Archive for November, 2006

Gold

Although gold is an overglaze color, it is mentioned separately because of its special characteristics. Gold can be purchased in liquid form at any ceramic store and is available in various shades-Bronze Gold, Roman Gold, Bright Gold, etc. For general purposes, Bright Gold is the most widely used. At first glance, gold might appear to be quite expensive, but a very small bottle of gold will last a long time since it is not ordinarily applied to large areas and does not require more than one coat.

There are several precautions you should take when decorating with gold. First of all, make certain that the glazed piece is absolutely free of dust because even the most minute particle of dust will cause trouble. Any foreign material must be kept away from the gold. For this reason, it is a good idea to reserve a special brush for gold decorating and to set aside a separate place for gold work, away from the rest of your ceramic work. This will help to maintain the absolute cleanliness necessary when working with gold.

Applying gold

Liquid gold as it comes from the bottle is usually the right consistency for decorating, but if it is necessary to thin the gold, do not use turpentine. Instead, use a preparation called Essence of Gold or Gold Essence. Use this to clean your brushes as well. The gold must be thin enough to be workable but if it starts to spread it has been diluted too much. A correct application of gold will appear brown before firing, but it will fire to its proper metallic luster. Too faint an application will fire purple. Do not go over the painted area in an attempt to smooth out the brush strokes, as they will flow together in the firing and become nonexistent. It is helpful to keep a

Illustration 134
Sponging is combined with brushwork in the tile. When sponging with overglaze colors, pat the sponge very gently.

small glazed dish or tile on which to experiment with your brush strokes before you start the actual decorating.

Be very careful to keep the gold on the brush or in the bottle and not on your fingers. This is extremely important because the slightest smudge of gold on the glazed surface will turn a surprising purple when fired.

If you make mistakes, don’t try to remove them singly, but wipe off the entire gold decoration with turpentine and start again. Go over the surface several times with turpentine and a clean rag, making certain that every bit of gold has been removed. Otherwise, you may discover those pretty but unwanted purplish stains on your fired piece.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Mixing overglaze colors

Overglaze colors may be purchased in liquid form ready for use or in powdered form that must be mixed. If you buy the overglaze colors in dry form, mix them with fat oil and turpentine. Any hard, smooth surface can be used as a mixing ground (glazed tiles, plates or a sheet of glass provide satisfactory surfaces on which to mix your colors). Place a small amount of dry color on the mixing surface and add fat oil, a few drops at a time, until the color can be mixed into a paste with a palette knife (a flexible artist’s knife used for oil painting and available at any art store). Add enough turpentine to the paste to render the color workable with a brush.

Applying overglaze colors

The main thing to remember when applying overglaze colors is that these colors cannot be worked over. Once the color is down, it should stay or be completely wiped off if a mistake has been made. Because the overglaze colors are applied on a glazed surface which is non-porous, the colors do not sink into the piece as underglaze colors do on green ware, but stay on the surface. Thus, if you attempt to pile color on top of color you may find that you are taking off the underneath color instead. The safest way to apply one overglaze color over another or to apply a second coat of the same color is to fire the piece after the first coat of color has been applied. Then the second coat or second color can be painted without damage to the color underneath. Each color should be fired before another is applied over it. This can become a rather involved process if you plan to do a very intricate decoration. However, for fairly simple decorations that require little or no shading or complicated color

Illustration 133
A light, fresh feeling is achieved in this overglaze decoration. (Courtesy of Florence Cox.)

values, it is possible to paint one color over another if you allow the first color to dry completely. You must take great care not to exert too much pressure on the brush as this will drag off the underneath color. Apply the second color as lightly as possible and confine it to small areas.

Although brushwork is the primary technique used in overglaze decoration, it is possible to combine a few of the other ceramic techniques with over glazes. Sponging can be used nicely, especially where shading is desired. The only difference in the technique when applied to overglaze decoration is that the sponge must be cleaned with turpentine instead of water and here again you must be very careful to pat the sponge gently when applying color over another unfired color. Sgraffito can also be used to a small extent in overglaze decoration. The color must be thoroughly dry before any cutting is attempted and the sgraffito should be limited to simple accents rather than a complicated line design since the sgraffito tool is inclined to slip and slide on the smooth glazed surface. If you make small mistakes and cannot wipe them off without ruining the entire decoration, you can scratch them off after the color is dry.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

We have thus far been concerned with ceramic decoration used under a glaze, decoration on top of an unfired glaze or decoration consisting of one or more colored glazes. Another type of decoration is possible with over glaze colors. As the term indicates, over-glaze colors are applied after the piece has been glazed and fired.

You may use overglaze colors as an accent on a finished piece or you may simply glaze the piece with a clear glaze, fire it and then execute the entire decoration in overglaze colors. The latter method is generally referred to as “china painting” and is a small art in itself since it invades the realm of painting to some extent. As such, it is somewhat outside the scope of this book. We -will confine ourselves, therefore, to the simpler and often more effective type of overglaze decoration. In our opinion, and at the risk of provoking controversy, painting should be reserved for canvas rather than ceramics. As we have stressed before, our concern here is with good decoration, not good painting.

Overglaze colors

One of the main advantages of overglaze decoration is the wide range of colors available. With the exception of colored glazes, overglaze colors provide the ceramist with his only true reds, reds that range from the brightest vermilion to the deepest maroon. Another advantage is that mistakes can be kept to a minimum, since they can be wiped off without damage to the rest of the decoration.

