Archive for October, 2006

An excellent means of achieving a purely decorative effect on animals and birds is with a sgraffito decoration. The ceramic piece is first painted or sprayed a solid underglaze color, preferably a deep shade, or it may be dipped in an engobe, although sgraffito is slightly more difficult to do even on flat engobe ware and may prove to be a real problem on a more complex shape.

After the piece has been colored, the sgraffito design is applied. The decoration may be in the form of an all-over pattern, a few simple accent strokes or a large motif placed on broad areas, such as the backs of animals or the breasts of birds. An interesting variation is to paint the piece in several colors, rather than just a single color, before applying the design. Birds, in particular, lend themselves easily to areas of more than one color.

However, be careful to avoid a chopped up effect. Usually two colors are sufficient, one color for the large areas and a second color as an accent on the smaller areas. This type of decoration can be made even more attractive if the piece is bisqued and left unglazed. If you plan to leave the piece unglazed, try painting the color areas with one or more of the “velvet” or “suede” underglazes. These colors are applied in the same manner as

Illustration 128
A large sgraffito design is suitable for the broad back of the duck.

the ordinary under glazes, but they have a soft, textured finish that is interesting.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

One of the most decorative treatments is the use of an all-over design. Keep in mind, however, that this treatment is only effective on simple, fairly modern animals or birds. The piece should consist of enough areas free from modeling details to show the pattern to advantage. It is important for the success of this technique that you have no cluttered effect. There are various patterns that can be used for this type of decoration. One extremely simple pattern is a dot design.

To make the dots, dip the wooden end of a paintbrush in the desired underglaze color and apply the dots to the piece. Try to space the dots in such a manner that they form a pattern and are not merely a haphazard, hit-or-miss decoration. Remember that the word “pattern” actually means “an arrangement of form” and indicates a definite direction. Therefore, when an all-over decoration is used, it must be arranged with an eye to balance and design.

An all-over pattern of flowers is another effective decoration for certain animals and birds in particular. The flowers may be small and stylized or they may be large and executed in a loose, splashy manner. A flower

Illustration 127
An all-over pattern of sgraffito stars decorates a modern deer. The piece is first painted or sprayed a deep underglaze color, and the design is incised.

pattern, regardless of the treatment, is an essentially dainty motif and requires a rather delicate model for maximum effectiveness. Deer, birds and sometimes cats are usually good subjects for this type of decoration, although, a humorous effect can be achieved by applying a flower pattern to a pig, elephant or other animal that is generally considered the extreme opposite of delicacy and daintiness.

The use of stars as an all-over decoration has been mentioned previously. At the risk of appearing repetitious, it should be stated again that a pattern of small stars is one of the most effective decorations and can be used on almost any ceramic model that is simple enough in shape to take an all-over design. Horses, deer, pigs, cats, roosters-there is scarcely an animal or bird that would not be an appropriate subject for a star design. It is particularly attractive if the stars are painted gold on a white or light colored background.

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If a naturalistic effect is desired the technique is basically the same as with figurine decoration. A solid underglaze color is applied and either left as such or used as a base for a wash of darker “dry brush” strokes. Here again, simplification is in order. Limit the number of colors as much as possible, arranging the colors decoratively and sacrificing realism wherever necessary to achieve the best decorative effect.

One method that is particularly attractive on birds is to leave the body of the bird white, adding brush strokes of black or brown to the wings and tail for accent. A single bright color can be added for further interest: red for a rooster’s comb or, perhaps, a bright turquoise band on a wing. A few touches of gold can be used in place of or in addition to a color to brighten the piece. This type of simple decoration is usually more interesting and certainly more decorative than the more elaborate, realistic underglaze treatment.

Sponging

Sponging is an excellent technique for birds and animals. Because of its soft effect, sponging can be used in a semi-realistic manner to suggest fur or soft feathers. The piece may be sponged all over or the sponging may be applied as an accent on the rounded edges of the piece. The latter procedure is usually more effective than all-over sponging if there is a great deal of detail in the modeling. All-over sponging is most effective when it is used in a purely decorative sense, that is, without an obvious attempt to simulate fur or feathers. To achieve this decorative effect with all-over sponging, the animal or bird should be a simply modeled piece with fairly large clear areas that will be receptive to even, unspotty sponging.

The sponging itself should be of a decorative color, a color that is not ordinarily connected with the particular bird or animal. For example, a duck may be sponged with turquoise, a parrot with gray-brown, a cat with a soft blue. The colors should be chosen for their aesthetic rather than for their realistic value. Whether the sponging is partial or covers the entire piece, whether it is naturalistic in theme or purely decorative, some solid color accents will be necessary to give vitality to the piece.

