Crayon Portraiture.

To many who know nothing about the art of crayon portraiture, the mastery of it not only seems very difficult, but almost unattainable. In fact, any work of art of whatever description, which in its execution is beyond the knowledge or comprehension of the spectator, is to him a thing of almost supernatural character. Of course, this is more decided when the subject portrayed carries our thoughts beyond the realms of visible things.

But the making of crayon portraits is not within the reach alone of the trained artist who follows it as a profession. I claim that any one who can learn to write can learn to draw, and that any one who can learn to draw can learn to make crayon portraits. Making them over a photograph, that is, an enlargement, is a comparatively simple matter, as it does not require as much knowledge of drawing as do free-hand crayons. But you must not suppose that, because the photographic enlargement gives you the drawing in line and an indistinct impression of the form in light and shade, you are not required to draw at all in making a crayon portrait over such an enlargement. Some knowledge of drawing is necessary, though not a perfect knowledge.

Many people err in supposing that only the exceptionally skilled can produce the human features in life-like form upon the crayon paper. While recognizing great differences in natural aptitude for drawing in different persons, just as those who use the pen differ widely in their skill, some being able to write with almost mechanical perfection of form, I still hold that any one who is able to draw at all can succeed in producing creditable crayon portraits; and the lack of great skill as a draughtsman, should neither discourage a student nor debar him from undertaking to make crayon portraits (over enlargements, at least), either as an amateur or professional. To make a crayon from life undoubtably requires considerable talent and some education as an artist; but photography, in recent times, has made such advances from the old fashioned daguerreotype to the dry plate process and instantaneous exposure, and such developments have recently been made in the field of enlargements and in photographic papers, that it is now possible for anyone, who will carefully follow the plain instructions given in the following pages, to make a good crayon portrait by the aid of the different kinds of enlargements. These place in his hands a perfect reproduction of what he wishes to make; and care and close attention to details will insure the rest.

The student, however, must have courage. I tell my pupils not to be afraid to work freely; that if they spoil their work beyond their ability to redeem it, I can always fix it up and restore it for them; and that they should go ahead confidently. The reader may say that he has no teacher to help him out of his difficulty; but he must remember that he has the photographic enlargement as a sure guide, and that whenever he fears he is losing the outline, he can see at once what he is doing, by holding the enlargement against the light with its back towards him. My experience as a teacher has shown me that pupils, as a rule, are timid, especially that class which works mostly on enlargements, resulting from the fear of losing the outline and from lack of a thorough knowledge of drawing. I especially urge the necessity for boldness and freedom in execution. As an expert in chirography can read character in handwriting, so the artist's public will judge him from his work. If he is, in fact, weak and timid, these traits will find expression in what he puts on paper. Let courage, then, be an important part of your equipment, if you would succeed in doing good crayon work.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ENLARGEMENTS.

There are three kinds of photographic enlargements used as a basis for crayon portraits, and, with a little experience, the student can determine for himself which kind will prove the most satisfactory.

Free-hand crayons are made on Steinbach and other crayon papers, without any photograph as a basis. Silver enlargements are made on paper coated with a solution of chloride of silver, which the action of the light reduces to salts of silver. This is the oldest form of photography, and has been used since its introduction by Scheele in 1778. Silver enlargements are made by the aid of the sun (and are then called solar enlargements) or they can be made with the electric light.

Platinum enlargements are a recent advance in photographic printing with iron salts, the process which has been worked out and patented by W. Willis, Jr., being a development of such printing. Its principle is that a solution of ferrous oxalate in neutral potassium oxalate is effective as a developer. A paper is coated with a solution of ferric oxalate and platinum salts and then exposed behind a negative. It is then floated in a hot solution of neutral potassium oxalate, when the image is formed.

