At my demonstrations, questions are often -put to me from, the audience. Although the preceding text answers many of these, the following pages cover additional points which may interest some of my readers. For a wealth of similar material, see technical books on the order of those listed on page 13.

Q: Can I preserve the unmixed colors on my palette so they can be used later?

A: Yes. Lift them from the palette with your palette knife and line them around the edge of a saucer or shallow pan; then immerse in a pan of water. This will prevent skin from forming; when you are ready to paint again, remove saucer from water and stand it on edge to drain thoroughly. (This method might be unwise for important work.)

Q: I have been using plain oak frames on my paintings, sometimes giving them a coat of paint. How can I gain a more professional look?

A: Use a flat interior white paint. Before stirring, pour off most of the liquid, then stir—this gives a thick body. With a cheap two-inch brush apply a very heavy coat to entire frame. As the paint begins to dry and become gummy, jab and twist the brush into it; various effects are obtained with a little practice. (If the paint is too soft the marks will flatten out; several tries may be necessary.) Next, break a pocket comb in half—using the coarse tooth section, comb lines into the gummy paint, drawing the comb from the inside to the outer edge. Various other effects are possible through dragging the comb lengthwise around the frame or with a waving motion. Next you can tone the frame: the white ground paint on the frame must be thoroughly dry before starting the toning. In a small tin lid, squeeze from the tube about a quarter-inch of viridian, yellow ochre, black, and light red (keeping them well separated). Next, add enough turpentine to just about cover the paint, and to this add about a teaspoon of varnish (spar or picture). With a three-quarter or one-inch brush from your paint box, dip into the turpentine and touch the tip of the brush to the color dabs (lightly); don't pick up too much paint. Repeat this operation as you wash quickly over the entire frame, leaving spots of each color—and blends of the two, three and four colors. As quickly as you can, begin wiping the frame in a brushing motion with a clean cloth, or adding more color until you have the desired effect. For a cool tone, let the black and viridian predominate; for warmth, the light red and yellow ochre. If too much color had been used, remove by moistening a cloth with turpentine. Remember—the tone of the frame should be soft and delicate so as not to compete with the colors in the painting.

Q: Some of my paintings dried with certain parts dull and other parts shiny. Should these paintings be varnished? What kind of varnish should I use?

A: If the painting is quite new, use "retouch varnish. Should there be wet spots, spray on with atomizer. When the picture is thoroughly dry (one year), use picture mastic varnish.

Q: If 1 make some paintings on my vacation and want them to dry quickly, what can I do? Is siccative safe to use? Shall I leave them in the sun to dry?

A: In most art shops you can buy separators especially made for holding apart stretched canvases or painted panels. These are small round wooden discs with steel-pointed pins or nail-like points projecting from both sides. Through their use several paintings can be stacked as a unit (the outer ones facing in) and then wrapped to keep out dust. Fast-drying methods will in most cases cause eventual cracking.

Q: If I can't finish my painting the first day, does it have to dry thoroughly before I can proceed with it?

A: If you are painting a landscape or still life, continue the painting; if a portrait where you are painting a smooth skin texture, make sure the paint is still wet enough to mix with that which you will apply, or that the painting is dry to the touch. There is a period of the drying when a thin sticky film forms over the paint. This will either grab and make a bad spot (which can't be blended or wiped), or break the film, causing a rough tear in your smooth paint texture. Before starting to work on a dry painting, brush a very little linseed oil over the areas to be painted. This will also restore flattened-out darks to their true value.

Q: If I decide to paint a face where previously I had painted a dark background, now dry, is it all right to use flesh colors right over the darks?

A: Yes. Just be sure there is not a pattern of heavy lines from brush strokes to destroy the skin texture of the face. If the background is not too rough (because of piled paint) it can be scraped smooth with a palette knife.

Q: Do you use umber on your palette for painting shadows on the face?

A: No. Umber would be a false note and would not look like flesh in shadow. Make the shadow tone by using the same colors used for the light tones, i.e., if you are using yellow ochre, cadmium red light, cadmium red deep, viridian and white begin mixing the shadow next to the middle tone on the palette by starting with yellow ochre. To this add viridian, then cadmium red light or cadmium red deep depending on how dark or cool your shadow is to be. By using this method your shadow will look like the same flesh as in the light.

Q: 1 have been told that it is a good thing to coat the back of my canvas with oil paint (or aluminum paint) to keep the weather from, affecting my painting. Is there ant/ virtue in this?
A: I doubt if this has enough value to make it worth while since it will make little difference unless you also seal all edges of the canvas. If you prize your paintings highly, they deserve humidity control.