A disadvantage of overglaze decoration has to do with its permanence. Overglaze colors are not as permanent, in the strict sense of the word, as under glaze colors. It is not that they can be removed easily or that they will react badly to usage, but only that they are not protected by a glaze covering as are underglaze colors. Thus, the colors on a piece that is subjected to a great deal of handling may tend to wear off in time. A second disadvantage is a purely aesthetic one. An overglaze decoration, because it is applied on a glazed surface, often results in

Illustration 132
This decorative mug is a fine example of the intricate shading involved in “china painting.” (Courtesy of Florence Cox.)

a “painted on” effect, rather than the unified effect possible with underglaze colors -where the decoration is an integral part of the ceramic piece. That is why overglaze colors are more effective when they are used as finishing touches on a decorated piece than when they are used for the entire decoration.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Crackle glaze decorations have been discussed in connection with both flat ware and figurines. The beauty of this decoration is that it can be so readily adapted to almost every form of ceramic ware. Animals and birds can be given a crackle glaze decoration with great success. A white or colored crackle glaze may be applied to the entire piece or it may be combined with a few bisque accents. The areas that are to be left bisque should be painted with an underglaze color and then the rest of the piece glazed with the crackle glaze. To keep glaze from being brushed into the underglaze areas, treat these areas with wax or latex before applying the glaze. If the piece is to be dipped in glaze or sprayed with glaze it is, of course, essential to apply a resist material to those areas that are to be left unglazed. This type of decoration is excellent for animals and birds with definite areas of separation (beaks, combs, horns, etc.). Such areas are logical choices for the bisque accents. The full effectiveness of this or any other crackle glaze technique should be brought out by rubbing a stain into the fired piece.

For modern, simply modeled animals or birds, a combination of a colored matt glaze and contrasting glaze dots can be very effective. The piece is first glazed with a matt glaze of any color. Using a medicine dropper, apply contrasting dots of opaque glaze. Generally dots of a white opaque glaze are most

Illustration 131
White opaque glaze is an accent on bisque red clay.

satisfactory on a background that is not too dark. Since the dots themselves provide a definite contrast in form and texture, it is best to avoid an extreme contrast in color. The color combination should be on the subdued, soft side, with the dots only a few shades light or darker in tone than the background; -otherwise the decoration may become too stark and very tiring on the eyes. A rather flamboyant but arresting type of decoration is possible by combining a dark, brilliant colored glaze with gold spatter. Birds, particularly parrots, roosters, flamingos, etc., are more suitable for this decoration than are most animals. The piece is glazed with a dark glaze (dark red, dark blue, dark green and sometimes black are the most effective) and fired. Then the piece is spattered with gold, either all over or on the edges, and fired again at the gold firing temperature (see page 112).

A somewhat softer decoration can be attained by glazing with the dark glaze and then spattering the piece with white opaque glaze. After the glaze firing, the gold spatters are applied. This is a very attractive variation and is usually as effective on animals as on birds. Because of the softening effect of the white spatters, it is not as showy or startling as gold spatters alone on a dark background.

A colored or white opaque glaze is effective when used as an accent on a bisque piece. Here is an excellent opportunity to use red clay for the animal or bird. If red clay is not available, the piece should be painted with an underglaze color and left unglazed. The opaque glaze (white is the most satisfactory glaze on red clay) is applied to the accent areas and the piece is then fired. This is a perfect way to decorate giraffes and zebras, using the white opaque glaze for the spots and stripes.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Airbrush

To achieve a definitely realistic effect, an airbrush provides the most satisfactory results. A variety of colors can be sprayed on parrots, ducks, and so forth, or a two-toned decoration can be sprayed on dogs, horses, cats, etc. Two tones are equally attractive on such birds as doves, pigeons or any others where a soft, subdued effect is desirable. For this two-toned effect, the piece is sprayed all over with a light, neutral color (grey, beige, blue-grey, etc.). Then a darker color (usually a dark brown) is lightly sprayed so that it hits only the edges of the piece and blends softly into the light color. On animals, the feet and a portion of the head can be

sprayed the darker color and on birds, the tail and the edges of the wings can be accented by the darker spray. Since the effect desired is one of softness, do not allow the accent color to become heavy or harsh. The darker color should be airbrushed in such a way that it fades gradually into the light color and does not stop abruptly.

Colored glazes

Almost any animal or bird can be decorated effectively with colored glazes. Probably the simplest glaze decoration is one in which the entire piece is covered with a very soft colored glaze. This technique has already been mentioned as a means of decorating figurines, but it can be used on animals and birds as well. In fact, there are fewer restrictions involved in a soft glaze decoration of

Illustration 129
Another duck gets a realistic treatment by the use of an airbrush. The darker color fades gradually into the light color.

Illustration 130
A soft green glaze is a simple and attractive decoration for a realistically modeled turtle.

animals and birds than there are in decorating figurines. A colored glaze is usually effective only on modern, decorative figurine models, but any animal or bird, even the most realistically modeled, will lend itself very nicely to this treatment.

Another simple glaze decoration can be achieved with a speckled glaze (see page 29). If you vise a clear or colored transparent speckled glaze, paint eyes and other accents with underglaze color first and then apply the speckled glaze over the entire piece. If, on the other hand, the speckled glaze is opaque, the underglaze accents must be painted on top of the glaze in the manner of a Majolica decoration.

Sponging combined with a colored transparent glaze makes interesting decoration for animals and birds. The piece is sponged with an underglaze color, either all over or partially, as described earlier. If the sponging is applied in an all-over pattern, keep it from becoming too dense. Otherwise there will be little point in applying a colored glaze over it. Partial sponging is actually better suited to this technique, since it allows the colored glaze to show to greater advantage. When the piece has been sponged, all underglaze accents, such as eyes, feet, etc., are painted, after which a light colored transparent glaze is applied to the entire piece. The glaze should be fairly hard so that it does not run and pull the underglaze color with it.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting