PAINTED ENAMELS.
Photo-enamels are frequently set in as pendants, lockets, panels in caskets, or on backs of watches, and there is no form of photograph more suited to such purposes. It is, however, often con sidered that a monochrome picture is not sufficiently decorative for an elaborate setting, and this objection may be met by painting the enamel in colours. Very beautiful results may be obtained by artistic treatment, as the photographic image is to a large extent burnt away during the successive firings necessary to the painting, leaving pure, clean colour ing, undegraded by the photograph underneath. Soft enamel colours similar to those employed for dusting on should he used. They may be obtained in powder in all tints from makers of ceramic colours. The best medium for mixing the colours is oil of lavender, to which may be added a little fat oil of turps, which will cause the colour to ad here to the plaque more readily. Powder and mediums are mixed with a palette knife to a consistency convenient for use with a sable brush of the kind generally used for water-colour painting. The image to be painted may be of usual depth and quality, and it should have been fired lightly on to the plaque, but only sufficient to prevent the powder from moving. It requires no other prepara
tion for painting, and the colouring should be proceeded with in the same manner as in painting a miniature on ivory or in tinting an ordinary photo graph. It is, however, advantageous to lightly fire the colouring of the heavier shadows before proceeding with lighter tints. By firing lightly two or three times at convenient stages during the progress of the work, it can be so arranged as to give more firing to the heavily painted parts and less to colours which do not stand heavy firing, or are put on in light tints and therefore do not require so much heat to glaze. The chief firing should be left till the completion of the work, and should be sufficient to fully glaze the whole surface. After firing, some enamel colours change somewhat in tint or intensity, and allowance must be made for this when painting. Such change may give trouble and confuse a novice, but it offers little difficulty to the experienced artist.