Achieving a Particular Drawing Style on Surface

[Ben xyz]

Interested in in producing uneven line work that bleeds somewhat (as shown in details on this illustration by Warhol and another by Ben Shahn). Any experience or where to start?

Have recently learned how to scratch through wax for inlay line work, but would prefer something looser-looking. I'm thinking slip trailers could maybe produce this. Or perhaps lightly spraying bisque ware with water before drawing? Dipping a crow quill type pen into a stain to use like ink? One clay better than another for this? Will likely just have to experiment, but thought I'd throw it out there before I start, in case someone has had experience in doing something similar or seeing it done. Thanks!

 
 

[Bill Kielb]

How about painting / drawing it to your taste with underglaze.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Bill Kielb

[LeeU]

I have no tips or experience in deliberately going for this effect but it is a great topic and I hope there are some more replies---I could use them too. This piece  (HMS No. 8 Not Broken) has some  intentionaly gestural line work. The clay is Clayworks Cool Ice porcelain (^6 electric fire) and the drawing is Ghana Black Engobe (Laguna's Moroccan Sand series). I wonder if the engobe over a slightly wet surface would give the bleed?

[Ben xyz]

Thanks Bill and LeeU for sharing your work. Good to see examples of how you both approach drawing/painting on clay surfaces.

[PeterH]

12 hours ago, Ben xyz said:

No experience, but might that have been done with a ruling pen? Although these are often used to make very uniform "ruled" lines I believe that shifting the angle of use can produce varying line widths. This example seems to have a similar blotch-iness  in the thicker lines in your example.

Are You Using Your Ruling Pen to its Full Potential?
https://garnerwildlifeart.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/what-is-a-ruling-pen/

Edited February 5, 2023 by PeterH

[High Bridge Pottery]

I wonder if you could get something similar with a kind of mocha diffusion slip although it does spread a lot in the work I have seen. Another idea could be paining onto glaze instead of onto the clay, that might give you more spread.

[Min]

You can get underglazes to bleed by using a fluid glaze overtop. Example by Dawn Candy below. Gravity helps. Not quite the look of your drawings but maybe something to consider.

Credit to Dawn Candy 

[Bill Kielb]

The samples above remind me of fashion art. Simple line work using pen or brush to capture the essence  using gestures etc… If you google fashion artists you may find more samples and more inspiration. Folks who are good at it often capture things using pen and simple gestures very effectively with simplicity.

Some fashion Artists here : https://www.fashionillustrationgallery.com/artists

Andy Warhol definitely is in this list

[Jeff Longtin]

"Scratch through wax..."  I'm curious what this entailed? What kind of wax were you using and what surface did you do it on?

When I tried the STW method I found the lines very uneven so I abandoned the idea. 

I didn't have the means to melt wax so I used wax resist.

Did you do it on a bone dry surface or a bisque surface? My most uneven results were when I applied wax resist to white underglaze on the surface of a bone dry pot. Sometimes the underglaze would chip, rather than simpy scratch, and that was very uneven. Sometimes the dark fill color would seep under the wax and stain the white underglaze. 

I thought I could use a damp sponge and wipe away the excess color that didn't stay in the scratch. To my surpise the wax resist simply washed away and I ended up smudging the whole thing in a very unsightly manner. Wasn't the effect I wanted but maybe more what you're looking for?

[Ben xyz]

I did learn how to use the dreaded ruling pen for inking up straight lines when studying graphic design. Quite tricky. Went on to be an editorial illustrator for about ten years, cleaning out many rapidograph pens along the way. Using fountain pens with different nibs on rice paper (and other fibery papers) can create intentional bleeding when drawing.

I may just try mixing up an 'ink' using cobalt carbonate and/or stains and work on greenware. On bisque, I would then have the flexibility to work on it more. Appreciate the example of Candy's pitcher, Min. Will play around with adding a fluid glaze on top, as well. Have been doing some mocha diffusion, but not with drawing (yet). Am curious about your line idea on top of a fluid glaze before firing, Highbridge. Back to the studio for more experiments!

[PeterH]

More types of ruling pin nibs than I'd thought (my only experience is a little technical drawing 60 odd years ago).

All About Ruling Pens https://sarahtypes.com/all-about-ruling-pens/

https://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/ruling-pen-basics

Edited February 6, 2023 by PeterH

[Ben xyz]

6 hours ago, Jeff Longtin said:

"Scratch through wax..."  I'm curious what this entailed? What kind of wax were you using and what surface did you do it on?

When I tried the STW method I found the lines very uneven so I abandoned the idea. 

I didn't have the means to melt wax so I used wax resist.

Did you do it on a bone dry surface or a bisque surface? My most uneven results were when I applied wax resist to white underglaze on the surface of a bone dry pot. Sometimes the underglaze would chip, rather than simpy scratch, and that was very uneven. Sometimes the dark fill color would seep under the wax and stain the white underglaze. 

I thought I could use a damp sponge and wipe away the excess color that didn't stay in the scratch. To my surpise the wax resist simply washed away and I ended up smudging the whole thing in a very unsightly manner. Wasn't the effect I wanted but maybe more what you're looking for?

Wanted to answer you Jeff in a separate email. 1. In the workshop I took, we started with a plate and mug pre-glazed in a flat white. 2. We transferred drawings with carbon paper (which will later burn off). 3. We could add stains and blocks of color on top of that if we chose to. 4. I used Amaco's translucent  green wax resist on top of that. 5. Using disposable scalpels and needle tools, we carved into the wax, where the carbon lines could be seen. 6. Then brushed stains into those carved/inlayed lines, carefully cleaning up along the way where needed. I think I used a damp paper towel. 7. To make a line appear a little blurry, one could add more color on either side of the line, which beads up on the wax. 8. Need to do more experiments, since the process was luckily a fairly painless one for me. Some people did have problems with using watered down wax. Getting use to the best angle with the scalpel had a learning curve as well.

[Jeff Longtin]

7 hours ago, Ben xyz said:

...we started with a plate and mug pre-glazed in a flat white.

I suspected as much. With bisque clay as a back drop the  method can produce really fine lines. With unfired clay as the back drop you will probably create lines that are much more irregular. (owing to the texture, and nature, of the clay)

My method requires you to fire the piece before any other decoration is applied, to burn off the wax resist, but if its the effect you want its not a huge inconvenience. You just need to be careful about how forcefully you apply the needle tool because the unfired clay can gouge easily.

[Min]

@Jeff Longtin, type of wax resist makes a big difference in how well this works. Use a water based resist like Forbes, the ones with oil don't work nearly so well. 

[creegal]

Why not get a thinner Chinese ink painting brush...it will achieve all different kinds of line thickness depending on your pressure as well as how much product you load onto brush.

[Babs]

Could get movement by adding flux to the underglaze and fluid glaze

[PeterH]

14 hours ago, creegal said:

Why not get a thinner Chinese ink painting brush...it will achieve all different kinds of line thickness depending on your pressure as well as how much product you load onto brush.

If you are trying different brushes &  handling techniques there is a Chinese calligraphy practice paper/cloth that you can draw on with a water filled brush. When wet it gives a dark image which slowly  fades as it dries. Often called magic-paper/cloth. Sometimes it has guide-lines for calligraphy, but plain sheets are also available.

PS another sort of specialised brush