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Try it! Take a small dab or one color (any light shade), add alongside it a dab of a darker shade. Now stroke them out horizontally with a brush, starting with the light shade and working it downward into the darker shade. Now do the same thing, using your index finger in place of a brush. Which blends the most attractively to your eye? Don't worry about your finger—most oil paint quickly washes off the hands with hot water and soap.

James D. Allison developed his finger technique of painting during World War II when he was stationed in Alaska as an army lieutenant. In an effort to occupy his leisure time during the long, dreary, Arctic nights, he'd paint, using a set of oils an aunt had sent him as a Christmas present. He'd had little training in painting other than that received during short periods in public school art classes when he was a boy; but he'd always had an intense interest in art and now he was determined to see what he could accomplish.

IT WAS while copying a postal card picture of an Alaskan husky dog that Allison evolved his method of finger painting. One evening when he was unable to blend the two shades of brown he was using on the dog's coat to his satisfaction, he dropped his brush and tried using his right index finger in its place. It worked! He got the effect he wanted. Not only was the color perfect, the texture of the fur appeared to be more real. He has never since used a brush!

If anyone had told him that night that within a few years he'd be selling oil portraits, having exhibitions of his art, and also operating a lucrative business in art-sign work, Jim Allison would have laughed and said—"Not me! I don't have that kind of talent."

Well, maybe there was a time when Jim Allison didn't think he had it in him! But he is quick to tell you now that a good substitute for talent is facility; and facility is something that grows with exercise. Looking over the record of sales made by this artist in recent months you can't help feeling that the man knows what he is talking about.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, where he lives with his wife and four children, Allison is now finding out that there is no man so happy as a hobbyist who profits by his avocation. Painting animals in oil is his hobby. His profession is real estate, and slack days and off-seasons have given him plenty of time to indulge in his hobby. It wasn't until the winter of 1951 that he sold his first oil portrait; but ever since his painting has continued to bring in a steady flow of extra money.

LIKE so many stories of success, this one had an unexpected beginning. As has been said, Allison likes to paint animals. In them he finds a deep inspiration; and he believes that in order to do a successful portrait it is necessary that a subject make you want to paint it. He felt that way the day he saw a picture of a Hereford bull on the cover of the Country Gentleman back in January 1951.

"I wanted to paint that Hereford the moment I saw it," he recalls. "The feeling was so intense I couldn't even wait to go into town to buy a hardboard panel on which to paint. Instead I went up to the attic and retrieved a smooth piece of oak that had once been the top of a chest of drawers and on this painted the portrait of Prince Larry, as the bull was called."

Allison thought the editors of the magazine might be interested in seeing how closely he had duplicated their cover. So he took a snapshot of his painting and sent it along with a letter to the magazine.

"To be quite honest," adds the artist, "I hoped the photograph would be published—not for any monetary profit; for at the time I did not know that magazines paid for such contributions. What I had in mind was the interest the painting might create among readers who in turn might commission me to do a painting for them. For I was now getting the urge to profit by my hobby."

Well, the photograph of Prince Larry was published in the Country Gentleman. It brought Jim Allison a check for $20 from the magazine. But more important, it resulted in several bids for the painting, a request to have him exhibit some of his other work in an art studio in Colorado, and some good publicity in local newspapers which paid off in several worthwhile sales.

Did he sell Prince Larry? Indeed he did. Not to the highest bidder, but to the one he felt had the most real appreciation for the portrait. Allison sold Prince Larry to a college student who wanted to give it to his cattle ranching father as a gift. "Golly, that's the best painting I have ever seen," the boy told Allison.

"Why do you like the painting?" the artist asked, awed by such wholesome enthusiasm.

"That bull looks alive," said the boy, adding, "He looks like he'd walk right out of the picture."

That's the sort of thing a lot of people are saying about the Allison portraits of animals these days. And if you were to ask Allison how he achieves that alive effect he'd tell you it is simply because of his finger painting technique.

WATCHING ALLISON bring out the details in a horse's mane by using his finger in place of a brush, the process looks like a simple one, but when you try it you find the job is not quite as easy as it looks. Painting with oils takes time to master. In painting, the chances are that the longer you live—if you also paint—the better craftsman you will become. Allison's finger method is unique in that when applying shading and detail he uses no linseed oil to thin the paint. He applies it fresh from the tube, sparingly, working one color into the other to form shadow or highlight as the case may be. However, he does thin the paint used for the basic application, to a creamy mixture. This basic application should dry in a moderately warm, dry place for about forty-eight hours before detail work is started.

