How does she do this?

[Bam2015]

Hi All,

Any thoughts on how she achieves this design? Others have asked, but no response. Not looking to copy. I like to incorporate many techniques into one pot to make it my own. The artist is Sara Brough. I believe she is from Australia, but that might not be correct.

[PeterH]

I think that's Sonja Brough   https://www.instagram.com/sonjabrough/

I don't have an Instagram account to explore, but there is some sort of video at
Chaotic Prettiness https://www.instagram.com/p/CwE4H7joZy4/
... which may show pieces under construction

[Roberta12]

Yes, as @PeterH said, it is Sonja Brough.  Great work!  I had to search to see what she was doing. She casts these pieces for the texture, then has a method for getting the color on which does appear to be the slipcasting  material.  Something like Forestceramico  Sean Forest Roberts   except he carves. Sonja doesn't appear to be carving, but a similar process.  

[Bam2015]

Yes, the artist is Sonja Brough, no doubt about that. I copied the pic from her Instagram account.  

I saw what looked like a video of her process, the same that Peter posted, but can't get the video to work. 

I am so baffled by how she achieves those patterns. 

[Min]

The linked video doesn't seem to work as video for me, it's just a few images that don't show the process of the image above. Brough was asked in a few posts how she does it but didn't answer. Doesn't look like a subtractive process. Perhaps slip trailing done on paper then pressed against the inside of the mold then the white porcelain poured in? Just a guess. I'm sure she spent a lot of work to achieve success with her process.

[Bam2015]

I agree Min, probably a lot of work to achieve this and a lot of trial and error. I certainly can't fault her for not sharing her process when asked. 

Interesting thought Min. "Perhaps slip trailing done on paper then pressed against the inside of the mold then the white porcelain poured in?"

I am determined to figure it out!!

[Russ]

To me it looks as if glazes or slip are layered onto a textured piece and then partially removed by sanding or other method then fired. Almost looks like "raindrop damascus " in a way.

[PeterH]

I'm in awe.

At first it looked like white dots against a coloured background, looking closer the coloured areas seem to have black edges where they meet the white. 

Hard to see how that can be achieved easily.
- Two-coloured highly registered printing (e.g. on Min's transfer paper)?
- Black under the coloured, and the white dots sanded down?

 

[Bam2015]

Interesting thoughts Russ & Peter. What baffles me most is what you pointed out Peter, the black edges on the circles. But, they might just be sanded as you both mentioned. If you look at the pot to the very right, there are still some raised dots on it. 

I had to Google raindrop damascus. Yes, similar appearance. 

[Bill Kielb]

Not saying this is her method but I think I would just texture the clay and paint the designs with underglaze. Clear glaze over the top might even get me some minor movement especially if sequenced to encourage.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Bill Kielb

[PeterH]

Textured clay, black , colour, sand down bumps leaving white?

[Min]

1 hour ago, PeterH said:

Textured clay, black , colour, sand down bumps leaving white?

Found the image below on her book of faces page. Maybe u.g. on the slipcast textured blanks then wiped, sanded  or scraped down?

[Bam2015]

Bingo Min!! You are quite the detective.   

The design makes more sense now. 

[PeterH]

At least for initial experiments it might be worth using a found or bought texture-mat/texture-roller for producing "test tiles" and then to help produce a master to make a mould from.

Please let us know how you get on.

 

[Bam2015]

Peter, I was truly intrigued, but not going to try and copy her. 

And she glazes the bottoms! Must use stilts? 

[Min]

2 hours ago, Bam2015 said:

And she glazes the bottoms! Must use stilts? 

Might just be the underglaze or slip with no glaze on the outside and underside of the pots.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If I was going to try to get a similar effect and I was using moulds, there’s a couple of ways to go about it.

You could start with thin layers of the light coloured slips to line the mould, possibly  brushed or airbrushed on unevenly, or even just very thin pours (2-3 minutes each). Next, there’d be a layer of black slip, and then do the full cast with the unpigmented casting slip. Once the piece is removed from the mould, it looks like some kind of abrasion happens, whether through using a trimming tool or a metal rib to scrape off some layers, or sanding as others have mentioned. I’d be more inclined to do that work when the piece is firm leather hard to reduce dust creation than to sand, but I hate wearing a respirator more than strictly necessary. 

Because it looks like she’s slipcasting a textured cup and then layering other colours on top, it looks like she’s putting a black slip or underglaze layer over the whole piece, and using 2 other layered complimentary colours (yellow and orange, blue and green, pink and red) over the black. After that, again some form of uneven abrasion. 

There’s a few artists that layer coloured slips in the mould and do different things to reveal the layers. 

[Babs]

6 hours ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

If I was going to try to get a similar effect and I was using moulds, there’s a couple of ways to go about it.

You could start with thin layers of the light coloured slips to line the mould, possibly  brushed or airbrushed on unevenly, or even just very thin pours (2-3 minutes each). Next, there’d be a layer of black slip, and then do the full cast with the unpigmented casting slip. Once the piece is removed from the mould, it looks like some kind of abrasion happens, whether through using a trimming tool or a metal rib to scrape off some layers, or sanding as others have mentioned. I’d be more inclined to do that work when the piece is firm leather hard to reduce dust creation than to sand, but I hate wearing a respirator more than strictly necessary. 

Because it looks like she’s slipcasting a textured cup and then layering other colours on top, it looks like she’s putting a black slip or underglaze layer over the whole piece, and using 2 other layered complimentary colours (yellow and orange, blue and green, pink and red) over the black. After that, again some form of uneven abrasion. 

There’s a few artists that layer coloured slips in the mould and do different things to reveal the layers. 

Yes , folk get that haloed effect when carving layered coloured slips in the sgraffitti technique.

[Min]

Similar look with Jeffrey Nichol's work, multiple layers of underglaze applied on top of the clay then sanded through.

[Kelly in AK]

First guess is two or more layers of different colored slips/underglazes on textured porcelain, then scraped, followed by sanding after bisque to really clean it up. Whatever she’s doing it’s marvelous.