Penley, Aaron: A System Of Water-Colour Painting: Being A Complete Exposition Of The Present Advanced State Of The Art, As Exhibited In The Works Of The Modern Water-Colour School (London, 1852)

PRACTICE.

1. FIRST GENERAL TINT.
Having thus briefly touched upon the leading princi-
ples of Art, with a view to show the necessity of making
ourselves acquainted with them, we will enter into the
practical part of Painting in Water-Colours—that part
which concerns the proper execution of a picture; and in
which we shall exhibit those processes and manipulations
which consitute what may be called the mechanism of
the art.
Paper, being white, is too opaque to paint upon with-
out some wash of colour being first passed over it (for the
light tones of the sky would else be apt to look crude and
harsh) ; we must therefore go over it with some desirable
tint that shall break, in a slight degree, the extreme
brilliancy of the mere paper. For this purpose a thin
wash of Yellow Ochre and Brown Madder is to be
put over the whole surface of the paper with a large flat
brush, care being taken never to drive the colour too
bare, i. e. never to empty the brush too closely, but
always to replenish before more is actually required. The
drawing-board must be sloped at about an angle of 45
degrees, so that a sufficient tendency may be given to tho
colour to flow downwards : should the brush be too full
towards the lower edge, gently place it upon a damp
sponge, which will suck up the superfluous moisture,
and render the brush fit to continue the process without
leaving blurs. This method should always be resorted to
in every case where the brush is too full: a cloth or