t, to any height the
painter pleases, till it touches the roof, enabling him to see at any
moment the whole of his work at a distance and against the sky, which
one would rather call an absolute necessity than a mere convenience or
advantage.

Some of these things were thought out roughly by myself, and have been
added to and improved from time to time by my painters and apprentices,
a matter which I shall say a word on by-and-by, when we consider the
relations which should exist between these and the master.

AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR WAXING-UP.

Meanwhile here is another little tool (fig. 69), the invention of one of
my youngest "hands" (and heads), and really a praiseworthy invention,
though indeed a simple and self-evident matter enough. The usual tool
for waxing-up is (1) a strip of glass, (2) a penknife, (3) a stick of
wood. The thing most to be wished for in whatever is used being, of
course, that it _should retain the heat_. This youth argued: "If they
use copper for soldering-bits because it retains heat so well, why not
use copper for the waxing-up tool? besides, it can be made into a pen
which will hold more wax."

[Illustration: FIG. 68.]

[Illustration: FIG. 69.]

So said, so done; nothing indeed to make a fuss about, but part of a
very wholesome spirit of wishing to work with handy tools economically,
instead of blundering and wasting.

AN EASEL WITH MOVABLE PLATES.

But to return for a moment to the easel. I find it very convenient not
to have it made all of one plate of glass, but to divide it so that
about four plates make the whole easel of five feet high. These plates
slip in grooves, and can be let in either at the top or bottom, the
latter being then stopped by a batten and thumbscrews. By this means a
light of any length can be painted in sections without a break. For
supposing you work from below upwards, and have done the first five feet
of the window, take out all the glass except the top plate, _shift this
down to the bottom_, and place three empty plates above it, and you can
join the upper work to the lower by the sample of the latter left in its
place to start you.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A ROOM.

The great point is to be able to get away as far as you can from your
work. And I advise you, if your room is small, to have a fair-sized
mirror (a cheval-glass) and place it at the far end of your room
opposite the easel where you are painting, and then, standing close by
the side