The Royal Guide to Wax Flower Modelling Part 5

(ROSA DAMASCENA.) _Freshness of Complexion._

"The rose, like ruddy youth, in beauty stands, And would be cropped by none but fairest hands."

Cut the petals from white wax, and paint them upon both sides (with my crimson), two-thirds down. Cup the petals as in the preceding rose. Cut two strips of stamina in lemon wax, tip them with my orange powder. Make a foundation of lemon wax, and pa.s.s round the strips already mentioned.

Place in a triangular form the six small petals in cl.u.s.ters of two; the next two sets are attached in like manner at the intermediate s.p.a.ces, the rest of the petals are placed on singly, five in each row, the largest to turn back: finish off with seed cup and calyx as before named. It is particularly necessary that the smallest or internal petals should not be coloured too low down, as the white in the centre gives great relief to the flower.

SWEET-SCENTED TEA ROSE.

(ROSA SAFRANO.) _Charming._

The petals of this rose require to be cut in thick white wax, coloured three parts down with my lemon powder; shade lightly over this, but not quite to the edge, with a little of my second yellow, and finish off by a light tint of crimson (crimson lake in cake.) The petals are deep and few, and require a great deal of cupping; to a.s.sist in producing this rotundity of petal use the head of the ivory pin, commencing to roll from the bottom to about half-way up the petal. Make a foundation of white wax, rather large and cone-shaped; colour it the same as petals; place the latter on singly, and press them forward to meet at the point and conceal the foundation. They are placed on five in a row, and the last two turned back: the seed cup is rather small; the calyx, and the back petals are all deeply coloured with crimson. The stem is also very red.

YELLOW ROSE.

(ROSA. CLOTH OF GOLD.) _Infidelity._

"The rose is fragrant, but it fades in time."--DRYDEN.

Cut the petals from light lemon wax, colour them with deep yellow towards the lower end, gradually shading off the same towards the upper end of each petal. The first three sets of petals are placed on in cl.u.s.ters of five, the others singly in rows of five. The foundation is made similar to the damask rose, and the stamina show from the front of the flower. Calyx and seed cup formed as usual.

[Ill.u.s.tration: J. Gardner & C{o}. Lith. 86 Hatton Garden.]

AUSTRIAN BRIAR ROSE.

(ROSA LUTEA.) _Mingled Pleasure and Pain._

This is a showy single flower, and very easily and quickly accomplished.

There are but five petals, cut from bright yellow wax; colour them half-way down each with crimson: cup them a little in the palm of the hand, not using a pin at all. The foundation is rather small, and formed of green wax--one strip of stamina placed round, cut in lemon wax, tipped with orange powder. Calyx and seed cup formed according to previous instruction.

Having given as many roses as my s.p.a.ce will admit of, and as will be required for the purpose of initiating learners in this kind of flower, I will turn the attention of my readers to another cla.s.s, held in much esteem, and which will afford a wide field of variety to copyists. I allude to

THE CARNATION.

(DIANTHUS.) _Pure Love._

"Yon bright carnation--once thy cheek Bent o'er it in the bud; And back it gives thy blushes meek In one rejoicing flood!"

This may be made in three varieties. The flakes are striped with broad bands of colour, the bizarres are striped with three colours, and the picotees have a narrow margin of streaks and spots; they are all painted with a sable brush. To enable the wax to take the fine pencil marks, moisture from the lips must be conveyed with the finger to the petal. Make the strokes or bands broad near the edge of the petal, and gradually diminish them to a fine point towards the lower end. The petals are curled as follows:--press each in the palm of the left hand, and roll the head of the pin twice or three times down the painted side of the petal, taking care to do so between, and not upon the stripes.

Roll the pin once up the back of the petal, commencing from the bottom, and not extending the same above half-way up. Cover the stem with green wax, and place the petals on in rows of five. The calyx is cut from double wax (light green); it is in one piece, with five points. It is shaded rather dark green in the centre, and the points tipped with red (very faint.) It is pa.s.sed round the tube of the flower; at the base of the same affix six small pieces of wax, as scales.

