383. Shaping Jaw-Bone

Shaping Jaw-Bone. It will be necessary to shape the outline of the jaw-bone and remove a portion of it in cases where it protrudes and causes an imperfect angular prominence, breaking into the background, and attracting undue attention to its defects. You should determine, first of all, upon the proper shape for the outline. This will be best accomplished by making a proof-print from the negative, and then, with your pencil, outlining the amount of the jaw you judge should be removed. The

pencil outline will give you a positive idea of the appearance of the picture when finished. You may change the pencil lines on the proof-print until you obtain the desired result, and then proceed to alter the negative.

384. By using the curved side of your etching tool near the point (but not the extreme point), and bearing lightly, shave the outline so you will be able to follow it while gradually shaving down the objectionable portion outside of the outline you have drawn. Be sure that your etching knife is perfectly sharp, and then, holding it properly, continue shaving away the high-light until you have reduced it to the same degree of tone as its surroundings. Never carry the etching through the film down to the glass, for if this is done a hard black outline will result at the edge of the face, which no amount of penciling can remedy. The outline of the face should never end abruptly; it must be blended, if only slightly, for no appearance of etching must be noticeable in the finished print.

385. Adding Hair On Bald Spots

Adding Hair On Bald Spots. With some subjects you will frequently find that the eyebrows are not properly shaped. One eyebrow may be larger than the other; or, if the eyebrows are at all heavy they may be uneven and patchy. Under such circumstances it will be necessary to etch in portions so as to fill the gaps and properly shape them. Often when the hair is thin on semi-bald portions of the head, an undesirable flesh spot will be visible. Hair should be etched on in those portions, to give a pleasing appearance to the portrait, for, if left untouched, these spots will appear very conspicuously, and thus detract from the portrait. When adding on hair or balancing up eyebrows, you can work more with the point of the blade. This will be especially necessary where you want single hairs to show; for only suggestion of hair, the broad part of the blade may be employed.

386. Removing High-Lights On Hair

Removing High-Lights On Hair. It very often occurs that the light will be reflected from certain portions of the hair in such a way as to give the appearance of the hair being white. Especially is this true in cases where the

hair has been wet when the negative was made. To remove this apparent defect you may work with a slightly heavier stroke, or, if the hair is quite thin you may even use the point of the etcher, but you must, under all circumstances, follow the wave of the hair; i.e., the knife must be drawn in the same direction as the hair runs, not crossways of the hair. You must also be careful not to carry the etching too deep, as this will give the appearance of jet black hair. This caution must especially be observed when the hair of the subject is quite light. Reduce or shave the film with the etching knife only enough to match the surrounding tones.