It is difficult to give a list of the colors which are most serviceable for water color painting, but from a comparison of those employed by others, it would appear that the following twenty-four may be safely recommended as being most useful:

Black Blue, Brown Madder, Brown Pink, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium, Cobalt, Emerald Green, French Blue, Gamboge, Indian Red, Indian Yellow, Indigo, Crimson Lake, Lemon Yellow, Light Red, Payne's Gray, Prussian Blue, Raw Sienna, Rose Madder, Sepia, Vandyke Brown, Vermilion, Yellow Ochre.

These colors should be arranged in the box systematically. It will be found very convenient to place the yellow pigments at one end, the reds and browns in the center, and the blues at the other end.

In laying on the colors it must be borne in mind that if two tints be mixed the effect will be different from that produced by first laying on one and then the other above it, and if a transparent color be placed over an opaque one, the result will be different from that produced if both be blended. Thus cobalt and light red give a cool gray, but cobalt washed over light red produces a gray of an entirely different character.

It is not customary to put in the shadows with neutral tints before employing the local colors, as it has been found that the method which best represents the effects of shade is to deaden the local color by the admixture of gray or blue tones.

Colors which are complementary produce harmonious effects when opposed to each other.

Red is complementary to Green, Blue " " Orange,

Yellow " " Purple.

White placed by the side of any color heightens its intensity, while black similarly used reduces its power, gray renders it more powerful.

Never touch a color till it is thoroughly dry; whether this is the case may be ascertained by seeing if the paper glistens; should it do so, it is unfit to work upon.

Have plenty of color in the brush, and do not be afraid to cany it boldly up to the outline.

A little powdered cuttlefish bone may be advantageously used in skies or distances to produce a slightly hazy effect. It should be rubbed in with the finger, and speedily removes any irregularity of color.

The sun should never be allowed to shine on the paper when a sketch is being made, as the eye becomes dazzled and incapable of correctly judging the colors. The color also is too rapidly dried, giving a dirty effect. This is especially the case with large washes.

Depth of tone should be produced by repeated washes of color. If the artist attempts to produce it by a single wash, it will produce an effect of paintiness, hardness, and want of transparency.

While the sketch is in progress it should be frequently viewed from a distance. Many artists throw the drawing on the ground, or even view it upside down, so as to judge of the effect as a whole, with reference to the arrangement of light and shade, and without regard to the subjects portrayed.

Primary colors must be very sparingly introduced, and broken colors, composed of various pigments, duly combined, produce very agreeable results, though it must be remembered at the same time that the purest and freshest effects result from the combination of a small number of pigments.

Local Color is the color of objects when viewed in ordinary daylight, and comparatively near to the eye. Local color is, of course, modified by increase or diminution in the brightness of the light on the increased or diminished distance from the spectator. Cast shadows are darker than the objects which throw them. Foreground objects appear to exhibit the brightest lights, the most powerful shaded sides, and also cast the strongest shadows, while the atmosphere between the sketcher and the objects in the distance and middle distance tends to reduce the value of those which are furthest from the eye.

Breadth is a most desirable quality to be aimed at, so that the lights and shades may be massed, and not cut up into small detached pieces.

The color of a drawing should not be carried in its full intensity up to the very edge, otherwise the subject will appear to be cut out, with consequent loss of atmospheric effect, and for the same reason the principal objects should not be placed too near the margin, and lines such as roads should be arranged so as to lead the eye into the picture. The area of washes should diminish as the work proceeds. The general coloring must not be darkest in the immediate foreground, but nearer to the middle distance, where also the highest lights should be placed.

Meaning and decision should always be given to all strong and dark touches.

The entire horizon must never be allowed to cut hard against the sky, and endeavors ought to be made to produce some appearance of mystery in every drawing.

Light and color should always be carried through the picture, that is, the sky should not be entirely cold whilst the landscape is warm, nor vice versa. The sky color must always be carried into the landscape.

Aerial perspective is the modification of light, shade, and color which is caused by the atmosphere, or more especially by vapor in the form of mist or haze, interposing between the spectator and the object represented. The local color of objects is modified by the intervention of atmosphere and vapor in proportion to the distance of the objects from the eye.

Atmospheric effects influence colors in light as well as in shade, modifying their distinctness, and producing that mystery which is one of the principal charms of a drawing.

Aerial perspective is greatly assisted by employing retiring colors, such as blue and gray, for the sky and distance of a landscape, colors like madders and broken reds for the middle distance, and by reserving yellow, red, and orange for the background. It is also assisted by carrying over the horizon and distance the colors of the sky and clouds in the earlier washes.

If, during the progress of the drawing, any portions of color appear to stand out too distinctly or prominently, they may be taken out with the paint rag, so that they might not obtrude or detach themselves too much from objects in the same plane.