The leaf is long and narrow, cut from double wax, and a fine wire covered and placed between to support it. To give it the natural bloom, pa.s.s it through the prepared arrowroot. The leaves are placed on the stem two and two, to face each other, and a small piece of lemon wax pa.s.sed round, to represent the joint that is always visible in this flower.

MYRTLE.

(MYRTUS COMMUNIS.) _Love._

This flower is always admired in a bouquet from its light and pretty appearance, and is in nature very fragrant. Cut the petals, five in number, of double wax, indent the head of a curling pin in each; cut a fringe at the end of a thin sheet of white wax, having previously folded a very small piece down to form the anthers. Wind this strip or fringe round the end of the finest wire, taking care to double the latter down. Brush these filaments all out, and tip them at the points with my lemon powder: place the five petals round. The calyx is a row of small points cut in light green wax; the points are touched with a brush containing a little brown, and then pa.s.sed once round the flower. The stalk is covered with a light green, but partially coloured with brown also. The buds are made very round, of solid wax, and a calyx affixed to them like the flower. To make the foliage, look at my instructions.

Commence mounting the flower at the top of a wire; four or six leaves must be attached first, two and two, then the buds in like order, leaves under each, and lastly the flowers. About four or six make a pretty spray.

HONEYSUCKLE.

(CAPRIFOLIUM.) _Devoted Affection._

Colour eight or ten blossoms with second yellow, two or three are left white, being all cut from wax devoid of colour; shade them with crimson lake in cake; cut a piece of fine wire, two inches long, cut a strip of white wax, three quarters of an inch in length, and pa.s.s it round one end of the wire. This is to form the tube or foundation for the stamina to be attached to: the latter are cut very fine from double lemon wax.

The anthers are tipped orange, the pistil green. Affix the pistil and five stamina to each foundation, and then enclose it in the tube or long part of the petals previously coloured, as also in the white blossoms, first having pa.s.sed a small head pin twice or thrice down each. The tube is coloured dark crimson, gradually softened off towards the upper end of the blossom. A calyx is attached at the base of the tube in the form of a small cup--a piece of double green wax, cut very narrow, and pa.s.sed once round. The buds are made solid: cut the wax, which must be double, in a triangular form; by so doing, and winding the broadest end round the corresponding end of the wire, the proper form will be easily accomplished, without much a.s.sistance from the fingers. Unite all the buds together first, and then place the blossoms round. The leaves are placed on two and two.

THE FUCHSIA;

(FULGENS;) _Good taste:_

Will afford a pleasing variety to the flowers already described. Its blossoms hang pendant like a ta.s.sel; it is both graceful in form, and brilliant in colour: its construction is simple, being formed from two patterns only. The smallest is cut in single lemon wax, the largest in double wax, the same colour. The four points of the largest pattern are tipped with green, and shaded off with light scarlet towards the upper part of the tube. It is not, however, entirely coloured until it is made, as it is always difficult to unite a tube flower if it is painted too close to the edge. The head of the curling pin is rolled up each point upon the inside, and the tube formed with the handle of a brush, joining the wax neatly upon one side. After it is united, it is again painted with my scarlet powder and a small portion of the crimson.

The small or inner petals are coloured upon both sides with bright crimson only. The head of a large curling pin is pa.s.sed once down. The stamina are cut from double lemon wax, a whip, as in muslin, being first rolled to produce the anthers; these are touched with gum water, and, while wet, dipped into cream colour powder, (produced by the combination of my lemon and white.) The pistil is the same as the stamina, only that it extends to a greater length: the stamina and pistil are shaded very light scarlet. Cover a piece of fine wire, about four inches in length, with light green wax, mould to the end a strip of lemon wax, to which affix first the pistil and subsequently the stamina. Pa.s.s the wire through the tube, and fix it firmly at the end; a narrow strip of double light green wax placed once round the base of the tube completes the whole. The buds are made solid, and formed similarly to the honeysuckle; they are shaded green and scarlet, like the flower.

