For working up bromide enlargements the following articles are required. A No. 2 or No. 3 sable brush, blue and ivory black moist water-colours, a tuft of cotton wool, a few paper stumps, some powdered blacklead (the block used for sharpening the retouching pencil upon answers very well), a small piece of opal for the palette, and a stick of ink eraser. Place a small quantity of ivory black on the palette, mix well with a filtered solution of gum arabic in water, and add a trace of blue to match the colour and surface of print, the surface being usually a little glossy. First carefully spot out all the large patches and defects. Remove any black spots by scraping with the retouching knife, the edge of which should be exceedingly keen, but slightly turned over. Proceed then to model up the face - that is, to soften or brighten the light and shade, toning down defects, heightening the lights on certain good features, or those requiring greater prominence. The lightening is done by rubbing with the eraser, or by scraping with the knife and fining up with the brush and colour. The lights generally require bringing up to a focus. Improving the expression must be done very skilfully, or is better left undone.

Keep the paint on the palette moist and the brush sufficiently full, and work with long, sweeping strokes across the muscles. The deepest shadows in the dress, etc., generally require strengthening, but outlining, etc., should be avoided. Never work without a guide (i.e. a print from the negative before retouching). The background should be kept subdued; any obtrusive lights may be "hatched" out with the brush, or rubbed out with powdered lead or chalk (or both mixed) on a stump. Lastly, if the picture is a vignette, it is often advisable to work in a cloudy effect around the head, as the vignette, even when skilfully made, with a light background, is apt to show too decided a shape. To do this, take up some powdered lead on a tuft of wool, and rub hard on a sheet of rough paper. Having got it to work smoothly and free from grit, rub all round the vignette until it softens off, so that its shape could not be determined. Clouds may then be scraped in with the eraser.