This process was first introduced by Mr. Willis in 1874, and he has since made improvements. He claims that the platinotype paper does not contain any animal sizing. The early experiments convinced him that the paper upon which the image was to be printed would prove an important factor, as all photographic paper contained animal sizing, which was found to be antagonistic to platinum salts. The action of platinum salts upon a paper containing animal sizing gave it a tint which no amount of acid washing could remove. For the past nine years Mr. Willis has had manufactured for his special use a Steinbach paper, free from the animal sizing, and he also uses a cold developer, thereby causing the paper to retain its original elasticity.

The chief points of difference between bromide enlargements and silver or platinum enlargements are that, in the former, we have the sensitive compound of silver suspended in a vehicle of gelatin, and, in the latter, a thin coating of an aqueous solution of the sensitive salts. In the former process, the image is not shown until the paper has been developed in the bath, while in the latter, the image is shown upon the paper when it is exposed to the light; so that, in the latter, the image or picture has only to be fixed or made permanent, while in the former, it is developed, then fixed. The gelatin bromide paper is coated with a solution of gelatin, bromide of potassium and nitrate of silver, developed with a solution of oxalate of potash, protosulphate of iron, sulphuric acid and bromide of potassium and water, and fixed with hyposulphate of soda. It is manufactured in America by E. and H. T. Anthony & Co. and by the Eastman Dry Plate Company.

CRAYON MATERIALS.

The following materials will be found necessary for crayon work:

A good photographic enlargement,
Easel,
Mahl stick,
Three inch magnifying glass,
Square black Conte crayon, Nos. 1, 2 and 3,
Charcoal holder for the same,
Hardmuth's black chalk points, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5,
Holder for the same,
Box Faber's crayon points, Nos. 1, 2 and 3,
Holder for the above crayons,
Conte crayon, in wood, Nos. 0 and 1,
6 B. Faber's holder for Siberian lead pencil points,
4 H. Faber's holder with Siberian lead pencil point,
Velour crayon,
Peerless crayon sauce,
Black Conte crayon sauce, in foil,
White crayon, in wood,
Bunch of tortillon stumps,
Large grey paper stumps,
Small grey paper stumps,
The Peerless stump,
Large rubber eraser, 4 inches by 3-4 inches square, bevelled end,
Two small nigrivorine erasers,
Holder for " "
Piece of chamois skin,
Cotton batting of the best quality,
A sheet of fine emery paper,
A sharp pen knife,
One pound of pulverized pumice stone,
Mortar and pestle,
A large black apron,
Paste-board box about ten inches square and two inches deep,
Back-boards for mounting crayon paper and photographic enlargements,
Pliers,
Paste brush, three inches wide, to be used for starch paste or for water.

Experience has taught me that we cannot be too particular in giving directions as to the materials for our work, and therefore I have carefully included in the above list everything necessary to thoroughly equip the student. While the magnifying glass mentioned above is not an actual necessity, still a good one will be found very useful, as it will often show details in the photograph which would not be discovered by the naked eye. My male readers may at first object to so feminine an article as an apron, but it will be found thoroughly useful, and I am sure they will never consent to abandon it after they have once become accustomed to wearing it.

THE SPECIFIC USE OF CRAYON MATERIALS.

I will now explain the specific use and nature of these materials, reserving the various kinds of photographic enlargements and their special qualities and advantages, for treatment under their different manipulations.

The easel should be set so that the light strikes the picture at an angle of 90 deg., and, when working from a side light, it will very often be necessary to darken the lower part of the window to accomplish this result.

The mahl stick is held in the left hand, and is used as a rest for the right arm in working. Though a trifle awkward and difficult at first, its use must, nevertheless, be learned, as the hand will not be steady without it, especially in portrait work.

The square black Conte crayons are for filling in where there are large dark places. The No. 1 is used with the black Conte crayon sauce in making the crayon sauce (to be applied with the ends of the fingers) to produce a broad effect and to make the stipple effect on the paper after it has been rubbed with pumice stone.

The crayon points, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, are used in making outlines and also in putting in the lines to produce the line effect. In general, they are to be used in free-hand crayons and on silver and platinum enlargements.

The Hardmuth black chalk points are similar to the crayon points, and, if preferred, should be used according to the directions given for the crayon points.

