How Can I Use Underglaze To Make A Dog Look Blue Merle?

[eyeonforever]

I make clay statues but the piece I'm needing help with is a poured greenware piece from a ceramics studio.

I have an unfired daschund that i want to make look like a blue merle one.  You can see examples of blue merle dogs in border collies and a few other breeds,if you care to look at one so you'll know what I'm talking about.  They are sort of grey with color splotches and hair striping.  The only  underglaze I've ever used on this type of material is a 3-coat painted on type.  Would it work to do 2 layers in grey with spotches and then top coat it with single-stroke underglaze the hairs?  Or would there be an easier method?  Since I'm going to clear glaze on top would it be better to use single-stroke for white or cut through the bottom layers down to the greenware?  Any ideas or product recommendations?  I've never tried doing something like this before.

[GiselleNo5]

If it was me, I would do grey all over sparing the feet, ears, and face, spatter it with black using a toothbrush and my thumbnail, then do large black patches right over the top of the grey and light brown on the feet, ears, and face. 

[GiselleNo5]

Something like this for the gray portion: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/53/ca/9c/53ca9ce34aa18c2991c74e6cb34f2d1f.jpg

[MatthewV]

You can use them like acrylic paints. The three coat recommendation is for solid colors.

 

It would drive some people crazy but I open the colors I want and then use one brush to paint a picture. Layers don't always show up and many things change in the firing. I clean the brush just once at the end.

[Min]

Our Catahoula dog has some merle, if I was trying to copy his coat I would use a stippling brush or a torn off bit of coarse textured sponge and underglazes. I would pounce the brush or sponge rather than making brush strokes to build up the colours.

[rakukuku]

Well I once made a blue merle moxie but it was raku fired. I used a commercial low fire grey glaze. I often had trouble getting a true grey in raku as it would take on a greenish cast.  In high fire we have a charcoal grey glaze and I can put black underglaze beneath it and bits of white over it. This dogs often have brownish areas so leave some parts for that.   gl   Rakuku

[eyeonforever]

Thank you.  You all had good suggestions and now I know how to get the background, splotches, and stippling and how much to use.  That was really helpful.  So I went back and looked at the pictures of blue merle again and can see your point about the brown feet/face.  I thought I remembered blue merle looking differently but I think I was mixing the brown merle with the black merle and thought they had both colors in their splotches (you like that word? LOL)    And I thought I remembered seeing lots of individual hairs, but the pictures don't show that.  Thank you all so much.  Now I can start painting it tonight.  His birthday is Jan. 20.

[GiselleNo5]

Thank you.  You all had good suggestions and now I know how to get the background, splotches, and stippling and how much to use.  That was really helpful.  So I went back and looked at the pictures of blue merle again and can see your point about the brown feet/face.  I thought I remembered blue merle looking differently but I think I was mixing the brown merle with the black merle and thought they had both colors in their splotches (you like that word? LOL)    And I thought I remembered seeing lots of individual hairs, but the pictures don't show that.  Thank you all so much.  Now I can start painting it tonight.  His birthday is Jan. 20.

 

I will confess that I had to Google blue merle dogs before I answered the question.