Stencilling as an Art
The materials are not expensive, the common
sackcloth Mr. Heron has employed so admirably,
or the arras cloths such as Messrs. Liberty sell,
costing a few pence a square yard, offer capital
surfaces; while the colours may be any of those
ordinarily in use for the decoration of the fabric
selected. The examples described were executed
with oil colours, mixed somewhat thinner than
usual. Cartridge paper of good quality makes an
utilise their stencils largely in conjunction with
dyes, as a means for laying a " resist " of rice paste
on a cloth, and so protecting a portion of the
pattern against the action of any particular colour.
These processes have been well described by Mrs.
Ernest Hart [Japan Society Trans., vol. i.), and it is
conceivable that some of our designers may succeed
in imitating them ; but at the fineness of execution,
and delicacy of design and manipulation, we can
excellent stencil for line work, and can be cut
cleanly on glass, although with more pleasure if
with more risk, on soft deal in which the grain is
not too prominent ; when cut, the stencil should
be waterproofed with one of the solutions of shellac
in spirit, which can easily be obtained prepared
ready for use.
The Japanese cut fourteen stencils at a time,
using thin but exceedingly tough mulberry-bark
paper. These are superimposed in couples, be-
tween each two sheets being laid, when necessary,
a network of hair (human !) or silk, to support the
pattern. In addition to the ordinary use, they
74
only stand afar off and wonder ; not without some
pity for the perversity with which the Japanese are
abandoning their own perfect craftsmanship for the
deceptive " cheapness " of the machine-made goods
with which we are poisoning their artistic souls.
Edward F. Strange.
The Japanese stencils on this page have been
reduced from the originals, which are-about 14x8.
These are used for printing fabrics, and as a glance
will show the first stencil given provides for a dia-
pered ground and the outlines of the butterflies in
one colour, while the other supplies the decoration
for the butterflies themselves.
The materials are not expensive, the common
sackcloth Mr. Heron has employed so admirably,
or the arras cloths such as Messrs. Liberty sell,
costing a few pence a square yard, offer capital
surfaces; while the colours may be any of those
ordinarily in use for the decoration of the fabric
selected. The examples described were executed
with oil colours, mixed somewhat thinner than
usual. Cartridge paper of good quality makes an
utilise their stencils largely in conjunction with
dyes, as a means for laying a " resist " of rice paste
on a cloth, and so protecting a portion of the
pattern against the action of any particular colour.
These processes have been well described by Mrs.
Ernest Hart [Japan Society Trans., vol. i.), and it is
conceivable that some of our designers may succeed
in imitating them ; but at the fineness of execution,
and delicacy of design and manipulation, we can
excellent stencil for line work, and can be cut
cleanly on glass, although with more pleasure if
with more risk, on soft deal in which the grain is
not too prominent ; when cut, the stencil should
be waterproofed with one of the solutions of shellac
in spirit, which can easily be obtained prepared
ready for use.
The Japanese cut fourteen stencils at a time,
using thin but exceedingly tough mulberry-bark
paper. These are superimposed in couples, be-
tween each two sheets being laid, when necessary,
a network of hair (human !) or silk, to support the
pattern. In addition to the ordinary use, they
74
only stand afar off and wonder ; not without some
pity for the perversity with which the Japanese are
abandoning their own perfect craftsmanship for the
deceptive " cheapness " of the machine-made goods
with which we are poisoning their artistic souls.
Edward F. Strange.
The Japanese stencils on this page have been
reduced from the originals, which are-about 14x8.
These are used for printing fabrics, and as a glance
will show the first stencil given provides for a dia-
pered ground and the outlines of the butterflies in
one colour, while the other supplies the decoration
for the butterflies themselves.