Put a pretty sky on a narrow panel, with a ground work
of fine grasses, and on the right or left, as you please, paint some tall
field flowers and grasses, with a bird in flight, and you have a pretty
design. This design may be varied by painting ferns and grasses, or
tall white lilies on the side. Winter bits of landscape with birds in the
foreground, are also pretty.
Amateurs who are good copyists and have never tried designing,
would do well to paint their own designs from natural flowers. Group
and intertwine the flowers and leaves, fastening them in place ; sketch
the design diagonally across, or through the center, if preferred, taking
care to have no stiffness in the detail. If success follows this attempt,
^countless beautiful designs may be painted from natural flowers. The
DESIGNS FOX PANELS. 303
handsomest panels are those made of dark fine grained wood with those
in white wood for contrast. A dark panel may be painted with fine
effect with bright scarlet or pink flowers, with rich green leaves and
ferns.
Handsome paper weights, either square or of panel shape, may be
cut from wood of sufficient thickness. Upon them may be painted a
variety of designs. A spray of strawberry blossoms and leaves, with
rich red berries, or a bunch of small white lilies and leaves are pleasing
designs.
A small bird's nest, with blue eggs, surrounded with tall grasses, or a
few dark flowers, with leaves of rich coloring, are handsome designs
for a white ground. The pansy is a beautiful flower for a light
ground, and if intertwined with a few dark green ivy leaves, the effect is
still better.
Very handsome panels in imitation of the Japanese are two and three
feet long, by half a foot wide. They are made of dark woods, or white,
if preferred, for the mantel.
Those of white wood one and a half feet in length are handsome set
upon tall ebony easels. Vines are the appropriate designs for these
panels. The English and German ivies, with sprays of fine flowers,
running irregularly through and across the surface, are handsome. One
of the loveliest vines is the morning glory with its vines twisted into
great ropes, and covered with dark green leaves, rich purples and
delicate pink and white blossoms.
To vary the monotony of flower and landscape panels, paint upon a
white wood panel, a comical design in white silhouettes, or paint an
ebony panel with design in white silhouettes, finished, if you like, with
a vine or arabesque around the edge.
There is a good deal of art in a spirited silhouette, and it would
doubtless give many more pleasure than a finely executed flower piece ;
not that they lack artistic sense or love of the beautiful, but that they
appreciate more keenly portrayals of people and life.
Painting the panels of handsome hard wood furniture gives a very
elegant effect. Large, heavy pieces will bear an elaborate design of
flowers, or a small circular or oval landscape for a center, with flowers
and vines in corners or running along edges.
In painting panels or any small surface, a great fault is the use of too
many flowers. One single spray of flowers with its leaves is much
more pleasing to the eye than a mass, or even two or three kinds, unless
they be so skillfully harmonized that they seem to grow together.
Page 269
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Put a pretty sky on a narrow panel, with a ground work of fine grasses, and on the right or left, as you please, paint some tall field flowers and grasses, with a bird in flight, and you have a pretty design. This design may be varied by painting ferns and grasses, or tall white lilies on the side. Winter bits of landscape with birds in the foreground, are also pretty.
Amateurs who are good copyists and have never tried designing, would do well to paint their own designs from natural flowers. Group and intertwine the flowers and leaves, fastening them in place ; sketch the design diagonally across, or through the center, if preferred, taking care to have no stiffness in the detail. If success follows this attempt, ^countless beautiful designs may be painted from natural flowers. The
DESIGNS FOR PANELS. 303
handsomest panels are those made of dark fine grained wood with those in white wood for contrast. A dark panel may be painted with fine effect with bright scarlet or pink flowers, with rich green leaves and ferns.
Handsome paper weights, either square or of panel shape, may be cut from wood of sufficient thickness. Upon them may be painted a variety of designs. A spray of strawberry blossoms and leaves, with rich red berries, or a bunch of small white lilies and leaves are pleasing designs.
A small bird's nest, with blue eggs, surrounded with tall grasses, or a few dark flowers, with leaves of rich coloring, are handsome designs for a white ground. The pansy is a beautiful flower for a light ground, and if intertwined with a few dark green ivy leaves, the effect is still better.
Very handsome panels in imitation of the Japanese are two and three feet long, by half a foot wide. They are made of dark woods, or white, if preferred, for the mantel.
Those of white wood one and a half feet in length are handsome set upon tall ebony easels. Vines are the appropriate designs for these panels. The English and German ivies, with sprays of fine flowers, running irregularly through and across the surface, are handsome. One of the loveliest vines is the morning glory with its vines twisted into great ropes, and covered with dark green leaves, rich purples and delicate pink and white blossoms.
To vary the monotony of flower and landscape panels, paint upon a white wood panel, a comical design in white silhouettes, or paint an ebony panel with design in white silhouettes, finished, if you like, with a vine or arabesque around the edge.
There is a good deal of art in a spirited silhouette, and it would doubtless give many more pleasure than a finely executed flower piece ; not that they lack artistic sense or love of the beautiful, but that they appreciate more keenly portrayals of people and life.
Painting the panels of handsome hard wood furniture gives a very elegant effect. Large, heavy pieces will bear an elaborate design of flowers, or a small circular or oval landscape for a center, with flowers and vines in corners or running along edges.
In painting panels or any small surface, a great fault is the use of too many flowers. One single spray of flowers with its leaves is much more pleasing to the eye than a mass, or even two or three kinds, unless they be so skillfully harmonized that they seem to grow together.