The Hardmuth points are made in five numbers and will, therefore, produce more shades of black than the crayon points. They are also twice as long as the latter, without costing any more.

The Conte crayons, in wood, are used for finishing the crayon, especially the No. 0, its hardness adapting it to that purpose.

The 6 B. Faber's holder, for lead pencil points, is for holding the Faber's Conte crayon No. 0 after it has become short, the wood being carefully removed before the crayon is placed in the holder.

The 4 H. holder, with Siberian lead pencil point, is used in the very finest work on bromide paper, for finishing in the light places. Care must be employed not to use too much lead on the paper, as, being of a different color from the crayon, it would show if too freely applied. It is also used in making monochromes.

Velour crayon is very black. It is only used to produce a velvet effect and whenever it is necessary to make a very strong dark—that is, a dark that is deeper than an ordinary shadow.

The Peerless crayon sauce is the same as the crayon sauce made from No. 1 Conte crayon and the black Conte crayon sauce in foil. It is made and put up in bottles by F. W. Devoe & Co., and can be bought of any dealer in artist's materials. It will be found more convenient to get it in this form than to prepare it in the studio; it costs no more and saves the expense of a mortar and pestle. As it is ground by machinery and passed through a very fine screen, there are no small hard particles in the preparation, and its use is recommended.

Black Conte crayon sauce, in foil, is used in making the crayon sauce to be applied with the fingers.

White crayon, in wood, is for touching up the high lights of white drapery, and especially for the high lights on white lace; it is to be used very sparingly.

Tortillon stumps are used in making the face, when it is desired to produce the stump effect, and also in making the hair.

The large grey paper stump serves to make the broad effect of shade in the stump effect in the hair and dress.

The Peerless stump is used to produce the same effect as the large grey paper stump. It will be found far better than the paper stump for work on the bromide paper, as it is made of softer material and causes the crayon to adhere to the paper more readily.

The large rubber eraser is to put in the broad effects of light in the background and dress. The small nigrivorine erasers are used when it is necessary to remove the crayon, in order to produce small decided lights—principally in making free-hand crayons and to produce the line effects over a platinum and silver enlargement. While the stumps are used for putting on the crayon, the erasers are used to remove it. The chamois is also used for removing the crayon, to produce broad effects of light.

The cotton is for applying the crayon sauce to the paper and for rubbing the crayon at different stages in the completion of the picture. The crayon cannot be removed with the eraser unless it has first been rubbed with the cotton; and this must be borne in mind, as the use of the eraser at this stage would only result in making a black line or spot, when it was intended to produce a white line or spot.

It will also be well to make a chamois block for applying the crayon sauce, to be worked with the tortillon stump. This is done by tacking onto a block, four inches long, two inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick, a piece of chamois skin, three inches wide by five inches long, allowing it to cover the top, while it is fastened along the four edges. This is placed face down in the box of crayon sauce and rubbed around in it, so that the crayon will adhere thoroughly to the chamois.

Emery paper is used to sharpen the nigrivorine erasers and the crayon points.

The knife, which is a very important tool, should be a good one, always kept well sharpened. The best for this work is an ink eraser, with a rounding point, a long edge on one side of the blade and a short one on the other side, extending about an inch from the point.

The mortar and pestle are for pounding or grinding the Conte crayon No. 1 and the crayon sauce, in making the special crayon sauce mentioned above.

The paste-board box is intended to hold this special crayon sauce or the Peerless sauce.

The back-boards are one inch thick, made to fit the back of the strainer (described in the next chapter), and are used in mounting. It will be necessary to have three different sizes, the most useful being 11×15, 15×19 and 19×24 inches, to fit, respectively, strainers measuring 16×20, 20×24, 24×29 and 25×30 inches.

The pliers should be either what is known as shoe-maker's pliers (which are the cheapest) or the canvas pliers, used in stretching that material; they are needed to stretch the cloth on the strainer.

