Red over black porcelain

[Nata]

I am trying to do a ladybug using black porcelain, I am planning to reserve the dots on its wings with wax the question is if a red underglaze will work? They will be real size ladybug on top of a petal…

Edited October 13, 2023 by Nata
Ortografía

[Kaitlynne Flanigan]

Good morning. I have moved your question to a thread that discusses making work, instead of the Forum Terms of Use thread. 

[Hyn Patty]

It depends on the kind of underglaze you use.  If it is a transparent underglaze then no, it won't work.  The black will show through and kill your red.  If that's the only kind of underglaze red you have, first mask it off and apply an opaque white underglaze where you want the red of the lady bug.  Then apply your red over it and it should really pop and stand out nicely.

Conversely, if you have an opaque red underglaze it might work if you layer it up thickly enough.  It will still probably come out a fairly dark red though.  If you want a bright red against the black, do the same as above by laying down an opaque white base where you want the red to be, then layer the opaque red over it.  This is handy though because you can easily make the white variable.  Thicker where you want the brightest areas to pop, and thinner or absent where you want the red darkest for a more 3d lighting effect.  Like laying in primatura for a chiaroscuro effect in an oil painting.

I hope this helps - have fun with it!  Oh, and then  you can always clear glaze just the lady bug part to a high gloss against the matte black porcelain if you want it to really stand out.  I frequently use different sheens in my glazes on the same piece when I work on my equine sculpture.  Maybe a matte base with a satin horse with high glossed eyes and hooves for example.

Edited October 13, 2023 by Hyn Patty

[Roberta12]

I did test tiles of black underglaze with  brighter colors of underglaze over the black.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright colors stayed bright.  I thought the black underglaze would "swallow" the  brighter colors.  It did not.  However, black porcelain is different that painting a test tile with black underglaze.  It really will be something you have to test.  I was using Amaco Velvets.  

[Hyn Patty]

Good to know!  Of course it does depend on what kind of underglaze you are using.  I don't have Amaco Velvets though I keep meaning to get some to try.  I agree, doing tests - that's always wise before you commit to working on an important piece.