Celia UK Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I have made some simple, small cut out Xmas tree decorations with lace texture on one half, plain on the other with a word stamped - 'tree' 'holly' 'start' etc. on the plain half. I use white earthenware (unglazed) and I gift them to friends and family. My daughter said it would be nice to have the lace texture showing up more and without wanting to introduce a colour with an underglaze I've wondered if there is a way of doing it with a silver or gold effect. I'm also working on some wedding favours following a similar idea, for my neice, so silver would work well for this too. Pic of unfired examples below. (2 1/2" - 4" tall) Does anyone have a suggestion as to products out there that would achieve this - available in the UK if poss. In an ideal world to use before the bisque so they only need one firing, but not necessarily so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Since these are ornaments and not food items have you thought about using acrylic paint? It comes in gold and silver metallic and you can thin it to do a wash which would gather in the lace texture and accentuate it. It would of course have to be painted on after bisque firing but you would not have to fire again. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I agree with Terry's suggestion. Otherwise, you could use a gold luster/ overglaze. That would require a second firing of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Can you get Rub n' Buff in England? http://www.amaco.com/t/mixed-media/metallic-finishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerdry Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 before you change them all over, do a few and compare to the original. There is something really beautiful about the simple white ornament, and I think the lace texture stands out just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Glaze them White, then after firing, spray paint with Krylon Acrylic enamel, or equvalent. Then Buffing compound like used on car finishes to remove the paint on high areas. These metallic paints now com in nice hammered colors that can work very well. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 There is always a tipping point with ornaments where they go kitschy so try a few first. Personally, I love the white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
florence w Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Yesterday I sprayed a bunch of cookie cutter ornaments (white clay, bisque fired) using Krylon Glitter Shimmer opulent opal spray paint. I'm really pleased with the result. This spray paint must be used outside because of the fumes. Not wanting to get glitter paint all over my wrought iron table, I made a hanger from wire, inserted hanger into the top of a large cardboard box and sprayed each ornament suspended from the wire hanger, trapped the fumes inside the box. After painting about 2 dozen ornaments this way, I just laid the rest flat inside the box and sprayed away, spraying two coats of paint. Wow! They are lovely. I did wash the bisque dust off the ornaments before spray painting them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Thanks for all your responses! I also love the plain white - it was just in response to someone's comment about something to show up the texture more. I'd definitely try things out to see if it improves them or not - I completely take the point about 'kitschy" Chris. I'll also see what the bride thinks. Sounds like a nice idea Pres but I really don't want to over-complicate it, especially as there are going to be 180 of them!!!! I might take a look at the Amaco Rub n Buff, see what I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Butterfly Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Maybe you could use a gloss tile paint and rub it off, leaving the shine to show up in the lace texture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldUberGoober Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Perhaps a very thin oxide wash, sponged off the high parts; perhaps manganese or iron oxide. Wouldn't be silver, and wouldn't suit everyone's taste, but I've seen some excellent lace textured pieces done this way. Caveat: my experience is with mid or high fire, and this may not be a winner at earthenware temps. One could also apply an shiny or even opalescent glaze and sponge it off the high parts. All that said, I agree with others, the white is beautiful; it has the advantage of being easy, and you won't please everybody no matter what you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted December 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Ah....the bride wants grey can you believe! Think a velvet underglaze is the way to go, but I'll need to be careful to ensure I retain the texture (? Not too thick) but thick enough to get a solid opaque finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 My daughter's wedding gown last year was a silvery gray. It seems to be a popular color for wedding dresses. This was her first marriage at 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 If the lace being used is paper, or not, would it work just to brush with underglaze or coloured slip, whenthe lace is in situ, thus avoiding the rubbing etc, brush on remove lace... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Now there's a thought Babs. Cotton lace, so if would stand up to underglaze without tearing. Am definitely going to try this. Have just done some samples with various grey underglazes brushed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyAmores Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 You could also use a flat shading brush, wipe off a bit of the glaze/stain from the brush and then lightly go over the high areas. The glaze won't sink into the recesses it will only lay across the relief, so no need to wipe anything back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted December 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Hmm...never thought of it that way round Nancy, with the high spots coloured, low spots natural clay. Something else to ponder, though as I usually do the underglaze on these when bone dry, to preserve the texture, I'd have to develop a v light touch to prevent it pulling down from the top surface. We're taliking no more than 1/8" thickness, which makes it v absorbent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 a thickish cotton lace can be dipped into a color, underglaze or slip, and rolled into white clay. this leaves the color down in the pockets of lace. you can keep on dipping it 180 times or until it ravels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Yet another thing to try! Got loads of lace, so plenty to work with.Thanks Old Lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthfan Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 I notice that you have pressed lace into the ornaments. What looks even better is to press the lace into a slab of clay about 8mm thick, wait for it to firm up a bit, then remove the lace. Dry the clay slab and fire it to bisque. Use that as your mold for lace texture. It is easy to do on a small scale and your pieces will look as if they have real lace stuck on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Hmm...never thought of it that way round Nancy, with the high spots coloured, low spots natural clay. Something else to ponder, though as I usually do the underglaze on these when bone dry, to preserve the texture, I'd have to develop a v light touch to prevent it pulling down from the top surface. We're taliking no more than 1/8" thickness, which makes it v absorbent! If you use an engobe or colored slip, instead of underglaze, it can be applied to the pieces while they are damp, eliminating absorption problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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