Madeleine Hall-Arber on sun 11 jul 10
Help! An anniversary gift (custom ordered, of course!) with two
figures on a shallow bowl has a major flaw. The figures look like
they have a blotchy sunburn. I used the "flesh" mason stain mixed
into a clear glaze that I have used successfully several times
before. Apparently, this time I used too heavy a hand with the
stain. I'd like to salvage the pieces, so I've been reading Paul
Lewing's book on china paints, but am not yet confident that I can
make the right decision. I know from using lusters and gold that the
glaze can affect the overglaze. What I fear is that the splotchy
color of the current flesh will affect any attempt to fix it. I've
never used china paint, so I'm uncertain about it's opaqueness. Any
advice? If anyone wants to look, I've posted photos of the two plates
(I made a back-up version just in case I had a plate flaw, didn't
occur to me to fire them separately in case the glaze was
problematic!) on flickr saved=3D1>. Thanks in advance for your help. Madeleine
Snail Scott on sun 11 jul 10
On Jul 11, 2010, at 3:52 PM, Madeleine Hall-Arber wrote:
> ...I used the "flesh" mason stain mixed
> into a clear glaze... I used too heavy a hand with the
> stain...
First, I'd make up a couple of test tiles with
a too-heavy coat of your flesh-tone glaze,
as well as some of the surrounding glaze(s),
so you can practice your fix on something
expendable.
(I'm assuming that this bowl is way too
time-consuming to just re-make, but that
might still be worth considering.)
Instead of china paint which requires a bit of
practice to get right and needs a smooth
substrate to give a smooth look, you might
consider a low-fire opaque glaze in a suitable
color. Most commercial glazes have enough
extra 'goo' in them to make them apply well
over fired glaze, and for a few dollars you can
get something with a pretty high degree of
certainty to the outcome. You may not need
a full normal thickness, as the substrate,
though blotchy, is still sorta the right color,
si? Rather like a primer coat?
I'd still test it, since refiring to ^06 may affect
your surrounding colors (matte glazes are
most affected), and because Murphy's Law
is ever-lurking, but it may be your easiest
route.
Mayco, I recall has a good selection of 'fleshy'
hues: assorted pinks, beiges, and browns.
-Snail
Paul Lewing on sun 11 jul 10
On Jul 11, 2010, at 1:52 PM, Madeleine Hall-Arber wrote:
I know from using lusters and gold that the
glaze can affect the overglaze. What I fear is that the splotchy
color of the current flesh will affect any attempt to fix it. I've
never used china paint, so I'm uncertain about it's opaqueness.
China paints are fairly transparent, although some colors are more
opaque than others. You might be able to fix this with china paint or
you might not. Hard to say. I'd make a splotchy test and try some
china paint colors on it. Mix the dry powder paint with an open (non-
drying) medium and pad it smooth with a piece of foam rubber or silk
wrapped around cotton.
Paul Lewing
www.paullewingtile.com
www.paullewingart.com
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