Q: Some years ago I hung some recently finished paintings on the wall. Later, when they looked dull, I rubbed linseed oil on them. This improved their appearance so much that I repeated the treatment every year or two. Now I realize that the paintings have become very yellow and dingy. Can they be cleaned, or bleached out by the sun or any other inexpensive and simple means? Can the oil coatings he removed without spoiling the work underneath?

A: I have seen paintings ruined completely by inexperienced persons trying to follow instructions given by someone who has not seen the paintings. Restoring paintings should be done by an expert, and I suggest that you take one of your paintings to such a person at the nearest art museum. Repeated coatings of oil always tend to produce this result.

Q: Can one paint to advantage on 'plywood? What preparation is necessary?

A: I don't know of any special advantage in painting on plywood. If you want to use it, though, I would suggest marine plywood. The layers of wood are less apt to crack and separate with time. To prepare it for painting, give it a coat of flat white. Many artists prefer Masonite, which has no layers to separate.

Q: Does the portrait painter select and supply the frame for a portrait, or is that up to the purchaser?

A: Always quote the price of the portrait without the frame and to eliminate misunderstanding be sure this is understood. Unless the painting is to be framed by an expert frame man, the artist should help select one.

Q: One of my teachers had vie paint with a palette or painting knife. Do you recommend such knives?

A: The technique of painting with knives has produced many beautiful paintings but not without study and much experience. Palette knife painting should not be done as you would plaster a wall. Each knife stroke must do something specific as to size, shape, tone and direction. If I should decide to paint with knives, I would seek the best man in this technique and if I could not study with him, I would try to get reproductions of his work.

Q: This portrait you have just done is in straight front view. Do you advise us to try profiles, or half or three-quarter views?

A: Don't confine yourself to any one position. Have your sitter take the chair in the light where you will paint; stand at your easel and have the sitter take two, three or even a dozen different poses. Watch for the one which brings out the best in the features. As the shadows change with each movement, ask questions and watch for the characteristic tilt of the head as he answers. Note what the hands are doing—what position they shift to as they speak. You may ask, "What has all this to do with painting a portrait?" These things are part of the likeness and must be caught on your canvas if the body you paint is to belong to the head which you paint. This will give your painting a personality—that of your sitter.

Q: To what extent, if any, does the size of a picture affect its price to the customer? Does he pay much more for a full-length portrait, for instance?

A: First of all, price depends on the reputation of the artist. A small canvas may be worth more than a larger one by the same painter; all depends on its value as a work of art. The painter who is building his reputation should have a moderate scale of prices which will vary according to size. A painting is only worth the canvas it is on until someone wants it.

Q: Why do some paintings remain tacky for a long time after varnishing?

A: If the painting is thoroughly dry when varnished and still remains tacky, there is something wrong with the varnish. Many varnishes are too heavy to apply as they come from the bottle. It is better to thin them with a little turpentine. Too heavy varnish on a painting will, in the end, do more harm than none at all. It will discolor, scale and crack. Varnish should form a thin clear skin over the painting to hold out dust and grease. You should not have any difficulty with drying if you use fresh picture mastic varnish.

Q: Which of your key palettes would you use for painting a Negro? An American Indian?A Chinese?

A: Use the Green Key to paint the Negro. It has yellow ochre which, as you know, has a much deeper tone than cadmium yellow. In making the shadow tones use ultramarine blue with the cadmium reds as the cool tones of the Negro skin are, in most cases, bluish rather than green. The Indian and Chinese can also be painted with the Green Key, but it will be much simpler if you use the Three-Color Key. In the copper skin of the Indian light red will dominate; in the Chinese, yellow ochre.

Q: Is it safe to roll a painting done on canvas after it seems dry and has been cut from the stretcher? I am very short of storage space.

A: Work which is not too important can be rolled but only if thoroughly dry. Always roll the canvas with the painted surface out. This way there is less danger of cracking and should cracks occur they will close when the canvas is flattened.

Q: Can one paint well under artificial light? If so, what is the best kind?

A: Painting under artificial light is never desirable but good results may be obtained by using a four tube fluorescent fixture with two blue and two natural (yellowish tone) tubes. If this makes too much light on your sitter, hang a cardboard shield to block out the light and light the sitter with a bowl reflector using a sixty watt bulb.

Q: What do you think of painting portraits in outdoor settings?

A: I like the outdoor setting so much that I quite frequently find myself sneaking in a background which at least resembles a sky. The play of sunlight is a beautiful thing to paint but care must be taken not to place too much emphasis on the landscape. Otherwise it will not be a portrait but a landscape with figure.

Q: Is it wise ever to portray two or more people in one painting?

A: It is all right to paint more than one person in a portrait. I have found only one objection and that is where two children are painted on one canvas. Each will want the painting later so I usually suggest two pictures as the cost is the same.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...