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August 19, 2009

Color Splash: How to Make Vibrant Bursts of Color on Pottery Using Ceramic Colorants and Slip

by Annie Chrietzberg Read Comments (18)

	Impressing textures into soft clay and then playing with those textures in the glazing process is loads of fun (in my humble opinion). I often do washes of color on my textured surfaces, leaving concentrations of the glaze or colorant in the recesses. But sometimes when I wash the slip or glaze off, the color loses its vibrancy. So I loved this tip from Lana Wilson in the September/October 2009 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated. Lana uses steel wool rather than water and a sponge and maintains the bright color of the slips she uses. Today, Annie Chrietzberg explains Lana’s process and shares the clear glaze recipe she uses to make her work food safe. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
Lana Wilson’s work is mostly black and white with bits of vibrant color splashed about. She says, “I have a background in painting, and this technique really appeals to the painter in me.” She was inspired by the work of Denise Smith of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Claudia Reese, a potter from Texas. Simple Slip To prepare the slip, Wilson takes 100 grams of small pieces of bone dry clay and adds 10-50 grams of a stain. The percentages of stains varies according to the intensity of color she is trying to achieve. The clay Wilson uses is Half & Half from Laguna, formulated for firing at cone 5, though she fires it to cone 6. This clay body is half porcelain and half white stoneware. It’s not as white as porcelain, but it does fire white rather than yellow in oxidation, isn’t as finicky as porcelain, and works well with Wilson’s making methods. If you’re buying clay from the East Coast, she suggests a clay body called Little Loafers from Highwater Clays.
This technique comes to you from the pages of Pottery Making Illustrated. PMI is the only ceramic art magazine in the world written entirely by potters for potters. And it shows. Experienced ceramic artists share their tips, their techniques and their information so you can avoid time-consuming mistakes and get the most out of your studio time. Subscribe or renew your subscription today!
Easy Application The technique is simple. On a piece of bisqueware, first brush on black slip or one of the base colors then sponge it off, leaving slip in the crevices. Then, using colored slips dab on bits of color here and there. Remove some of that with steel wool. “I can’t use water for this step or it will muddy the colors,” Wilson explains. CAUTION: You must wear a respirator during this stage! In the final step, Lana dips the piece in a clear glaze, and fires to cone 6. Through lots of experimenting, and with lots more to go, Wilson finds that ending with a dark color on top works best for her. Mixing Colored Slips There are two groups of colored slips. The first group Wilson uses for the base coat that she washes off, leaving color in all the recesses. The accent slips are more intense and removed with steel wool. All stains are Mason stains except for 27496 Persimmon Red, which is from Cerdec. Add the stains and bone dry clay to water and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes so it will mix easier. Base Coat or Wash Colors 6600 Best Black 10% 6339 Royal Blue  5-10% 6069 Dark Coral 35% Accent Slips 6129 Golden Ambrosia 30% 6485 Titanium Yellow  20% 6024 Orange 30% 6236 Chartreuse 50% 6027 Tangerine 15% 6211 Pea Green 50% 6288 Turquoise  50% 6242 Bermuda 10% 6069 Dark Coral   35% 6122 Cedar   25% 6304 Violet  60% K5997 Cherry Red* 30% 27496 Persimmon Red (Cerdec)* 30% * inclusion pigments   Glaze Recipe Kate the Younger Clear Glaze Cone 6 Raw Material Ferro Frit 3195 70% EPK Kaolin 8% Wollastonite 10% Silica 12% Total 100% Add: Bentonite 2% From Richard Burkett. Use over colored slips. Shiny, resistant to crazing, cool slowly. NOTE: Stain-bearing slips applied to surfaces that come into contact with food need to be covered with a food-safe clear glaze. Because of the many variables involved in glazes (clay body and glaze fit, variability in chemical content, temperature variability in kilns, organic materials, etc.), we cannot guarantee food safety on the recipes we post. The best way to be certain is to have one of your finished pieces leach tested by a lab. Glaze Testing Resources: http://www.digitalfire.com/services/consultants/index.php http://digitalfire.com/services/database.php?list=labs   To learn more about Lana WIlson or see more images of her work, visit www.lanawilson.com.

