Creating Coloured Porcelain

I have been experimenting with adding colour into porcelain slip. I've decided to colour the clay body, rather than adding a glaze or coloured slip on the surface, as I have been creating 3D textured pieces which I feel would lose their definition if I covered them. To get bright colours, quite a lot of underglaze needed to be added to the porcelain, because the porcelain is white, so all of the resulting colours would be tints.

I decided to test the colours at different temperatures as well as different concentrations of colour. Starting at 1g of underglaze to 100ml of porcelain slip, I also tested 2g, 3g and 5g. I poured out the slip onto plaster bats to dry, then cut each into 6 sections to fire at 1000, 1060, 1140, 1200, 1230, and 1260 degrees Celcius. I felt like this would give me a good overview of how the firing temperature and concentration alter the colour.

I used Picasso blue, black, turquoise, and lime green underglaze powders, and I plan to start mixing my own colours now I have a better idea of how they behave at different temperatures and concentrations. I remembered to label them before I fired them because I've made the mistake before of getting a beautiful result and forgetting how I got there!

I will make some texture tests with the coloured clay to see how the surface works with the colour, and I will also try putting underglaze powders into plastic clay rather than slip, to see if a uniform texture can be obtained by wedging it into the clay.

Kiln Glass: Using Powdered glass

I have been experimenting with using powdered glass (designed for use with hot glass) in the kiln. I found out that it is very unpredictable as it is so this and fine, so it melts and separates, giving different lacy textures and little strings and holes.
I took this further by also using glass stringers, glass frit, copper wire and copper sheet. I really like the surprise of opening the kiln and seeing what the powders have done.

Macro Photography: Shield Bug

 I've always loved insects and creepy crawlies, and they're one of my favourite things to photograph. I enjoy using the macro on my camera because I can capture detail which is near impossible to see in real life, as it is so small (and bugs tend to move quickly). These are a few of my favourites.

I like that the detail of this one is on the leaves, not the bug, as the light is coming through them, highlighting the veins of the leaves and silhouetting the bug.

 This one I find interesting because of the large patch of blue at the top, which contrasts with the busyness of the rest of the background. I also really like how the green of the leaf is being reflected by the shield bug.

 Sunlight, picking out the colour and texture of the bug's shell.

 I like the brightness in this photo, I haven't altered it in any way, because I quite like the washed-out effect it gives, and the reflection, which makes the shell look almost glittery.

 I like the detail of the shadow.

 I've altered the contrast in this one, so the green is much more vibrant and not as natural, but i like the way it picks out the veins of the leaves and the texture of the bug's shell.

 Cleaning his antenna. From this angle, it's legs remind me of a crab's.

close up of the shell's texture.

Metalwork: More enamel.

I really liked the effect of the enamel in folded copper squares, so I decided to make some more, to place in a grid, so that they create a pattern together

I might also try hiding a pattern in this pattern, possibly having a few squares different, maybe brass or a different technique.

Life drawing : Colour

This weeks life drawing was focused on colour, and using colour that wouldn't be used normally, like blues and greens. I think this sometimes worked well, but It was hard to know how much colour to put on without making it look very unnatural. I feel I have got better at looking at proportions, and I've found that I am not rubbing out lines as much. Yellow ochre and other earth colours made quite convincing flesh tones, but I enjoyed experimenting with other, brighter colours like yellow, orange and bright pink

We then added ink, using prussian blue to make the shadows and darker areas, then worked into the ink with pastels for the lighter areas. On the ink and pastel drawings, I tried to only use two or three pastel colours, because of the dark tone of the ink, and the mid tone of the paper, I didn't want them to be too busy.

I am pleased with this drawing, because I think I have used the tone of the paper well, and I have used white and yellow for highlights, and brown pastel and blue ink for shadows and darker areas.