Salmon 1685
William Salmon, Polygraphice, or The Arts of Drawing, Engraving, Etching, Limning, Painting, Washing, Varnishing, Gilding, Colouring, Dying, Beautifying and Perfuming, in seven Books… The fifth Edition…, London [Thomas Passinger – Thomas Sawbridge] 1685.
POLYGRAPHICES
LIBER SECUNDUS.
OF ENGRAVING, ETCHING,
and LIMNING.
Shewing the Instruments belonging to
the Work; the Matter of the Work,
the way and manner of performing
the same ; together with all other
Requisites and Ornaments.
. . .
pp. 113–117
CHAP. ΧΧΙΙ.
Of Preparing the Colours.
I. Colours, according to their natures have each a particular way of preparation: to wit, by grinding, washing or steeping.
II. The chief Colours to be ground are these; Whitelead, Ceruse, Cinnaber-lake, Oker yellow and brown, Pink, Indico, Umber, Colens Earth, Spanish Brown, Ivory-black, Cherrystone-black, Lamp-black, Indian-Red, Indian-Lake.
III. The chief Colours to be wash’d are Red-lead, Masticot, Green Bice, Cedar Green, Ultramarine, Blue Bice, Smalt, Verditure.
IV. The chief Colours to be steep’d, are Sap-green, Saffron, Turnsole, Stone-Blue, Venice Berries.
V. To grind Colours.
Take the Colour you would grind, and scrape off from it all the filth, then lay it upon the stone, and with the muller bruise it a little; then put thereto a little spring water, and grind all together very well, till the colour is very fine; which done, pour it into certain hollows or furrows cut in Chalkstone, and there let it lie till it is dry, which reserve in papers or glasses:
In grinding your Colours, put not too much water to them, upon the stone, for they ought to be ground somewhat thick, like pulp or pap: and they ought not to be left too moist, but thick and clammy. If after your Colour is dry in the shell, you can rub it off with your fingers, it must
be better bound with Gums, and if there is too much Gum, it will shine, and be apt to crackle off, after it is used.
VI. To wash Colours.
Put the colour into a glazed vessel, and put thereto fair water plentifully, wash it well, and decant (after a while) the water; do this six or seven times; at last put the water (being just troubled) into another glazed vessel, leaving the dregs at bottom: then into this second vessel put more fair water, washing it as before, till the water (being setled) be clear, and the colour remain fine at bottom: we have taught another way at the twenty fourth Section of the eighteenth Chapter of this Book.
Before you take the colour out of the Vessel, spread it very thin, about the sides thereof, and when it is dry, some of it will fall to the bottom, which keep by it self: but the remainder which sticks to the side of the Bason, is the best of all, which with a feather strike off from the sides of the Vessel, for it will be finer than any flower
VII. To steep Colours.
Take a quantity thereof, and put it into a shell, and fill the shell with fair water, to which add some fine powder of Alum, to raise the colour; let it thus steep a day and night, and you will have a good colour.
Where note, Saffron steeped in Vinegar gives a good colour and the Venice Berries in fair water and a little Alum, or a drop or two of oyl of Vitriol makes a fair yellow. But some colours are to be boyled, as Brasil, Logwood, Turnsole, Rinds of Walnuts, Woodsoot, &c. these when boyled are to be kept close stopt in Glasses, till you have occasion to use them.
VIII. To temper the Colours.
Take a little of any colour, and put it into a clean shell, and add thereto a few drops of gum-water, and with your fingers work it about the shell, then let it dry; when dry, touch it with your fingers, if any colour comes off, you must add stronger gum-water: but being dry, if the colour glister or shine, it is a sign there is too much gum in it, which you may remedy by putting in fair water.
IX. To help the defects.
Some colours, as Lake, Umber, and others which are hard, will crack when they are dry; in this case, in tempering them add a little white Sugar-candy in very fine powder, which mix with the colour and fair water in the shell, till the Sugar-candy is dissolved.
X. These colours, Umber, Spanish-brown, Colen Earth, Cherrystone, and Ivory-black, are to be burnt before they be ground or wash’d.
XI. To burn or calcine Colours.
This is done in a crucible, covering the mouth thereof with clay, and setting it in a hot fire, till you are sure it is red-hot through: which done, being cold, wash or grind it as aforesaid.
XII. To prepare shadows for Colours.
White is shaded with Black, and contrariwise: Yellow with Umber and the Okers: Vermilion with Lake: Blue-bice with Indie: Black-coal with Roset, &c.
XIII. The several temperatures for colouring and shadowing of Histories.
They are twenty in number, viz. Sea-cole mixt with Lake. 2. Umber with Masticot. 3. Yellow Oker burnt with white. 4. Umber with Ultra marine. 5. Yellow with Umber. 6. Umber with Lake. 7. Verditer burnt with Red-lead and White. 8. Ultramarine with Lake. 9. Ultramarine with Red-lead. 10. Ultramarine with white. 11. Indico with white. 12. Indico and Lake with white. 13. Indico, Pink with white. 14. Indico with Oker and white. 15. Indico with Masticot and white. 16. Cherrystone burnt with White and Red-lead. 17. Burnt Ivory with Lake. 18. Indico and Pink with the best Rust of Iron. 19. Lake and Rust of Iron with light Pink. 20. Rust of Iron and Lake, for the deeper shadows.
XIV. The several temperatures or mixtures for shadowing Heads after the Life.
The principal mixtures are twelve in number, viz. 1. Lake with Indian Red. 2. Red-lead with Roman Oker. 3. IndianRed with Ultramarine. 4. Indian Red with Pink and Gall-stone. 5. Yellow Oker with Indico. 6. Red-lead with Pink and Indico. 7. Red-lead with Roman Oker and Indico. 8. Red-lead with Pink, Yellow Oker and Lake. 9. Indico, Lake and Roman Oker with white. 10. Indico, Pink, and Roman Oker with Indian Red. 11. Red-lead with Umber, Masticote, and Pink 12. Pink with Roman Oker.
XV. The several mixtures for shadowing hair.
1. White and Roman Oker for light hair. 2. White and Yellow Oker for lighter hair. 3. White with Rust and Roman Oker. 4. Light Pink with Sea-Cole and Yellow Oker. 5. Dark Pink with Rust and Roman Oker. 6. Pink with the best Rust and Gall-stone. 7. Florence Pink with Lake and burnt Ivory, a good shadow for hair and face. 8. White with Umber and Yellow Oker, for light hair. 9. The last mixture with more Umber and Cherrystoneblack for a deeper hair. 10. Yellow Oker with Umber and Cherrystone-black for dark hair. 11. The last mixture with Umber and Cherrystone-black for a darker hair.
XVI. To do these things artificially, you may temper the natural Colours with your pencil upon your pallat, being first placed in order, then wet your pencil in water, and temper upon the colour you intend to make use of first in your mixture; then rub your Pencil in a clean place of your Pallat, leaving part of the colour upon the place: and in the same manner take from as many of the other as shall be directed for such and such temperatures or mixtures. Or thus, Dip your finger in water, and temper or mix your colours as you did with your Pencil, placing your colours so mixed upon your pallat in order.
pp. 117–119
CHAP. ΧΧΙΙΙ.
Of the Manual Instruments.
1. THe manual Instruments are four (by the second Section of the fifteenth Chapter of this Book) to wit, The Grinding-stone and Muller, Pencils, Tables to Limn on, and shells or little glasses to hold your colours.
II. The Grinding-stone may be of Porphyry, Serpentine or Marble, but rather a Pebble, for that is the best of all others: Muller only of Pebble, which keep very clean.
These may be easily got of Marblers or Stone-cutters in London.
III. Choose your pencils thus: by their fastness in the quills, and their sharp points after you have drawn or wetted them in your mouth two or three times; so that although larger, yet their points will come to as small as a hair, which then are good; but if they spread or have any extravagant hairs they are naught.
IV. To wash your pencils.
After using them, rub the ends of them well with Soap, then lay them a while in warm water to steep, then take them out and wash them well in other fair water.
V. To prepare the Table.
It must be made of pure fine paste-board, such as Cards are made of (of what thickness you please) very finely flick’d and glazed with a Dogs tooth. Take a piece of this paste-board of the bigness you intend the Picture, and a piece of the finest and whitest parchment you can get (virgin parchment) which cut of equal bigness with the paste-board; with thin, white, new made starch, paste the parchment to the paste board, with the outside of the skin out-wardmost: lay on the starch very thin and even, being thus pasted let it dry throughly; then the grinding stone being clean, lay the Card thereon with the parchment side downwards, and as hard as you can, rub the other side of the paste-board with a Boars-tooth set in a stick; then let it be thorow dry, and it will be fit to work or Limn any curious thing upon.
VI. The shells holding or containing your colours, ought to be Horse-muscle shells, which maybe got in July about Rivers sides; but the next to these are small Muscle-shells, or instead thereof little glass vessels in the same form if possible.
VII. Your Table or Card being thus prepared, you are to lay a ground of flesh colour, before you begin your work, and that must be tempered according to the complexion of the face to be drawn: if the complexion be fair, Temper white Red-lead and lake together. If an hard, swarthy complexion, Temper with your White and Red a little fine Masticot, or English Oker. But note that your ground ought always to be fairer than the face you draw: for it is an easiy matter to darken a light colour, but a difficult to lighten a deep one. Your ground thus prepared, lay it upon your Card, with a Pencil full of colour, and rather thin and waterish, than thick and gross, and with two or three daubs of your great Pencil, lay it on in an instant, the nimbler it is laid on, the evener the colour will lye. Cover also rather too much of your Card, than too little, with this prime colour; somewhat more of the Card with the ground colour, than you shall use for the face.
VIII. This done, take a pretty large Pallat of Ivory or Cocuswood, and before you begin to work, temper certain little heaps of several shadows for the face, which you must mix with your finger, about the Pallat.
POLYGRAPHICES
LIBER TERTIUS.
Of Painting, Washing, Colouring, Dying,
Varnishing, and Gilding.
Containing the Description and Use of all the chief
Instruments and Materials, and the way and
manner of Working.
The Dying of Cloath, Silks, Horns, Bones,
Woods, Glass, Stones, and Metals: Together
with the Gilding and Varnishing thereof,
according to any purpose or intent.
. . .
pp. 198–199
Chap. XVI.
Of Frescoe, or Painting of Walls.
I. IN painting upon Walls, to make it endure the weather, you must grind your colours with Lime water, Milk, or Whey, mixt in size colouring pots.
II. The paste or plaister must be made of well wash’d Lime, mixt with fine powder of old rubbish stones: the lime must be so often wash’d, till all its salt is abstracted; and all your work must be done, in clear and dry weather.
III. To make the work endure, strike into the wall stumps of headed nails, about five or six inches asunder, and by this means you may preserve the plaister from peeling.
IV. Then with this paste, plaister the wall, a pretty thickness, letting it dry: being dry, plaister it over again, about the thickness of half Barley corn, very fine and smooth, then your colours being ready prepared, work this last plaistering over, whilest it is wet, so will your Painting unite and join fast to the plaister, and dry together as a perfect compost.
V. In painting be nimble and free, let your work be bold and strong, but be sure to be exact, for there can be no alteration after the first painting; and therefore heighten your paint enough at first, you may deepen at pleasure.
VI. All earthy colours are best, as the Okers, Spanish-white, Spanish-brown, Terrae-vert, and the like; mineral colours are naught.
VII. Lastly, let your pencils and brushes be long and soft, otherwise your work will not be smooth; let your colours be full, and flow freely from the pencil or brush; and let your design be perfect at first; for in this, there is no after alteration to be made.