Before Carmine is fired, it has not the remotes resemblance to the perfect pink it is after firing ; and a beginner is very apt to apply the color too heavily, with consequent disappointment. Carmine will turn a very disagreeable color, and very yellow, if applied heavy, and more than probable will blister and chip off.
It is because carmine makes these peremptory demands that it requires special treatment, and that recourse is sometimes made to one of the reds as a substitute.
While the pale tint of the reds, always violent, may not be exactly objectionable, no one should be allured to believe that they will produce a real rose pink.
Since the disaster has already been explained which will be sure to result if the carmine be applied to thick in the endeavor to obtain a dark pink, suffice it to admonish the amateur not to make the attempt, but instead to add a trifle of ruby purple to the carmine, and the shades will be in due proportion to the amount added.
Carmines and ruby, in fact all the gold colors, require a strong firing to develop their full possibilities ; and the heavier the carmine is put on the stronger must be the firing ; and this exceedingly high temperature is likely to destroy other colors in the kiln. Indeed, the heat required for
