To prepare Alum Water.--Take 4 ozs. of alum, and 1 pint of spring water; boil it till the alum is thoroughly dissolved, and then filter it through blotting-paper. To use Alum Water.--Before laying on the colours, take some of this water, hot, and with a sponge wet the back of the paper, which, if not good, must be wet three or four times, letting the paper dry each time before wetting it again. This will prevent the sinking of the colours, and give them additional lustre. To make Lime Water.--Put unslacked lime in a well-glazed pan; cover it with pure water, and let it remain for one day. Then strain off the water. This water will change sap-green into blue. 553. TO PREPARE WASH COLOURS FOR MAPS Blue.--Dilute Saxon blue with water; or to the solution of litmus add distilled vinegar. Green.--Dissolve verdigris in distilled water and add gum arabic. Or, dissolve sap-green in water and add gum. Red.--Steep Brazil dust in vinegar, with alum. Or, dissolve litmus in water and add spirit of wine. Or, steep cochineal in water, strain, and add gum. Yellow.--Dissolve gamboge in water; or French berries steeped in water, the liquor strained, and gum arabic added. 554. TO MIX WATER-COLOURS FOR ANIMALS Horses, black.--Black lightly laid on, shaded with Keating's black and bistre, heightened with masticot. Horses, chestnut brown.--Red ochre and black mixed together, shaded with black, heightened with red ochre and white. Horses, grey.--Black and white mixed, shaded with black, white, and bistre; heightened with pure water. Lions.--Colour much in the same manner as horses, adding lake in the ground colour. Bears.--Brown ochre, red ochre, and black, mixed; shaded with bistre and ivory black. Wolves.--Spanish liquorice and black, shaded with black. Asses.--Black and white mixed; or, add a little brown ochre, shaded with black. Elephants.--Black, white, and Spanish liquorice, mixed; shaded with black and bistre; the inner part of the nose, vermilion and white, shaded with black. Monkeys.--Dutch pink and black, heightened with masticot and white: the face, black and bistre mixed, as also their feet; their bodies, shaded underneath with black and pink mixed with a little brown ochre. 555. FRUIT IN WATER-COLOURS Apples.--Thin masticot mixed with verdigris, shaded with brown ochre. Cherries.--Vermilion and lake, shaded with carmine, heightened with vermilion and white. Grapes, blue.--Dark purple shaded with blue; the bloom, bice. Grapes, white.--Verdigris and masticot mixed, shaded with thin verdigris heightened with masticot and white. Peaches.--Thin masticot shaded with brown ochre; the bloom, lake heightened with white. Pears.--Masticot deepened and mellowed with brown ochre. Strawberries.--White; draw it over with vermilion and lake, shaded with fine lake, heightened with red lead and masticot mixed, and then with white; stipple them with white and thin lead. 556. TO PAINT FLOWERS