PARCHMENT SHADES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 889, 5 February 1930, Page 5

PARCHMENT SHADES

SUCCESSFUL COLOUR RESULTS

The parchment-paper lampshades, which are so popular just now, are rather plain aud unadorned for the taste of many of us, who share the present cra;:e for deoorativeness. painted or stencilled designs are one way of remedying this. A flat metal stencil is of little use on the curved surlaee. If the shade is to he stencilled, the motif should be cut out of thin cardboard—a postcard does excellently, which is sufficiently pliable. (lay primary colours will be found to give the most successful result. little paper figures We have not always, however, the skill or materials for this method. An alternative is to cut little paper figures out of pictures and stick them on A particularly pretty shade had dainty silhouetted figures dancing round It like a Greek frieze. This was accomplished by filling in the out lines with Indian ink to silhouette ihem before they were cut out. Quite a Japanesque effect may be given with a spray of blossom, a nutterfly and a bird or two, all cut trom coloured pictures and artistically grouped. Coloured illustrations. advertisements or simply plain paper of some vivid hue on which a design has been traced, material for lampshqde pictures. v The suitability of outline should do rather carefully studied, since tile light shining through the opaque shade will only define this, not the detail of the motif; and if the silhouette is not good it will appear a meaningless shape, except in daylight. The simpler and sparser the decoration the better. If too much surface Is covered It will partially obscure the light.