"My greatest difficulty with the finger method of painting," says Allison, "comes when doing straight lines (for halters and bridles on the animals) Sometimes I have to use a palette knife for this work."

When asked about the equipment necessary to begin painting with oils either as a hobby or a profession, Allison says that your initial outlay need not exceed 50 cents.

All you really need to get started on a finger painting project are two small tubes of artists colors in oils (cost about 17 cents each) and one square foot of hard-board panelling. Allison prefers painting on a hardboard panel for it does not require stretching as canvas does. It's less expensive, too! The hard-board he uses runs about 6 cents a square foot and is on sale at most lumber yards. It is advisable to use an undercoat or "sealer" on a panel before starting a picture. "I use a blocking out 'fast drying' white paint," says Allison. "This not only seals but gives the panel a better working surface." Use a kitchen plate as a palette!

"The two tubes of paint should be of contrasting shades," advises Allison. "For instance, a tube of emerald green and one of spectrum yellow would make a simple landscape; or a tube of yellow ochre and one of burnt sienna would make a light or dark colored animal, depending on what color was used for the base."

TO ASPIRING artists, Allison offers some helpful hints on how to paint a picture. He suggests that you select a simple subject to begin with. When you have decided upon a design, proceed to outline it on your panel with a soft pencil. Next, apply the basic color to the background and to the subject. "The painting will appear flat without any detail in it," points out Allison—"so don't be discouraged during the drying-out period."

A beginner who is not adept at freehand drawing might start by tracing a design on thin tracing paper, then retracing from this to the hard-board panel. Or if you happen to have a lantern slide projector around the house, try projecting a picture on your panel, then outline the image. Another way of outlining a design is to use a pounce wheel in place of a pencil on your tracing paper. This gadget resembles a cog in a clock with a handle attached, and when run over a paper cuts perforations along the design wanted. If you are painting on a dark background, powdered chalk can be sprinkled over your "pounce pattern," leaving an outline design on your panel. If you are using a light background powdered charcoal should be used.

You need never waste a panel just because a picture doesn't turn out the way you hoped. If you are dissatisfied with your first efforts, start a new picture over the old one (but wait until the paint is thoroughly dry). You'll find the "built-up" panel is a better surface upon which to work. Jim Allison says he has had as many as five pictures placed one over the other on a single panel.

"The more simply a subject is presented, the more striking is the impact on the viewer," asserts Allison. "That's why I like to do portrait studies—for you have little or no background to detract from the subject."

ALLISON'S PORTRAITS sell for $15 to $75 each. The price varies not only with the subject, but with the size of the picture and the amount of detail in the portrait. The cost of the frame enters into the price tag, too. As most of his portraits are exhibited before being sold, the frame goes along with the picture.

How do you go about finding buyers for your paintings? is the question most frequently asked by hobbyists who have an eye to making some extra money. Allison's reply to this query is: "Let people see what you are doing! The quickest way of doing this is to exhibit your art in public places such as libraries, decorating shops, art stores, picture framing studios, etc.

"The nicest thing about doing creative work is that it saves you from being bored. You accomplish something on your own; your ego and enthusiasm blossoms—and you find yourself really content with life."

Everybody has some creative urge. The unfortunate truth is that too often that urge to create is stifled once the matter of making a living comes up—then any activity not earmarked profitable tends to be dropped.

"What a grave mistake," says Allison. Quite frankly, this artist confesses to having smothered his creative urge for many years. But he is happy it finally caught up with him, for he is a different man now. You can be, too!

But how will I decide what to paint? the beginner rightly inquires. The answer to that question is: look out your window. Landscapes, the sea, the birds, all sorts of animals make fine subjects for oil paintings. Allison is firm in stating that you learn to paint by painting—so he advises that you choose a subject that interests you and start work at once.

A good photograph in color makes a fine model for a picture, too. If the background or detail is not to your liking, imagination can change it. For instance, in doing the bull that was on the cover of the Country Gentleman, Allison added more white in the chest area, lowered the halter, and gave the near side horn a greater curve. He is accustomed to seeing curved horns; for cattle breeders in his part of the country hang weights on a young animal's horns to make them curve.

When you get an inspiration for a painting, that's fine! What happens if someone gives you an order for a specified picture? You can hurdle that problem easily enough according to Allison. If a prospective customer asks for a picture of a horse in a pasture landscape background, Allison suggests you go to your local library or art museum and make a search for a good colored photo of an attractive horse. The horse need not be in a pasture, because you can also look for photographs of pasture scenes, and thus get a suitable background. The photograph should be large enough to show good detail.

