February 23, 2011

Painting

When I paint a bird with black underglaze, I wait until the surface of the clay is not sticky to the touch and leather hard. I first sketch out the form with a pencil on the clay body while looking at a photograph for reference. Then, I use a small brush to paint the dark areas. A brush made out of a deer tail is used to shape the branches. Finally, I use a sharp metal tip (also used to draw on zinc plates for etchings) to carve out details and texture.






I have yet to see a glazed and fired product of these birds I've been meticulously painting. I hope they turn out nice!

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