I am busy making more "music-themed" items, as well as a few other things. Here's an assortment:
Monday, March 30, 2009
More new stuff
I am busy making more "music-themed" items, as well as a few other things. Here's an assortment:
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Answers to questions
Undaunted in the comments has asked: "Is the design produced with decals?" The answer is no, I have developed and refined the use of silkscreens on ceramic. It certainly has been done by others, but I think the specific methods I use work best for me. I teach a class here in Wilmington, NC on how to create silkscreens (very easy process actually), and I have over the year and a half that I have been into ceramics created about 50 screens. I also have learned a great deal about how to make them work with clay and the various tips. I silk screened underglazes onto the leatherhard (sometimes even dryer than that) items. I also have silkscreened onto bisque items, but find doing it earlier, before the bisque firing, makes it easier to correct
smudges, etc.
If you look at the slideshow in this blog entry, you will see numerous items where I have used the silkscreens. My musicsheet silkscreens have produced items that have been very popular and I have sold all that I have made. I did a huge sale in December on my silkscreened Christmas ornaments too and can produce the images in any color of the many available in underglazes. The Peek a Boo kitty ornament used a silkscreen also. I used the same silkscreen on the two vases in this slideshow which sold quickly at that sale. I actually began experimenting with silkscreen on clay in 2007 and you can see some of my early silkscreened items, pendants, etc. here. That should answer your questions. The silkscreens I make are from two companies PhotoEZ SilkScreen and EZ ScreenPrint They supply the 8 1/2 x 11" sheets already covered with emulsion --then I make transparencies with items I want to silkscreen printed in the blackest ink (opaque) as possible, then I expose the screens to sun for about one minute, then place in a waterbath for about 15 minutes, then scrub out the soft emulsion that did not harden by the sun because it was blocked with the black line images, text, etc. then the screen is ready to use. Each screen might cost about $15.00 counting the making of the transparency and cost of blank screens, but each screen can be used countless times! I made silkscreens for the kittybank project and used them over 50 times. These screens are flexible and don't have to be mounted in a wooden frame. You also can screenprint on newsprint then transfer that to the clay items, to include a thrown cylinder for example, that can then be manipulated into complex shape and the image expands nicely. Bonus is that the screens can be used on card stock, paper and on fabric as well with acrylic paint with textile medium. I love using them and create some unique items using them.
Hope this answers your questions, I will try to get some photos made of the screens and some parts of the process so you can see it.
smudges, etc.
If you look at the slideshow in this blog entry, you will see numerous items where I have used the silkscreens. My musicsheet silkscreens have produced items that have been very popular and I have sold all that I have made. I did a huge sale in December on my silkscreened Christmas ornaments too and can produce the images in any color of the many available in underglazes. The Peek a Boo kitty ornament used a silkscreen also. I used the same silkscreen on the two vases in this slideshow which sold quickly at that sale. I actually began experimenting with silkscreen on clay in 2007 and you can see some of my early silkscreened items, pendants, etc. here. That should answer your questions. The silkscreens I make are from two companies PhotoEZ SilkScreen and EZ ScreenPrint They supply the 8 1/2 x 11" sheets already covered with emulsion --then I make transparencies with items I want to silkscreen printed in the blackest ink (opaque) as possible, then I expose the screens to sun for about one minute, then place in a waterbath for about 15 minutes, then scrub out the soft emulsion that did not harden by the sun because it was blocked with the black line images, text, etc. then the screen is ready to use. Each screen might cost about $15.00 counting the making of the transparency and cost of blank screens, but each screen can be used countless times! I made silkscreens for the kittybank project and used them over 50 times. These screens are flexible and don't have to be mounted in a wooden frame. You also can screenprint on newsprint then transfer that to the clay items, to include a thrown cylinder for example, that can then be manipulated into complex shape and the image expands nicely. Bonus is that the screens can be used on card stock, paper and on fabric as well with acrylic paint with textile medium. I love using them and create some unique items using them.
Hope this answers your questions, I will try to get some photos made of the screens and some parts of the process so you can see it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
OK, I'll have to fess up
"Undaunted" wants to see all around on this teapot. I did show the good side before.
But now I have to come clean. The other side got a little too much clear glaze on it, I didn't check the glaze bucket to discover someone at the studio had left the lid off overnight and the glaze got too thick, soooo, as you will see in this picture (the whole truth and nothing but the truth!), that heavy glaze shows. I have since ground down the thick bits and touched up glaze on the bad side and teapot is ready to be refired to smooth things out. Good news is that today I have gotten the matching sugar and creamer out of bisque and glazed ready for same kiln load as the reglazing of the teapot, so (fingers crossed), it all will be beeeutiful maybe next week or so. In the meantime, here is teapot from all angles:
But now I have to come clean. The other side got a little too much clear glaze on it, I didn't check the glaze bucket to discover someone at the studio had left the lid off overnight and the glaze got too thick, soooo, as you will see in this picture (the whole truth and nothing but the truth!), that heavy glaze shows. I have since ground down the thick bits and touched up glaze on the bad side and teapot is ready to be refired to smooth things out. Good news is that today I have gotten the matching sugar and creamer out of bisque and glazed ready for same kiln load as the reglazing of the teapot, so (fingers crossed), it all will be beeeutiful maybe next week or so. In the meantime, here is teapot from all angles:
My first Teapot
Here it is, I have since made a sugar and creamer to match, but they should be coming out of Bisque Kiln this morning at the studio. Will have to clear glaze and hope they come out OK. Most of the items I have put in the Gallery have sold I am happy to say. Some of my things are also in a shop in Wilmington, NC---Blue Moon Gift Shops
This is actually the booth of a friend of mine and the paintings on the wall are from another friend. At the moment, I am wondering if I am spread out too much. It takes such a long time to get items through all the processes. I still hope to do two shows a year and just hope I can produce enough items to do all of this. Yesterday, I made five more of my musicsheet screenprinted hanging cones. So far, I have sold all seven that I have made. I am also experimenting with some other items with music themes since they seem to be quite popular. The vases with falling squares sold after four days in the gallery and the "Lovers" sold a week ago.
I had a large order for Christmas Ornaments which I have completed and another commission that I have finished, so now I am ready to work on getting some inventory produced for the gallery and the gift shop any maybe a few items for the two shows I will be in later in the year (September and December).