There are many instruction books available which are designed to help the amateur painter become more adept in his art and to give him added interest and more fun while he is painting. They are all written for the "brush" method of painting, but Allison explains that sound basic help may be gained by reading at least a few of these books and adhering to the instructions, substituting an index finger for a brush.

Jim Allison still has the copy of the book on painting which he read while in Alaska. Titled "The Teacher of Oil Painting," by D.M. Campana, published by the Campana Art Company, Chicago, this book teaches the simplest method of learning to paint with oils—landscape, figure, animal life, still life.

Another helpful book he recommends is "Art Drawing Made Easy," also published by Campana.

AN INTERESTING sideline, developed in connection with Allison's growing ability as an artist, is the outdoor advertising signs he paints. When he was still in the early stages of learning to paint, a local poultry farm asked Allison if he would design a sign for them that would be different from the run-of-the-mill advertising signs. Something with an artistic touch! He'd had some training as a lettering artist many years before when he worked for a sign and display company, so he felt he could certainly make a try at it. The order was for a series of five signs which were to be erected along the main highway to announce the approach to the farm. Allison combined his knowledge of the two arts—painting and lettering—and found the project so intensely interesting he promptly made up his mind to do more and more signs.

The composition of the signs for the poultry farm was left entirely up to Allison. On the first sign he painted a rooster dressed in formal clothes, top hat, cane, spats, even a monocle. The rooster denoted "dressed" fryers. The rooster was flanked by two New Hampshire fryers with "blue ribbons" painted around their necks to designate the "Blue Ribbon Fryers" which were a specialty at the farm. This sign was the largest of the series and measured about fifteen by eight feet. The four other signs were small and carried only the blue ribbon bedecked fryers with lettering "MARTIN'S POULTRY FARM 500 FEET" (then 300, 200, etc.). The signs proved to be very popular and as a result a tremendous amount of outdoor advertising work landed in Allison's lap.

"I think," he tells you, "that confidence in your ability increases with every picture you do—whether it is an oil portrait or a simple advertising sign. After all, the best teacher still is experience. Everybody knows that you can't sell an oil portrait every week—not even if you are a Degas or a Sargent. That's why a secondary avocation comes in handy."

OUTDOOR SIGN work fits into the field of art work very readily and Allison suggests that new and experienced artists look into the field if they want to increase their bank accounts.

But doesn't painting on metal differ a lot from that done on hard-board panels? Allison was asked.

"Technically there is a difference," he says, "but once surfaces are prepared on either metal or hard-board, the procedure is much the same. But the lettering has to be done with various sign painters brushes such as riggers, fitches, quills, etc. I can paint almost any subject with my finger, but I haven't yet devised a method for doing lettering that way." If you are not an accomplished lettering artist Allison suggests you use the tracing folios now available for sign lettering. These kits contain alphabets and numerals in various sizes and greatly simplify sign-writing.

Just for fun why not see what you can do—even if you just make a marker for your own house. Follow these tips and you'll turn out a competent job. First, Allison points out, galvanized metal must be "etched" or treated. "I use ordinary table vinegar to treat galvanized metal. If this is not done the paint will not adhere properly."

The vinegar is applied with a cloth or brush. The acid eats into or etches the surface of the metal so later applications of paint will stick. This vinegar does the same work as more costlier etching solutions.

A different type paint is used in outdoor sign work. Allison gets best results with an outdoor paint with an oil base that has a remarkable resistance to weather, wind, or sun.

You do need to apply an undercoat to your sign before starting your design. If a sign is to be repainted, you must first apply a "block-out" coat before applying new copy over the old. "And," warns Allison, "never, never, paint over red on a metal sign. Red will 'burn' through. If you need white letters or any copy on a red background, first apply a foundation white, then cut in with your red around your lettering or copy."

Prices for art sign work of this kind vary in many localities. Demand, the skill of the artist, and size of the sign all enter into the price. In and around Fort Collins, outdoor metal art signs run about $5 per square foot, with the artist furnishing the material. A frame is, of course, additional. All tin shops carry the sheet metal necessary for an outdoor advertising sign. It runs from about 25 to 30 cents a square foot. To give you an idea of what profit you can expect from doing this kind of painting, Allison picked out of his file, one week's record of business. "I worked close to forty hours this particular week doing an order for metal signs." He paused. "Take a look at this," he said. "That order brought in a gross of $233—of which $100 was profit."

You can't expect every week to be that good. But Allison feels that if you work at it and turn out competent work, any craftsman ought to be able to average a minimum of $2 an hour for this type of painting.