftrengths of light and teints
require. - .

The ufe of the burnifher is to foften, or rub down,
the extremely light parts, after -the fcrapcr is done
with, fuch as the tip of the nofe, forehead, linen, &c.
which might othcrwife, when proved, appear ra-
ther mi fly than clear.

Another method, ufed by mezzotinto-fcrapers, is
to etch the out-lines of the original, as alfo of, the
folds in drapery, marking the breadths of the fha-
dows by dots, which, having bit of a proper colour
with aquafortis, according to'the directions given,
p. 195, take off the ground ufed in etching, and
having laid the mezzotinto-ground as in p. igg,
proceed to fcrape the picture as above. Four or
five days before you think the plate will be ready
for proving, notice muft be given to the rolling-
prefs printer, to wet fome French paper, as no other
will do for this work, and as that time is neceffary
for it to lie in wet. When the proof is dry, touch
it with white chalk where it fnould be lighter, and
with black chalk where it fhould be darker; and
when the print is re-touched, proceed as before for
: the lights, and for the fhades ufe a fmall grounding-
tool, as much as you judge neceffary to bring it to the
proper colour ; and when you have done as much as
you think expedient, prove it again, and fo proceed
to prove and touch till it is entirely to your mind.

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