The Excellency of the pen and pencil exemplifying the uses of them in the most exquisite and mysterious arts of drawing, etching, engraving, limning, painting in oyl, washing of maps & pictures, also the way to cleanse any old painting, and preserve the colours : collected from the writings of the ablest masters both ancient and modern, as Albert Durer, P. Lomantius, and divers others ; furnished with divers cuts in copper, being copied from the best masters ...

CHAP. III.

How to prepare a Table for a Picture in small for Limning, to make choice of your Light, the manner of Sitting in respect o•• Position and Distance, and what necessary Instruments are to lie by you when you are at work.

WE now draw pretty near to our intended purpose, viz. Miniture or Limning to the life in Water-Colours: but

SECT. I. How to prepare a Table for a Picture in small.

GET pure fine Paste-board, such as the ordi∣nary playing Cards are made of, you may have of what size and thickness you please, and very finely slick'd and glazed, at the Card∣makers: Take a piece of this Paste-board of the size you intend your Picture, then take a piece of Parch∣ment of the finest and whitest you can get, which are the skins of abortives or costlings, cut a piece of this skin of equal bigness with your Paste-board, and with thin white Starch new made paste the Parchment to the Paste-board, with the out-side of the skin outermost; lay on your Starch very thin and even; then your Grinding-stone being made very clean, lay the Card thereupon with

the Parchment-side downwards, and as hard as you can, rub the other side of the Paste-board with a Boars tooth set in a stick for that purpose, when it is through drie it is fit to work upon.

SECT. II. Of your Light.

COncerning your Light, let it be fair and large, free from being shadowed with trees or hou∣ses, but a clear sky-light, let it be a direct light from above, and not a traverse-light; let it be a Northerly and not a Southerly light, for the Sun shining either upon you, your work, or the partie sitting, will be very prejudici••l; as your room must be light, so let it be also close and clean. And observe, that you begin and end your work by the same light.

SECT. III. Of the manner of Sitting.

LEt your Desk on which you work be so situate, that when you sit before it your left arme may be towards your light, and your right arme from it, that the light may strike in sideling upon your Work. Thus for your own sitting.

Now for the manner of the parties sitting that is to be Drawn, it may be in what posture he or she shall design; but let the posture be what it will, let it not be above two yards off you at the most, and level with you; but if the partie be tall, then above.

Mark well when the party that sits moveth, though never so little, for the least motion of the body of face, if not recalled, may in short time cause you to run into many errours.

The Face of a party being finished, let him stand and not sit to have his posture drawn, and that at a farther distance than two yards, viz. four or five yards.

SECT. IV. Of such necessaries as are to lie by you while you are at work.

1. YOu must have two small Sawcers or other China-dishes, in either of which there must be pure clean Water; the one of them is to wash your Pencils in being foul, the other to temper your Colours with when there is occasion.

2. A large, but clean, fine and dry Pencil, to cleanse your work from any kind of dust that may by accident fall upon it: such Pencils they call Fitch-Pencils.

3. A sharp Pen-knife to take off hairs that may come from your Pencil, either among your Colours or upon your Work, or to take out spots that may come to fall upon your Card.

4. A Paper, having a hole cut therein, to lay up∣on your Card to cover it from dust, and to rest your hand upon, to keep the soil and sweat of your hand from fullying your Parchment, and also to try your Pencils on before you apply them to your

Work. Let your Sawcers of Water, your Pen∣knife and Pencils lie all on your right hand.

5. Have a pretty quantitie of Carnation (as some call it,) or Flesh-colour, somewhat lighter than the Complexion of the party you are to draw, tem∣pered up in a shell by it self with a weak Gum-water. If it be a Fair complexion, White-lead and Red-lead mixed. If a Swarthie or Brown com∣plexion, to your White and Red-lead add a quan∣titie of Masticote, or English-Oker, or both if occa∣sion be. But whatever the Complexion be, be sure you temper your Flesh-colour lighter than the partie; for by often working upon it you may bring it to its true colour, it being first too light; but if it be first too sad, there then is no remedy.

6. Having prepared your Flesh-colour, take a large Shell of Mother of Pearl, or a Horse-Mussel-Shell, which any Fisherman will help you to, and therein (as Painters in Oyl dispose their Colours upon their Pallat for their working of a Face, so must you) place your several Shadows in this Shell in little places one distinct from another.

Note, that in all your Shadows you must use some White, wherefore 1. lay a good quantitie of White by it self, besides what the Shadows are first tempered with. 2. For Red for the Cheeks and Lips, temper Lake and Red-lead together, some use Vermilion, but I like it not. 3. For your Blew Shadows, as under the Eyes, and in Veins, &c. In∣dico and White, or Ultamarine and White. 4. For your Gray, faintish Shadows, take White English-Oker and Indico, or sometimes Masticote. 5. or

Deep shadows, White, English-Oker, and Umber. 6. For Dark-shadows in mens Faces, Lake and Pink, which make an excellent fleshy shadow. Many other Shadows you may temper up, but these are the chief; your own judgement, when you look upon the partie to be Drawn, will best direct you, and inform your fancie better than a thousand Words.

Thus are you absolutely prepared of all necessa∣ries, it is now fit time to go to work; and first we will begin with a Face.