The pulverized pumice stone is used in preparing the surface of crayon paper and bromide enlargements, to produce the stipple effect.

THE STRAINER.

The strainer, on which crayon paper or any kind of photographic enlargement is to be mounted, should be the same size as the intended picture. The frame is made of four strips of pine wood, two inches wide, one inch thick on the outside, and three quarter inch on the inside, making a quarter inch bevel on the inside edge of the face; these are nailed together and glued. To this, tack a piece of bleached muslin, free from knots and rough places, which has been cut two inches larger each way than the frame. Use six ounce Swede upholsterers' tacks, placing one in the centre of the outside edge of one side and another directly opposite, stretching the muslin as firmly as possible with the fingers. Then place a third tack in the centre of the outside edge of the top, and a fourth in the centre of the bottom of the frame, stretching as before. In finishing, use the pliers in addition to the fingers, and remember that you must always stretch from the centre towards the corner or you will have wrinkles in the muslin. As this process should be thoroughly understood, I will give minute directions for completing the operation. Having already placed the four tacks as above, stand the strainer on its bottom edge on the floor, with the back towards you, and put in the fifth tack two inches to the right of the third, that is, the one on the top previously mentioned. Instead of stretching the muslin directly back in a straight line towards you and at right angles to the fourth tack, you must draw it with the fingers towards the right hand corner. Then finish stretching, and tacking this edge to the right hand corner of the top, placing the tacks two inches apart and taking care to only draw the cloth sufficiently to have it perfectly smooth and straight on the edges, leaving the stretching to be done with the pliers; then turn the strainer on the side edge and tack at two inch intervals from the centre of the other (that is the upper) side to the right hand corner, same as before, and then tack half of the bottom edge and half of the other side in the same way. You will observe that you now have only one half of the muslin tacked—that is, one half on each edge—and you then complete the tacking, using the pliers to thoroughly stretch the muslin. This method has the advantage that you can stretch the muslin on the strainer and get it on better and in less than half the time required by the old method; also that you stretch the whole surface of the muslin with the pliers, and do it with only half the work.

MOUNTING CRAYON PAPER AND PLATINUM
AND SILVER ENLARGEMENTS.

Wet in clean water a piece of muslin about two inches larger each way than the paper you intend to mount, and lay it on the mounting board or table, removing all the wrinkles with a wet brush; then place the paper on this cloth, face down, and with some water and a brush, wet the back of the paper, continuing to use the brush until all the wrinkles are entirely smoothed out and the paper lies down perfectly flat. Any number of pieces of paper can be wet at the same time by placing one over the other, provided the larger sizes are laid down first and each is brushed out flat before another is placed over it. Let the paper soak for about fifteen minutes.

After having removed the surplus water from the paper with a cloth, sponge or squeegee, apply starch paste to the paper with a paste brush, going over it thoroughly, until it has received an even coat of paste free from lumps. Then lay one of the back-boards on a table and, having placed the strainer down on it face up, give the cloth of the latter a coat of paste, using the same care you did in going over the paper, taking pains to have the edges of the cloth well pasted, and to remove, by passing your finger all around the outside edges of the strainer, any paste which may be there. Now pick the paper up and place it on the pasted surface of the strainer, which an assistant should hold tipped towards you. (The help of an assistant will be found almost indispensable in mounting). After the paper is in the proper place, lay the strainer down and secure each corner of the paper, by first lifting it slightly and then rubbing it down with a clean cloth from the direction of the centre towards the corner you have lifted up. With a sharp knife trim off the edges of the paper and set it away to dry, but neither near a fire nor in too cold a place. You can very often save the remounting of a paper by occasionally glancing at it as it dries and by gently rubbing down a little with the fingers any places that look as if they would not stick. Very often the paper will be all right with the exception of this difficulty at one edge or corner. This is invariably the lower part, and is caused by the water settling there. It is therefore advisable to change the position of the strainer two or three times as it dries, letting it stand on different edges.

