Today I made ceramic high-fire paint, called engobe, to paint the bowls I made this week. I made 7 different paints: a soft turquoise, a stronger turquoise, a soft blue, a stronger blue, a rust brown, a soft green, and a white. This paint is made by mixing grog (fired clay which has been milled to a fine powder) and clay powder. To this mixture we add oxides -- chrome, cobalt, iron and copper -- and carbonates (copper and cobalt --- these are the softer colors) and dilute the mixtures with water. In the picture above, the bowl to the left was painted with cobalt oxide engobe, the next with iron oxide, the third with chrome oxide, and the fourth with copper oxide.
I know, too much information.
I then carved into the semi hard clay and made some designs. Each of these bowls requires a different glaze, and these are basically tests. They first now need to be bisque fired, then glazed, then high fired.
I am particularly excited about the iron oxide bowl, the orange-brown one. If this one comes out as I think it might, I will make a series in this design.
I will keep you posted!
13 comments:
No, No, No, not too much information. Please post a picture of the iron oxide bowl once it has been through the last firing.
I am looking for a way to get a solid color on my bisque ware. Your method is probably the answer.
Can't wait till October.
Gina
Gorgeous bowls
Gina, this is all pre-bisque. The clay is leather hard -- the engobe needs to be applied at this point -- it is like a thin layer of colored clay is being applied. The other way to get solid color is to use a colored glaze, or to add color to a transparent glaze. The latter can be very tricky.
Thanks Leslie! :)
Hello Diana! The bowls you made are gorgeous! You're a so talented girl!
Happy new week!
Vale
Can't wait to see all four bowls lined up on the shelf AFTER firing! Love the before/after.
Beautiful, as always ... can't wait to see the other pictures.
Thank you Diana, Colored glazes and adding color to transparent glazes has worked for me . . . mostly. But that is the fun of working with ceramics, there is always the element of surprise.
My Professor used to say "it is either Christmas or Halloween".
I love the shape of your bowls!
Gina
Diana, these are lovely and you didn't give too much information! This is very interesting. I'm looking forward to your next photos.
Cara Diana,
Beautiful pottery! And not at all too much info! My god, you are creative. Cooking, entertaining guests, pottery, taking us to markets, posting.... you name it... Brava ragazza! Bacione, Ingrid in Umbria
They are lovely, Diana! With your guests, and your swimming pool:), how do you find the time to craft?
Not too much information :-) I think that's really interesting to learn how the paints are made! Love that rust color.
I love the rust colored bowl Diana! So pretty!
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