The art of painting according to the theory and practise of the best Italian, French, and Germane masters. Treating of the antiquity of painting. The reputation it always had. The characters of several masters. Proportion. Action and passion. The effects of light. Perspective. Draught. Colouring. Ordonnance. Far more compleat and compendious then hath yet been publisht by any, antient or modern. The second edition. By M.S. gent.

CAP. XXIX. (Book 29)

The way of Painting a Face.

FOr a Clear and Beautiful Complection, lay on your Pallat and Temper them by themselves (cleaning your Pallat well after each Colour) these following Colours. viz.

White Flakes, Yellow-Oker, Burnt-Oker, Vermilion, Red Lead (which some use in the Lips, though many not at all) Light-Red, Indian-Red, Lake, Smalt, Blew-Black, Terravert, Roman-Oker, Brown-Pink, Umber and Bone-Black.

For the first Lights, White and a very little Light-Red, some∣times instead thereof a little Vermilion, though never but when you cannot avoid it, because in a Complection it is apt to change; then add a little more Light-Red; lay by the first of these Colours, and devide the second into two parts; one part temper down for the Cheeks and Lips in this Manner: add to it a little more Light-Red and Vermilion, and lay a little of it by;

to the rest add a little more, lay some by: then add to the remainder a little Lake and the least touch of Indian Red: ha∣ving laid some by, add a little more. Then cleaning your Pal∣lat where you temper'd them; temper together a little Vermili∣on, Light Red and Lake; lay by some, and add to the remain∣der more Indian-Red and Lake, then leave out the Vermilion and Light Red and add more Lake, and lastly lay by a little Lake.

Then take the Second Devident of the White and Light-Red, and for the greenifh Shaddows, mix a little Terravert with it, and lay some by, then more Terravert with a little Light-Red and lay a little of that by: for deeper Green, more Terravert, a little Yellow-Oker and Blew-Black; and so down, always re∣membring, as you add Terravert to add a little Light-Red or, some such like to keep the Shaddows warm.

For the Blew Shaddows under the Eyes and the deeper Blews add to some of the White & Light-Red a little Ultramarine, & more of Ultramarine with more Light-Red as occasion serves, but for a dead Colour, Blew-Black will serve.

For the Purplelish Shaddows, to the White and Light-Red, add a little Ultramarine and Lake, then a little more Ultramarine and Lake adding a little Light-Red, as you have occasion.

For the Yellowish Shaddows, to the White and Light-Red, add a little Yellow-Oker and more Light-Red, then more Light-Red, Yellow-Oker and Terravert, then more if occasion require it of the three last with a little Blew-Black.

For the dark Shaddows you must always (as before menti∣on'd) leave out the White, which makes them Grey and Cold.

For dark Greenish Shaddows, use Yellow-Oker, Roman-Oker, Burnt-Oker, Light-Red and Terravert; for Blewish, add more Blew-Black, for more Yellowish add Yellow-Oker and Roman-Oker, and for more warm and Glowing, add more Burnt-Oker.

For Deeper Shaddows, add Brown-Pink, Course and Lake, part laid by, add more Brown-Pink and Lake, and to them Bone-Black and so on to the Darkest.

Thus must you temper them, till by comparing the Colour on the Point of your Knife with all the Carnations and Tink∣tures

in the Face, you have obtain'd every Colour.

Note that this Method is to be us'd by Beginners, but those that are more experienc'd in Mixture, are not oblig'd to com∣pound every Touch of Colouring on their Pallat, for they will soon understand how to mix great part of them with their Pen∣cels as they work.

But sure I am that most of those Tinkturs I mention'd will be us'd in such a Face as I propos'd, and possibly all.

For a more Swarthy Complextiou you must use more Yellow-Oker throughout all the Lights; and still as you add Yellow-Oker you must for the most part add Light-Red to keep it warm: but the Nature it self (by carefull studying of it) will soon in∣struct you better then is possible to be done in writing: nor in a Swarthy Face will you have so much use of those clear Blew∣ish and Lakey Colours as in a very Clear one.

Your Colours thus prepar'd; with a hand of Pencels, which must consist of about a dosen and a half, of Pointed, Black and White Fitches of all sises, you may begin to work in this man∣ner (after your Face is exactly drawn in Chalk or Tripoly and cor∣rected by going over the Draught again with a single Colour, and the little nobs of colour scrap'd of from your Cloath, which must be a very even thread.)

