This is Sian Ellis

The portfolio of Illustrator Sian Ellis

Tag: ceramics

Ceramic Commission Case Study: Punnydukes

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I previously announced (very excitedly!)that the magical Adventureland of Punnydukes was to become one of my new stockists. As well as stocking my prints,patches, badges and stickers, the store also commissioned some new bespoke pieces from me too.

We partnered to create some mini ceramic Punnys. Punny is the mascot of Punnydukes. A teal wizard cat created by Katie Abey. In Katie’s distinctive style, he’s cute and witchy and everything Punnydukes. It was an honour to be asked and a brand new challenge, I’d never done a ceramic commission before.

It’s a risky job to take. Ceramics is unpredictable at the best of times. It’s a slow medium to create with as items need to dry before they can start multiple firing. As I work in a community studio there is often a bit of a kiln queue too. Being able to create pieces within a lead time that is comfortable for someone wanting to commission you, whilst also building in time for testers is tough. I decided to build an ambitious but doable lead time and set to work on the commission straight away.

The heat is on

My lead time banked on my pieces working without testers. I created a series of possible products I could create at a range of wholesale price points depending on size, detail, functionality and complexity. The product sketches ranged from figurines to jars. I like to be creative and give a range of options for clients to choose from. I ensured that the designs featured underglazes and glazes that I have used previously and am reasonably confident in how they would come out.

Famous last words?

Unfortunately yes. The glazes I were so confident in unfortunately did not come out how they previously had. The beauty and the curse of the art form. It appears that the glazes I had successfully used before had been suffering from being overused without being stirred. This leads to the ratio of the contents being skewered and so the effect of the glaze differed. It’s a science as well as an art afterall. The cherry blossom pink glaze I had chosen had come out much paler and more watery than I had planned. I just was t happy that it was up to my standard and so Iwas going to have to start again.

Bum bum bummmmmmm

Damn right it was suspenseful music time! I’d built myself enough lead time to potentially deal with an issue like this, but it would be really tight. There was every chance the order could end up late, and I have never sent out a late order before! Should I risk trying to get the order in on time or be honest about the challenge right now, that there’s a chance they might be late?

Of course, I chose the latter!

I’m just that kinda guy. I emailed, apologised, said the pieces might still be on time but there was a chance they could be late and I’ll throw in an extra figure for free by way of an apology. My very gracious clients told me not to worry. Being honest is ALWAYS the way to go.

I was back at the drawing the board. However, my brain is something of a Catherine wheel, and I never have an idea that has just one way to do it. I studied the first batch of Punnys, made notes on what to amend and cracked on it again. Second batch in the kiln and all fingers crossed. It’s a bit like Christmas waiting for your pieces to come out of the kiln, and a pleasant surprise they were when they did. The second batch was a success. Packaged up and hand delivered just a day or two after the original due date and with an extra Punny in tow to make up for the lost time.

The Punnys are now on sale in the beautiful, magical Punnydukes store. The clients were really pleased with their execution and I was really pleased with the effect of the glazes. Perhaps my favourite part happened just after I dropped the Punny’s off in person. I went to grab lunch and returned about an hour later to show some friends the shop. In that time they had already put them out for sale and sold one! The best compliment of all is a sale of course, and so my first ceramic commission seemed a real success to me.

 

Ceramic Techniques: Paper Resist

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I’ve used this surface design technique a few times on my ceramics. It can be a fiddly process but I find that there are lots of benefits to using this technique if you overcome them. 

Preperation

Firstly, paper isn’t the only material that makes a good resist. Wax is another common resist used in ceramic decoration. The properties of the resist material need to be that it will shield your clay from absorbing the additional slip/ underglaze/ glaze that you wish to add to it, and that it can be removed afterwards. Removal can either be after your top layer has dried over your resist material or through picking something that will burn off in the kiln in a way that doesn’t have any negative effects. You will also want to pick a medium that can be applied to uneven surfaces, as ceramic surfaces are rarely flat.

