The Art of Painting. Landscape Painting on Walls of Rooms.

Scientific American 44, 24.7.1847

(Continued from No. 43.)

In applying the foliage or leaves to the trees of the first distance, expecially to the oaks and hickories, a peculiar brush is required, consisting of a large sized new paint brush of the fine soft kind, wound or bound with twine nearly half the length of the bristles, so that the extreme point may be reduced in size and may be a little flattened by applying opposite sides alternately to the work; this brush however, improves by being worn. With this brush, and by a little practice, a learner may soon be able to produce, by rapid sleight, representations of clusters of foliage similar, but on a large scale, to those represented in figures B and C, in the cut. The application of colors in forming the tops of trees, is technically termed bushing the trees, &c. The foliage of elms is more conveniently formed by a very large brush already half worn; as the paint requires to be more extensively distributed in a multitude of small detached spots of various figures. The first color used for this work is dark green, composed of chrome green and blue- black; and this is applied to the sides opposite the light, and across the bottom of the cluster of the trees. The next, and main color, is chrome green, or forest green, and with this color the whole principal form of the tree is produced. These color should be diluted with water so as to work very free and flowing; and each color must be allowed to dry before the next is applied. - The foliage of oaks and most other trees, is heightened with light yellow green (lemon yellow a little changed with forest green,) which is applied to the fronts of the clusters or prominent parts, but principally towards the light. It is common, however, in painting maples, to apply the green but slightly, and finish with vermillion, slighly heightening the horizon red; and in representing old oaks, a mixture of green with venitian red is used, and yellow ochre for heightening. Hickory trees, and young thrifty ash, are heightened with Paris green; and this green may also be used discretionary on other trees. The next business in the process is to paint the houses and vessels in the 2d, 3d and 4th distances; also the fields, fences, trees, orchards, and forests; but as these divisions will require several illustrations, we shall defer them to next number.

(To be continued.)