
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~059r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Lake & lead white & ceruse are easy to
work in oil, but every kind of azure is difficult. And to
make beautiful azure, one needs to layer it not with large
strokes of the pinceau but with small strokes of the
point. Not only ash from Acre &
azur d’Acre but mainly azur d’esmail
which one needs to choose to be very delicate, for it
otherwise you will not v be able to work with it
except with great work, and even then you need to thin it with
turpentine to give it body, and mix it with a little lead
white. Any azure does not want to be ground or washed for it
loses color & becomes wan. But putting it powdered on your
palette, you will thin it little by little either with
walnut oil or turpentine oil,
dipping a knife point in oil, then
tempering it little by little on the said
palette.


Shadows

The first shadows which are closer to light need to be clear &
thoroughly softened & then the last ones very dark to accentuate
well. The Italians usually make three shadows, the first one,
of light, very clear, the second one darker & the third ones quite
strong, then blend these three shadows together by hatching them from
the darkest to the clearest.



The varnish is more beautiful on the panel when the color has
imbibed well.


Azure

Azure is more beautiful when imbibed on the panel
without with walnut oil with which it has
been first thinned, without putting in spike lavender
oil. And if you want to know if it is dry, breathe on it and it will
not shine, thus appearing to be well-imbibed. If not it will shine

Azur d'esmail imbibed in oil distempered
in oil, leaves it & returns to its first nature if you dip it
in water.

Colors for working in miniature want to be thoroughly ground, &
work them with a point of a pinceau if you want your
work to be well-softened.