THE RED FUCHSIA;

(FUCHSIA,) _Taste:_

Is cut from white wax. It consists of four purple petals, and four crimson; these are painted with the large brush upon both sides, leaving a short s.p.a.ce free from colour towards the base of each. Cut the pistil and eight stamina as previously directed, and colour them with crimson.

To the end of these may be observed in nature small particles of farina, this is produced (as in the former instruction of fuchsia fulgens), by dipping them while moistened with gum water into dry powder. A foundation is formed at the end of a piece of fine wire, the pistil attached, and the stamina encircling the same. The four purple petals are then placed on to form a square, having the head of the curling pin previously rolled down each to cup them a little. The crimson or outer petals are curled in like manner, and placed precisely at the corners where the inner petals unite. The flower is now complete, with the exception of the seed cup; but previous to this being placed on, (which is merely a piece of green wax moulded into the shape of a small berry,) the flower is coloured again crimson, softening it off towards the said seed cup.

FORGET ME NOT.

_Forget me not._

"The very name is Love's own poetry, Born of the heart, and of the eye begot, Nursed amid sighs and smiles of constancy, And ever breathing--'Love! forget me not.'"

MILLER.

This little flower is cut in one piece from thick white wax. A hole is pierced in the centre with the curling pin. The finest white wire is used: affix a small piece of wax to the end, and fold it down with the wire; it must be very minute. Pa.s.s it through the front of the flower, and fasten it at the back by moulding it gently with the point of the pin. It is painted after it is made: the centre is touched with a sable brush--the colour, second yellow. The edges of the flower are coloured a brilliant blue, for which use the light blue, with minute portions of white and crimson. The buds and opening flowers are more pink than the full-blown flowers.

PINK GERANIUM.

(PELARGONIUM.) _Preference._

Cut the petals in thick white wax; there are three narrow and two broad.

Mix a little white powder with some crimson, and paint all the petals half way down lightly with this colour. The brush must contain but a very small portion of colour, or it would dry rough. The broad petals are afterwards coloured as follows:--first vein the lower ends with cake smalt and crimson, using for the purpose a fine sable brush. Then take a large brush, containing crimson alone, and form a large round spot, gradually shading it off towards each edge. When thoroughly dry, apply in the same manner the colour first used for veining, leaving a light margin of the rose colour previously laid on. With a sable brush paint some very faint pink veins, extending from the spot towards (but not quite touching) the ends of the petals. Some dark veins are laid on the spot also with crimson powder and cake sepia. The middle size wire is necessary to support the flower. Commence its construction by affixing a strip of white wax about an inch down the same; this is to represent the pistillum. Five very fine points extend beyond the end of the wire, these are previously snipped with the scissors; they are termed in botany the stigma. At the base of the pistillum pa.s.s a strip of green wax; this is the foundation to which the stamina and petals are to be attached. The pistillum and stigma are painted entirely over with the same colour previously used for veining. Cut five fine stamina in white wax, to the points of each attach an anther, cut in deep orange wax.

They are placed across the end, and united by pressing them together with the head of the curling pin. Curl the broad petals by laying the painted side next the hand and pressing the thumb into its centre. Upon the opposite side at the lower end of the petal indent and round it with the point of the pin. The small petals are similarly curled, although it is necessary to vary them a little according to taste; for upon observing nature it will be found that there is no formality, in fact scarcely two petals or two flowers are precisely the same upon a tree or stem. Attach the stamina to the foundation, and then the two broad petals; finally, the three narrowest are placed immediately under the stamina. The calyx is cut from light green wax. The head of the pin is to curl each previous to its being placed behind the petals. It is shaded rather dark green towards the stem. Wash the calyx over with a weak solution of gum water, and sprinkle it with down. In laying on the latter do not touch it with the fingers, but throw it on from the bottle, and shake off all that does not adhere.