As I do every morning, I dedicated an hour or so to my pupils, to Lucas and the others. Therefor I go to their studio on the second floor; it's situated above my - two stories high - own workshop. Also during the rest of theday I visit them now and then; I do so, like today, when I'm making some design in my workroom, which is near their studio.

For the moment six pupils are learning here; a couple of them really promise to become good artists. From the moment on they make good progress, I let them help complete some ordered paintings. They can paint certain figures - of course not principal ones - or add some less important details. In their presence, I afterwards make corrections if necessary and I explain them which errors they have to avoid.

What they have to learn as well, of course, is how to bring the basic layer upon the canvas, how to prepare the paint itself, how to varnish when the work is ready... The ingredients they need for the preparation of the paint are bought by myself from a couple of specialized merchants; one of them is a Venetian. My boys mix oil and pigments of all kind in order to get pasta's with basic colours; partly for their own use, but principally for me and for masters who often collaborate, down in my studio.

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