You will first want to take your paper resist, which can be any shape that you desire cut out of paper. The benefit of this is that you can draw your design flat which is much easier than drawing directly onto a difficult form shape. This is additional beneficial to myself as I only have set occasions when I can access my ceramic studio and so it means I can do my resist preparations at home.

Resist Application

This is the fiddly part. You will want to take a small damp sponge and use it to press your paper resist onto your form. I had read that newsprint paper was the best paper to use, but I found it far too stiff. I use flip chart paper. This paper is absorbent enough and flexible enough to adhere to the form in a way that makes remedying inevitable creases possible. When you try to place a flat paper design on even a slightly inwards curve like a dish or bowl it will cause the design to change directions and crease. I recommend using flip chart paper, a bit of logic and a steady hand to encourage the areas where your design creases to overlap in a neat way that disguises this effect. Otherwise you end up with areas of your design that cross when you don’t want them too, or straight lines that suddenly jaunt off.

Ensure that the paper has adhered at every edge to prevent any unwanted colour seeping underneath but also think about how you might removes the paper afterwards. If your design is going to continue to the edge of your piece I recommend that you leave an additional length of paper at the end to use as a tab when it is time to remove the resist. When sponging the paper on I tend to sponge it in the direction that I know I want the creases to fold over to so that they remain within the design and won’t affect the outline of the piece once slip is added on top.

Colour Application

I tend to use this technique with coloured slip at the greenware stage but you could use it with underglaze and glaze too, just be aware that from bisque onwards the paper won’t adhere to the form with water. You would need to consider using a different kind of resist, such as wax, or being incredibly steady and dabbing on your colour ensuring no movement of the resists even slightly.

Colour slip usually takes a few layers to build up colour and so I recommend using a hair dryer between each one (from a distance, gentle heating) to dry between the layers. You don’t want the layers to be completely dry as the slip still needs to stick to the layer beneath, but if you add layers onto wet slip it will just move the clay about. Wait until the slip loses its sheen before adding another layer.

Once you have a sufficient amount of layers that you cannot see the clay through the slip you can peel off the resist. I will often dry this top layer a little so it doesn’t smudge but equally I don’t want the slip to be at risk as chipping off whilst I remove the paper. You can then instantaneously see how your design has come out.

Tips

If the colour does seep through, I find it easiest to wait until the slip dries and then scrape it off. If you start trying to wipe it you risk upsetting the beautiful crisp lines that this technique creates.

Flip chart paper, I’ve said it already and I’ll say it again. This technique takes practice and the more complicated the surface shape the more you’ll need control of your paper.

Once your resist is removed you can add detail with oxides and underglazes if you prefer your design not to be a flat, bold shape.

Don’t have elements that sprout from the body of your paper resist that are too close together, otherwise you risk them crossing and touching if you are placing them on a concave surface.

Practice using this technique on inward curving surfaces and outward curving surfaces so that you can learn how to compensate shaping your design depending on how it will be applied.  

Exploring Sculpture

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One thing that I have learnt on my ceramics journey is that planning ceramic pieces doesn’t really seem to be for me. I know that sometimes this is necessary, but when I can I like to just, well, wing it. I’m not sure whether what I create comes from half formed ideas in the back of my head or whatever randomly seems to pop in when I sit down with a piece of clay. Either way, I enjoy just making it up as I go along. This is as true as for sculpture making as it is for pieces to illustrate.

Like a Bat Out of Hell

Recently I took this approach and created this double headed bat vase. This one definitely was a squishy concept floating around my brain before hand. However, it’s only when I sat down that the form and the style took shape.

The piece is made from two pinch pots joined together. The details are added on through slip and scoring. It is important to try and ensure that all elements of your piece are strong and sturdy. Enough to withstand handling at their most vulnerable stages throughout the multiple firing processes. They must also be joined to the main piece with care. These steps prevent chips and cracks to the piece either whilst it’s in the kiln or whilst it’s being handled in between. On this piece the ears are the weakest point, but I am hopeful that they will survive. Sometimes you just need to take risks, and it helps to be able to recognise what risks you are taking in order to make this decision.