 

Tags: Annie Chrietzberg, ceramic colorants, Ceramic Decorating Techniques, Lana Wilson, Mid Range Glaze Recipes

18 Comments

1. Lorna | August 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm

   Interesting technique. Since she is applying slip to bisqueware, is there any problem with fit and shrinkage? Or is it too thin to matter?

2. Tammy | August 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

   …same thought about slip on bisqueware popped into my head. I love the featured piece…awesome!

3. m | August 19th, 2009 at 4:36 pm

   UNDERGLAZES are clay+stain….so are a slip…often used on bisque. O have for years…

4. laura | August 20th, 2009 at 5:26 am

   slip on bisqueware…won’t pop or pock?

5. inci | August 20th, 2009 at 5:49 am

   Thank you but İ can read only the quastions but do not know how to find the answers for them.

6. Lana | August 20th, 2009 at 9:32 am

   Lorna, Tammy, Laura and Inci,
   There is so little slip, it is just slivers of slip and not solid or thick so I have had no trouble putting slip on bisque. Lately I have been painting the whole soft slab BEFORE BISQUE with one to three layers of colored slips and then after carving and inlaying other colored slip slabs I bisque it. The first image on recent work on my website shows one of these very recent pieces http://www.lanawilson.com
   Thanks for your interest.
   Lana

7. Cindy | August 21st, 2009 at 7:26 pm

   Thanks so much, Lana–I’m going to try this. I haven’t done a lot of slip work, but have been trying to figure out a way to emphasize textures other than iron oxide, so this will be a great place to start.

8. Valerie | August 23rd, 2009 at 6:48 pm

   I love your work, it is simple but has a depth of character and attitude that speaks volumes. Thank you.

9. Lana | August 23rd, 2009 at 7:10 pm

   Thanks, Valerie and if you want to see something very different you can do with these colored slips see the first image under current work on my webpage.www.lanawilson.com
   L

10. Sarah | August 27th, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    Lana,
    Your work truly is inspiring! Thanks for sharing just a bit of your knowledge. Fun, playful pieces with a feeling of softness/gentleness along with the complexity. Very soothing to the eye.
    Sarah

11. Lana | August 27th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    Thanks, Sarah. Amazing how we can all work in clay and still find something new and exciting in the studio. But I am also amazed how many failures it often takes me to figure something out that I like.
    Lana

12. Mary | January 6th, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Thank you for sharing. Mary

13. Luci | January 7th, 2010 at 6:21 pm

    Hi Lana, love your work, and thanks for sharing. Please let me know how much water to add to the stains and bone-dried clay. Thanks, just getting started. Luci

14. Lana | January 7th, 2010 at 6:48 pm

    Luci,
    Just add enough water to make a cream like consistency slip. It will mix up faster if the dry pieces of clay are smaller but sometimes I just soak them overnight and then mix with a stiff brush. I only make about 100 grams or even 50 grams only of a colored slip at a time.

    Lana

15. Ben | May 12th, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    Normally I apply slips as a thin skim like consistency to bisque ware, but these are high alumina flashing slips. Is your slip a higher silica content?

16. Lana | May 13th, 2010 at 11:11 am

    Ben,
    My slip is simply Half and Half clay, cone 5 by Aardvark bone dry mixed with the Mason stains.

17. Tanuja | June 8th, 2010 at 8:54 am

    can we fire at cone 8

18. Lana | June 8th, 2010 at 9:10 am

    Yes, you can fire at cone 8 if you use cone 8 clay (Half and Half cone 5 does not successfully go to cone 8, it gets warts even at cone 7)Just use cone 8 clay and add the mason stains to bone dry clay and go for it.
    Lana

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