These accents should be crisp in contrast to the soft sponging and should be applied as the finishing element in the color scheme. If the sponging is a cool color, one or more of the solid accents should be warm in order to maintain a good color balance. A turquoise, blue or gray bird can be given a brown or maroon beak, a black eye and both brown and black brush strokes on the wings and tail. An animal or bird that has been sponged with a warm color such as brown or maroon would be enhanced by blue-green or similar cool colored accents. A sgraffito accent or two will also help to enliven any piece, whatever the color.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Animals and birds compete strongly with figurines in the ceramic popularity poll. They are usually simpler to decorate and seem to appeal to almost everyone, ceramist and layman alike. To a much greater extent than figurines, animals and birds lend themselves to any type of decoration: naturalistic, amusing, sophisticated each approach provides a wide range of decorating possibilities. The decorative treatment, of course, depends a good deal upon the character of the model itself, but even so, decorating animals and birds imposes fewer restrictions than does figurine decoration. There is also a better opportunity to use animals and birds as lamps or book ends since they are generally rather bulky in shape.

Types of decoration

Many ceramists consider a naturalistic approach the most desirable and suitable for animals and birds. This, however, is a needlessly limiting attitude, for no matter how realistically the animal or bird has been modeled, there is always some way in which the decorator can, with various techniques, avoid a rigidly naturalistic effect. Of course this does not mean that a realistic treatment should not be used. It merely means that realism should always be subordinated to decorativeness, with the decorator always conscious of the fact that he is decorating a ceramic piece and not reproducing an exact replica of a real animal or bird. Thus, if the particular bird that has been modeled actually has many bright colors, the decorator must stop to consider whether the use of all the colors will result in a decorative ceramic piece. Conversely, an animal need not be decorated in a single, realistic dull color; an elephant need not be all grey, a horse all brown or a cat all black if the result would be a dull, uninspired ceramic piece.

The attitude of the decorator is of great importance in the decoration of animals and birds. He must learn to look at the ceramic piece without being hindered by any preconceived ideas of decoration. This is not always easy to do since it is almost automatic to associate brown with a horse, pink with a pig, etc. When this natural reaction occurs, the decorator should put it aside and view the ceramic piece again with a fresh

Illustration 124
Many types of decoration are suitable for animals and birds. Here an intricate realistic treatment has been used with great success. ( Courtesy of Florence Cox.)

Illustration 125
Imagination in decorating is as important as skill. The ceramic decorator should not be hindered by preconceived ideas. Here a flower motif adds charm to a pig.

eye, a decorator’s eye. If the piece is modern in feeling, it might be decorated with a simple all-over pattern, or a solid underglaze color with a few bold brush strokes, or, perhaps, with a crackle glaze. If the decorator is in a whimsical mood, he might decorate a pig with flowers or an elephant with cocktail glasses. In the case of animals and birds which have been modeled realistically and with much detail, it is often effective to glaze the piece with a soft, colored glaze that will run enough to settle in the depressed areas and run off the high spots, thus emphasizing the modeling details, yet retaining a decorative effect. There are many techniques and effects possible for the decorator who can apply the same imaginative treatment to animals and birds that he applies to other ceramic forms.

Illustration 126
Black underglaze strokes and a red comb accent a white rooster. (Courtesy of Zelbur Ceramics.)

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

While figurines are usually considered purely decorative pieces, many of them can be converted into objects of utility. Large figurines often make stunning lamps. Before such figurines are decorated, a hole must be made on the top for the lamp fixture. This should be done while the green ware is wet, but if the ware is dry a drill bit can be used to make the hole. Another hole should be made near the bottom of the figurine to allow the lamp wire to come through while the figurine is still resting flat. A small platform on which the figurine can be glued will add importance to the lamp. This base may be of any material: ceramic, metal, wood, etc. Almost every ceramic studio now carries the fixtures necessary to assemble a lamp. It is also possible at many lamp stores to obtain a complete lamp stand on which the figurine can be glued. With a

Illustration 121
This porcelain figurine relies more on careful modeling than intricate decoration. (Courtesy of Florence Cox.)

lamp stand, of course, it is not necessary to make holes in the figurine. The figurine is decorated in the usual way, fired and simply glued in place on the stand.

Small, bulky figurines can be converted into attractive salt and pepper shakers. When the green ware is wet, small holes can be punched in the top of the figurine with a toothpick. A drill bit or a good sized needle should be used if the green ware is dry. After

Illustration 122
Figurines can be functional as well as decorative. Salt and pepper shakers are easy to make. (Courtesy of Zelbur Ceramics.)

Illustration 123
A soft, colored glaze brings out the modeling of this figurine. The glaze runs off the high points and pools in the depressed areas.

glazing and before firing the figurine, punch out any glaze that may have filled up the holes. Most ceramic studios carry various sizes of corks to use as stoppers on the bottoms of the shakers. Figurines will also make unusual book ends. However, the figurine should be weighted if it is to be used for this purpose. The simplest way to do this is to pour sand into the hollow figurine and cover the opening with plaster of Paris which is available at art and hardware stores. If the opening is small enough, you can use a cork instead. Large figurines with a fair amount of bulk make the most satisfactory book ends and the more modern, decorative figurines, such as simple, elongated figures or heads, also become especially attractive when converted for this purpose.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting