one question on porcelain

Dear pottery lovers,
I am trying to find an answer to a burning question I have
regarding porcelain painting. I would really appreciate if anyone
might be able to lead me to the answer. I am a ceramics sculptor who
wants to move to sculpting in fine porcelain. I bought some porcelain
clay and made a number of realistic, detailed bird sculptures, with
lots of feathering and rough surfaces. I then read a book on porcelain
painting, ordered some paints, applied the first layer of colors to
two of the pieces (with glycerin and water) and fired at cone 018,
which was the come reccomended by the paint manufacturer.
The result was such a total disaster!
The paints do not look fused and glossy at all like the beautiful
ones I admire in the book I read or displayed in stores. The colors
look muddy and not bright, not at all as shown on the color charts. My
unpainted pieces were too rough to put the paints on nicely and no
brush worked to smudge the colors. I am wondering if I should have
coated the pieces with a clear glaze of some sort before having
painted on them. If this is what I should have done, could you please
tell me what this clear undercoat of glaze might be and recommend a
brand?
Are there any other things that might have gone wrong, like could
it be that I have used the wrong cone?
Thanks again for any help,
Asli Cetinel

I have not used porcelain paints, but I do know that they are used on fired
glazed ware which is then refired often many times to the specific
temperatures needed for the porcelian paints.
I suggest that you find some china/porcelain painters in your area and go
learn their techniques (even though mostly they use commercial pots) and
then transfer those techniques to your sculptures.
A
"Asli Cetinel" wrote in message
om...
Dear pottery lovers,
I am trying to find an answer to a burning question I have
regarding porcelain painting. I would really appreciate if anyone
might be able to lead me to the answer. I am a ceramics sculptor who
wants to move to sculpting in fine porcelain. I bought some porcelain
clay and made a number of realistic, detailed bird sculptures, with
lots of feathering and rough surfaces. I then read a book on porcelain
painting, ordered some paints, applied the first layer of colors to
two of the pieces (with glycerin and water) and fired at cone 018,
which was the come reccomended by the paint manufacturer.
The result was such a total disaster!
The paints do not look fused and glossy at all like the beautiful
ones I admire in the book I read or displayed in stores. The colors
look muddy and not bright, not at all as shown on the color charts. My
unpainted pieces were too rough to put the paints on nicely and no
brush worked to smudge the colors. I am wondering if I should have
coated the pieces with a clear glaze of some sort before having
painted on them. If this is what I should have done, could you please
tell me what this clear undercoat of glaze might be and recommend a
brand?
Are there any other things that might have gone wrong, like could
it be that I have used the wrong cone?
Thanks again for any help,
Asli Cetinel

I bought some porcelain
clay and made a number of realistic, detailed bird sculptures, with
lots of feathering and rough surfaces. I then read a book on porcelain
painting, ordered some paints, applied the first layer of colors to
two of the pieces (with glycerin and water) and fired at cone 018,
which was the come reccomended by the paint manufacturer.
The result was such a total disaster!
The paints do not look fused and glossy at all like the beautiful
ones I admire in the book I read or displayed in stores. The colors
look muddy and not bright, not at all as shown on the color charts. My
unpainted pieces were too rough to put the paints on nicely and no
brush worked to smudge the colors. I am wondering if I should have
coated the pieces with a clear glaze of some sort before having
painted on them. If this is what I should have done, could you please
tell me what this clear undercoat of glaze might be and recommend a
brand?
Are there any other things that might have gone wrong, like could
it be that I have used the wrong cone?

I assume you are talking about using china paints. The colors darkens with
repeated applications/firing in-between. I just know the minimum about china
paint and would really recommend seeing if you can find classes in your area.
But in the mean time, maybe my two bits will help a little. I have a suspicion
your china paint grabbed in the rough areas and looks dull with light and dark
areas. If you are applying china paint straight to porcelain you first need to
lightly sand the porcelain until it feels smooth. Then paint. If you'll
lightly/ barely stroke with lavender oil first the china paint will be easier
to move. If it's not possible to sand your piece, I'd spray on a thin coat of
clear glaze. Duncan, Mayco, Gare, etc., all carry glazes that will work. Check
with any ceramic shop. Then start china painting. The first coat might be hard
to apply because the surface will be slick, but with repeated
applications/firings you can get the depth you require. You are much better off
with repeated light applications rather than one heavy application.
ps also keep in mind some colors require different firing temps. Yellows are
notorious for eating surrounding colors. You're better off firing on a yellow,
then fire a color right next to it in the next firing. Reds can also be
difficult. Check with your china painting mfg to see what temps they recommend.
Oh, I almost forgot ... you might not have mixed your china paint correctly.
Make sure it's smooth and about the consistency of toothpaste.