I am pleased with where this piece is so far. It’s playful and reminds me a bit of an Aardman model. I am as yet undecided as how to colour the piece, although I do have some ideas. As always though, I know inspiration will hit me when I sit down with the piece and I’ll be excited to see the results.

 

 

Techniques for Illustrating Ceramics: 3. Sgraffito

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Sgraffito is a technique by which a design is carved through a layer, revealing the layer beneath. The name derives from the Italian word ‘graffiare’ which means ‘to scratch’. I find it is a time consuming technique but can herald some impressive results.

 

Preperation

 

As the definition suggests, you need to ensure that you have contrasting layers of colour on your piece before applying this technique. I colour greenware clay with coloured slip which I carve when it is leatherhard. The nature of ceramics is that it is inherently unpredictable, so committing the time required to sgraffito a detailed piece can be risky. This is why I have stuck to colouring with methods that are typically more reliable. Coloured slip allows me to be confident that my piece has the best chance of survival when needing to be coloured at the greenware stage.

 

Tools

 

You can use a range of tools in sgraffito. There are even tools on the market specifically for sgraffito use. Oddly though, I don’t like using them. I do have a specialist sgraffito tool. It has a range of sharp edges suited to creating different widths and styles. However, it’s missing that ‘pencil style’ that I always look for in tools.

 

As an illustrator and life long drawerer I have a tendency to prefer tools that you operate like a pencil. This is because I know I will create my best designs as this is how my hands are used to working. It is for this reason that my sgraffito tools of choice are dental tools. They are sharp, precise and can create a range of textures. Best of all they have that pencil resemblence that works best for me.

 

Technique

 

An important thing to master in sgraffito is the pressure you use.  If you master this steadiness of hand you can apply the technique on top of several layers of colour and by altering your pressure reveal different colours throughout the piece.

 

Top Tip

 

The benefit I find of sgraffito is that through carving you can create a controlled and precise design. However, it is important to remember that glaze application dulls detail, so don’t spend time on details that will be lost when the piece is final fired.

 

Techniques for Illustrating Ceramics: 1. Underglazing

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Introducing ceramics

For the last couple of years I have been practicing ceramics. I took a course in handbuilding and later one in the use of coloured slips. Alongside this I’ve dedicated time to practiciing and exploring ceramic forms and decoration. Throughout this blog I’ll share tips and tricks I have learnt beginning with a focus on surface design.

I have also created a glossary page with definitions of more specialist words I’ll be using to describe illustration and ceramic techniques. As with most things, they tend to be easy enough to learn once you break through the smoke and mirrors that is the associated vocabulary. Nevertheless I will try to keep this all as jargon free as possible.

My ceramics and illustration have always gone hand in hand and it is not uncommon for me to spend more time on the surface design of a piece than on it’s initial build. This is quite the feat as a handbuilder as building pots through slab, coil and pinch pot techniques is generally more time consuming than their wheel built counterparts. As such it makes sense to me on this blog to explore first different techniques in illustrating and colouring ceramic pieces.

The use of underglazes

The first technique I’m looking at is underglazing. Here I ‘m referring specifically to commercial underglazes that can be applied to greenware or bisque fired pieces before they are glazed. Underglazes work largely like paint. The colour that you see when you paint is then dramatized through the addition of glaze and the final firing process but they are very simple to paint directly onto bisque fired clay.

I’ve also had success with these underglazes on pieces that I haven’t glazed. However, I ‘ve found that the underglazes produced by my studio are quite volatile to use on greenware, often resulting in bubbled or raised results after the final fire. Ultimately the trick to using underglazes is practicing using the right amount as using too little can result in a blotchy finished piece and too much can bubble or run.

If you have any more specific questions on the use of underglazes, get in touch!