I had booked a printing on ceramics workshop with Nick, who again was very patient and we got through quite a lot of designs, from 2 screens!
Before starting I had to do the preparation work. I looked at how the 'printing medium' made from oxides and underglaze colours had reacted with the last print results and tweaked some of them by adding more underglaze powder (in the case of the sea green medium) and also made a new 'white' medium out of powdered white underglaze and the medium, which is water based. White was used because I am trying out a range of different clays, one of which is the professional black PF680. Although I added quite a lot of white underglaze colour, I doubt whether this was really strong enough to show through the black clay, which seems to absorb most things! After printing and before bisque firing, I added touches of the white medium to reinforce the design. We will see how this worked!
I used the above pattern to decorate the otter dish I eventually got into a square former. I chose the pattern because it reminded me of waves, with the otter being at home in and out of water.
I have added white touches on top of this one, with a rhino footprint and African designs (see below) round the edge using turquoise underglaze added after and an orange sun which I mixed from powdered bright orange underglaze. Then a touch of sgraffito.
I have used a selection of different formers and drop moulds. Also I have used a large sling, which was already in place at Uclan, and I brought Kitty's catnip tent structure to add some material, fixing with drawing pins. It is very heart-warming to reuse this memory of Kitty!
I used a variety of clays including, Special White Stoneware (157 - 1142 ), Draycott White Stoneware (157 - 1143), Berlin Grey Stoneware (fine) ( 164- BERL), and Scarva red grogged Earthenware (ES60).
The other medium colours I used were a much stronger oxide mix, using red and black iron oxide, cobalt carbonate and manganese dioxide. We will see how this turns out, hopefully a strong black colour. All the medium recipies I used (made up myself!) are in my technical book. The previous white oxide mixture I kept too - it came out a nice blue on the white (Draycott) clay.
Apart from this I tweaked the original orange medium with more yellow underglaze and a small amount of red (Uclan). I dont think it will really make a lot of difference with this one, because I am told that the reds and yellows tend to burn out in a stoneware glaze firing.
Here are some photos of the printing process, and the slabs which emerged from the two screen printing screens. Thank you to Nick Rhodes for your help, and to the Uclan Ambassedors who kindly helped move my stuff from the clay labs to print and back again!
I wasnt happy with the above shape, so I reworked this....This is on special white stoneware with the new black oxide medium.
I had tried to put feet on this (4). Two unfortunately dropped off while drying, so obviously I hadnt scratched ( and slipped ) well enough. I intend to stick them back on with glaze, but had a few problems. I am told 3 feet work better than 4! I made some extra feet of different thicknesses to bisque fire, so hopefully we will get a match and the dish will sit correctly.
This Rhino is on the Berlin grey stoneware and was put in Kitty's tent. I have added some words with letters, another form of stamp printing. I then used a thick curly wire to cut some handles out by pulling the wire through the bag of clay on its end. It created the desired effect, which came out of the bisque firing well. I have glazed it now....I didn't add feet, because it is quite nicely balanced and rocks slightly...I liked that effect. I left the bottom and handles unglazed. I am drawn to pieces that have unglazed areas as well as glazed.
Mr Giant Otter turned into a dish with curled up edges. I did this because of the lovely grogged clay, which hopefully would be strong enough to carry this off. I bisqued beautifully in Rob's flat bed kiln, like all the rest of my work. Thank you Rob for this excellent ( and quick ) firing. I used to leave my kiln till 60 degrees after a bisque firing, I might be a bit braver now, I think Rob opened about 250 degrees ( after the inflection point). I will look this up.
I was able to use some of the formers twice as the temperature was such that things dried quickly. This was new black oxide medium on Scarva ES60, with rolled edges and letter impressions. It will be interesting to see how this shows up once fired.
These Lynx are the black oxide medium on special white stoneware. I added a few finishing touches in the form of a lynx paw print and a Canadian maple leaf. After bisque firing I used oxide washes on the relief (cobalt carbonate).
I used an African inspired design to add interest to the pot. Increasingly indigenous people and local villagers are being recruited with help and schemes to help protect wildlife. Their cloth patterns are very colourful. I used the print medium that I had made up with some sgraffito to decorate.
I put this Rhino in the large sling with a bit of surface stamp decoration ( seaweed bladder round the bottom edge and some African ladies dancing ( like some pictures of these stick people that my parents had in our house as a child....they were brought back from Africa, when Mum and Dad returned to the Lake District in the early sixties.)
The Giant Otter I left undecorated on a square wooden former, and I mad the Spider Monkey into a hanging piece with holes put in before bisque firing and decoration with oxides after before glazing.
I managed to finish and glaze all but 4 pieces this week. I am looking forward to seeing what comes out! Hopefully the kiln gods are kind.
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