After the paper is dry, if there are any places that have refused to stick fast to the cloth, it will be impossible for you to remedy the matter, and you must remount it. You proceed, therefore, to remove the paper from the cloth. This you do by turning the strainer face down and filling the back of it with warm water, allowing it to remain there until you think that the paste has become thoroughly dissolved; then turn the strainer over and carefully remove the paper. If it should not come off readily, fill the strainer again with water, and soak it until it will come off. After you have removed the paper, lay it on a wet cloth, and with a case knife clean off the starch, using care not to injure the surface of the paper, and also clean off the starch from the strainer; then proceed to remount as before. When you once understand that you cannot spoil an enlargement on account of defective mounting, you will work more confidently. After you have tried three times to remount, and the paper still insists in not sticking, you must take a new strainer, as too many wettings will have spoilt the cloth and wood. Sometimes there seems to be a difference in the stretching qualities of the enlargement and cloth, which makes it impossible to produce a perfect cohesion. When, therefore, it has been remounted three times and does not come out perfect, your best course is to mount a piece of crayon paper on a new strainer, and after it is thoroughly dry to then mount the enlargement on that. This you do in the manner described for mounting in the first instance, directly on the strainer, except that you do not coat with paste the crayon paper already mounted.

It sometimes happens, that after the paper has been mounted and dried, it is discovered that lumps in the paste have caused defects to appear on the face of the paper in the shape of raised surfaces that unfit it for the intended purpose. These can be entirely removed by wetting the back of the strainer with some clean water immediately behind where the lumps of paste are, and with a knife scraping the cloth a little at these places; the surplus paste will work itself out through the cloth.

The starch paste used in mounting should not be made very thick; on the contrary, it should be as thin as is consistent with still retaining all its adhesive qualities. Should you fear that it is too thick or lumpy, strain it through a piece of cheese cloth. In a former edition of this book I advised adding to the paste a little white glue dissolved in warm water, but I do not now consider this necessary for crayon paper or photographic enlargements, and do not recommend its use except for mounting paper of unusual thickness.

The foregoing directions for mounting apply to platinum or silver enlargements, crayon or other kinds of paper, but not to bromide enlargements. The bromide paper requires a different method of handling on account of the gelatin surface, which when wet is destroyed by contact with any dry substance, as the latter removes the gelatin.

For determining the proper position of photographic enlargements (bust pictures) on the strainer, the following scale will be useful as a general guide. When the size of the strainer is 16×20, 20×24, 22×26, or 25×30 inches, the distances from its top to the top of the head of the portrait should be respectively 3-1/2, 4, 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 inches.

MOUNTING BROMIDE ENLARGEMENTS.

The first requisite for this is a water-tight tray, large enough to hold the enlargements. A hard rubber tray can be purchased, or a wooden one that will answer the purpose may be made. I use one of my own construction that is cheap and serviceable. It is simply a wooden box, 27×32 inches and 4 inches deep, made of 1/2 inch grooved material and lined with black oil cloth, not cut at the corners, but folded in. In this, when about half full of water, lay the enlargement face up, and let it remain in the water fifteen minutes. It should then be laid face down on the wet cloth (which should be all ready) as described in the preceding chapter, for mounting crayon paper. Care must be exercised to have the cloth wet all over, for if there should be any dry spots in it they would ruin the gelatin surface. With a cloth or squeegee remove the water from the back of the enlargement and also from the cloth around its edges, for if there is too much water on the edge of the cloth it will work up into the paste and prevent it from sticking when mounted. Now paste the enlargement and strainer according to the directions given for mounting crayon paper, place the enlargement on the strainer and rub it down by using the fingers wet in a little water, or the squeegee can be used; and then trim off even with the outside of the strainer. Avoid rubbing too hard along the edges, as by so doing you will press out all the paste and it will not stick.

You can remount a bromide enlargement as often as necessary in case it does not come out perfect, only bear in mind that you must not allow anything dry to touch the surface when wet. But I should not advise you to try more than three times directly on the strainer. It would be better to mount a piece of crayon paper on a new strainer, and after it is dry to remount the bromide enlargement on that.

OUTLINES—NEGATIVE OUTLINE.

After the crayon paper has been mounted on the strainer and dried, the next step is to obtain the outline. I will first treat of free-hand crayons, taking it for granted that the reader is not able to produce crayons from life, but works from a photograph. There are five different methods of making an outline, from which the reader can make his own selection.

NEGATIVE OUTLINE—DARK CHAMBER. From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co. NEGATIVE OUTLINE—DARK CHAMBER.
From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co.

Make a negative from the photograph that is to be enlarged, and construct for a room that is entirely dark, with the exception of one window, a dark inside shutter, with an opening in it the size of the negative you intend to use. Place a cleat on each side and at the bottom of this opening, so that the negative may be made to slide in front of it. Having removed the ground glass from your camera box, fasten the latter against the shutter so that the opening comes in the centre of the box. You can fasten it with four hooks and eyes, or arrange cleats on the shutter and pieces on the box, so that it will slide into place. Be sure and have the box come tight against the shutter so that the light will be entirely excluded. Place the negative over the small opening in the shutter and adjust the camera box; then stand the easel with the crayon strainer on it at the proper distance to give the required size of the enlargement and focus the image sharp on the crayon paper. The strainer must stand at the same angle as the shutter; that is, if the shutter is perpendicular then the strainer must stand perpendicular also. Then go over the outline and shadow lines with the charcoal, after which open the shutter and examine the outline and see if it is right. As you are working in the dark you are apt to overlook some lines. If you have done so you can close the shutter again and make them. If it proves to be all right go over it with the crayon point No. 2.

MAGIC LANTERN OUTLINE.

McALLISTER MAGIC LANTERN, No. 653, WITH WONDER CAMERA ATTACHMENT. From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co. McALLISTER MAGIC LANTERN, No. 653, WITH WONDER CAMERA ATTACHMENT.
From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co.

MAGIC LANTERN OUTLINE. From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co. MAGIC LANTERN OUTLINE.
From the Annual Encyclopedia. Copyrighted, 1891, by D. Appleton & Co.

This is the method I am using at present in my own free-hand crayon work, and prefer because it does not require a negative. I use a McAllister Magic Lantern, No. 653, with a wonder camera attachment. This attachment enables you to make an enlargement from a cabinet or card photograph, and to dispense with a negative. If you intend to do very much free-hand crayon work I should advise you to get one, as it will soon pay for itself. The lantern should be put in working condition according to the printed directions that come with it, and placed on your table. I use a table six feet long, sixteen inches wide, and thirty inches high. Nail to one side of the table, four inches from the end, a stick six feet long, one inch wide, and one-half inch thick, using two two-inch brads. One end of the stick should rest on the floor, care being taken that it stand perfectly perpendicular, a square being used if necessary to secure this result. The stick will have a length of 42 inches above the table, which will be ample for the use of a 25 by 30 strainer. Place the strainer, with the crayon paper mounted on it, facing outward on its bottom edge on the table and nail it fast to the stick with two brads, letting it stand at right angles with the edge of the table with its back towards the lantern, which is at the other end of the table. The object of placing the strainer with the back towards the lantern is that the image must show through the strainer or the outline would be drawn reversed. Draw a charcoal mark on the back of the strainer vertically through the centre, and mark the proper distance from the top of strainer horizontally where the top of the head should come. Now move the lantern until you have it the proper distance from the strainer to make the head the size desired, and afterwards focus the features sharp and distinct, using the charcoal marks for the proper place to make the head, the vertical line coming through the centre of the face; then, seated at the end of the table, in front of the strainer, make a charcoal outline as in the former method.

Of course the magic lantern can be used for producing an outline only at night, or in a perfectly darkened room.

The following table will prove a safe guide to follow in determining the size of the head for bust pictures. The distance from the roots of the hair on the forehead to the bottom of the chin should be:

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Crayon portraiture

Crayon Portraiture.

CRAYON PORTRAITURE