Hobby Ceramics Tips
Read these 25 Hobby Ceramics Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Ceramics tips and hundreds of other topics.
Painting the eyeball
When painting the eyeball, be sure to stay within the boundary of the eyelids that are cast in a piece
Where to Highlight the iris
It is imperative that the highlight painted in the eye be in the same position in both eyes. If not, your figurine will be cross-eyed.
Cleaning spray nozzles
The most difficult aspect in using spray fixatives are the clogs that dry in spray mechanisms.
To help eliminate clogs in spray cans, turn the can upside down when finished with a project and push the plunger until only gas is emitted. Wipe off any excess around valve.
You can remove the valve from the top of a stray can for cleaning. A thin wire will clean out the hole.
using a spray sealer
To avoid runs when using a spray sealer, be sure to keep the can moving and not too close to the piece.
eyelashes on figurines
Thin eyelashes on figurines are hard to make. If you have trouble putting them on with a brush, go ahead and try; then go back over them with your lace tool, scratching away paint to make thin ones.
Description
Making your own pieces
Oven-bake, air-dry, or polymer clay. These also do not require use of a kiln. They either air-dry or are baked in a standard oven. Due to expense, they are best used for small items such as jewellery, ornaments, etc. The oven and air dry clays are similar in look and feel to normal clay. Polymer clay comes in many bright colours (kind of like play doh!), and can be made into beautiful designs which become plastic-like when fired.
Painting eyes
Remember that we rarely see the entire iris part of our own eyes or anyone else's and you should not on figurines either.
Decorating with paint
1. Decorating already made pieces.
Bisque painting with paints. You can buy bisque pieces, and paint them with acrylic paints and sealer. This will not hold up to functional use as dinnerware, but is fine for decorative pieces. This would make the most sense for someone who can paint intricate designs, or wants to practice such. It takes very little investment, just the bisque pieces, some paints, and a brush. There are books with designs that you can copy if you need inspiration. And every issue Popular Ceramics magazine has projects for painting.
Highlights in the eyes
When working on figurines or animals be sure to include the highlights in the eyes. This is a small reflection of light in the iris, to the side of the pupil. It can be added with the tip of a sgrafitto tool, pin or lace tool for a tiny dab of white. Do not allow the white eyeball to show above the iris as this gives a fixed staring expression to the face.
Composition of the eye
No matter how well the decoration appears on a finished figurine, poorly painted features will ruin the effect.
It is important to understand the composition of the eye when painting features.
Keep eye colours in context
Black and dark brown are fine for lashes and eyebrows but make sure you keep colours in context, a blonde with black lashes and brows, just does not look right.
Antiquing solvent
Antiquing solvent is marketed under a variety of names, but it usually contains mineral spirits and has no odour.
Painting fine feature lines
If you have trouble making fine lines in features, try the end of your lace tool. Tip it in colour and use it like a paint brush or fountain pen.
Printing on Ceramics
Printing Ceramics
All of us have come into contact with decals -- we see the commercial type every day on mugs, plates and other industrial ceramics. Getting these types of images on to a ceramic work is not necessarily that hard. In this feature I would like to have a brief look at some of the issues involved.......
Read this entire article 'Printing on Ceramics' in the Articles section of this site
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Producing good eyes
Producing good eyes is greatly enhanced when you know how to handle your brushes correctly
Iris portions of eyes
Iris portions of eyes are painted over a white eyeball so be sure the white is dry before applying
Antiquing concrete
An antiquing substance for concrete: is a green moss type effect, achieved by placing 50 gms of copper carbonate or 25 gms of copper oxide with 2 ltrs of natural yogurt. Over time the copper and yogurt will coat the statue in a moss-type substance, after a couple of months you can wash the statue and it will continue to look old. An overload of copper oxide ie 500 gms to 2 ltrs of yogurt will produce black.
Figurines paint repair
Fingernail polish can be used to add a bit of colour to those areas on a finished figurine that you may have missed. Remember, however, that this type of polish has a high sheen so be sure that is what you want before you use it.
Hobby Ceramics
Although labor intensive and hardware intense, ceramics can still make a wonderful hobby. Check with your local college, junior college or adult education center and take a course in throwing pots or in hobby ceramics and get a feel for whether this hobby is right for you. If it is, look for a gently used pottery wheel and a local kiln you can use and get started! There is nothing like finding a hobby to give you the creative outlet you need.
Highlight the iris
Your eye is not complete without adding a highlight to the iris. This gives a twinkle to the eye and the impression of looking in a certain direction as well.
Applying sealer
Before applying any sealer, be sure that the piece to be coated is free of any foreign debris, as it will become a part of your finished piece if allowed to remain.
Adding an iris
Before adding an iris to your eyes, decide which way the figurine will be looking and paint the iris slightly left or right in that direction in both eyes.
A painted iris
A painted iris is a circle of colour surrounded by a slightly darker circle of the same colour
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