Take a large Black Fitch (which I hold to be the best for the free delivery of a Body of Colours) and strike on the large lights, as the Eminences of the Forehead over the Eyes, the up∣per part of the nearest Ball of the upper Cheek, the top of the Chin, and with a smaller Fitch put in the top of the Nose, the top of the Eye-lids, &c.

Then with your Second Lights and other Pencels, go between the Eminences of the Forehead, and about the other first Lights, each side towards the Bottom of the Gutter of the Nose, the Ridge of the Nose, the highest part of the upper Lip, and where you see occasion.

Then with the Lightest Greenish or Blewish Shaddows, go a∣bout the Second Lights of the Forehead, upon the upper Lid of the Eyes, under the Corners of the Nostrels, the devisions of the Chin, about the Temples, and then with darker Shad∣dows of that kinde, till you come to the deepest the Face requires.

The Blewish and Purpleish Shaddows are sometimes in the Shaddow of the Nose, little Tinctures about the Chin, in Fresh-Colour'd Men, newly Shaven, and other places as Nature will best direct you, as likewise the blewish Shaddows under the Eyes, &c.

Next the Warm, dark Shoddows towards the Corners of the Eyes, the deepest Shaddows of the Nose, on the Cheeks near the Hair, and about the Chin.

Then the Darkest Shaddows, in the Mouth-stroake, the Nostrels, sometimes in the Shaddow of the Nose, on the dark side of the Face, &c.

After that strike in the Eye-brows, having left space for them, but not to the whole breadth of them, that you may the bet∣ter strike the loose Hairs over the Skin; not too dark, consi∣dering that will appear very dark over a Light part, which is not so in it self.

Next the Eyes, putting in the Lightest part first though some will put in the Sight first. Then the Lips, observing to put in the lightest parts first (as in the others) and so down to the deepest.

The Colours being thus all put in, you must begin to work them into each other, striking them in with a light Hand, ta∣king great care that you strike not the Shaddows so far, to soul the Lights, nor the Lights so as to Injure the Shaddows: dri∣ving the Colours with the Pencel in the manner of Hatching. When you have work'd all in as well as you can with your Pointed Pencels, then very lightly and with much Dexterity, run all over with your White Fitches, keeping them always ve∣ry clean as you Sweeten.

They being all layd Soft. Touch over the whole Face, as you may see occasion, and if the least Edge remains, be sure to take it of.

Then rub in the darke places of the Hair with a brush; then the lighter, lay it soft, and Touch it over slightly with a pointed Pencel for a Dead-Colour.

When your Head is thus Dead-Colour'd, and through dry; having scrap'd of all the Crums of Colours arising: with a bristle Brush, rub it very thin over with a mixture of Nut-Oyle and

Vernisb, for too much will change the Colours, then mix up your Colours as before, and accordingly Paint it: but instead of Smalt, use Ultramarine Ashes, and no Umber, except necessity requires it, to cover in some deep Shaddows.

Having layd on your Colours, worke them up with your Pointed Pencels, and Soften the whole work with your W ite Fitches, Touch it all over again with a steady and free Hand; and lastly, where it may require it, Soften of all the Edges.

But this time you must take more pains with the Hair then before, having rub'd your Colours hard, but thin in your Dark∣er and Lighter parts; with a little Turpentine Oyle and a large Pointed Pencel, you must strike in the Hair, carrying your Pen∣cel Circularly as the tendency of the Hair requires, and last of all Touch up the Lights and the Reflections and Dark Places as you see occasion.

Then when the whole is through dry, where you have oc∣casion to Touch, rub in very thin a little Vernish and Nut Oyle, if you cannot touch it soft without it.

In Draperys, when your Colours are in, you must give the Sudden Lights with an extraordinary free Hand, and if possibly, work them in without Fitches; for if they be not delicately us'd, they will blunt the Briskness of the Silk which is the Beauty of it.

As for Colour in Drapery, though some have (absurdly) layd down Certain rules for all Colours, it is a thing im∣possible to do, by reason the same Colours from divers disposi∣tions of Lights and Reflections, have various Tinktures: nor need the Practisioner be concern'd about it, for when he can once ap∣prehend all the Colours in the Face, he may with great Facility mix all Colours for the more difficult Drapery, even from Na∣ture it self.