With that in mind I am going to try out different decorating techniques.
In the past I have used red clay with a white slip, drawing into the slip to reveal the red underneath. After bisque firing I have used underglaze colours and a clear glaze.
I want to try using a white clay body, for a clean finish on the inside of the vessels and give a more contemporary edge. A white body me a blank canvas both inside and out, but need to explore what I want the finished piece to look like. I could also experiement and challenge myself my using porcelain.
Things to consider about the surface decoration:
Do I want to literally use my drawings and get these printed onto transfers.?
Or do I prefer the immediacy of drawing and painting on the clay?
Or could I use layers of slip and sgraffito to create the effects I want?
Or should I play around with different brush on glazes to get a painterly effect?
Should I give underglaze pencils a try?
Would use masking techniques get the effect I want or a combination of all or some of the above?
The options are endless, so I need to experiment to make decisions on the surfac qualities I want. Giving reasons for my decisions.
My initial instinct is to continue to draw into the clay and use underglaze for the colour. I like the impact of redrawing the image into the clay creating a one off image. But there is nothing stopping me from using slip, and putting transfers on at the end....
Time for experimentation....
The form of the work also needs addressing. At the moment I am throwing straight side vessels but wonder if these should be more enclosed forms like vases. Or a flatter pieces using the inside to draw, like a platter?
Form, function decoration are all points to consider.
What are my drawings in response to?
Journeys
Exploration of my surrounding
Study of objects/people.
Resources
Fotoceramics.com. Ceramic transfer printing company
Siddha el Nigoumi. Great use of slip, burnishing and sgraffito.
Susan nemeth - using paper clay, slip, transfer and gold leaf/on glaze. Below is an image from CR, ISSUE 276, of a transfer to be used by susan
