An oversize bisque fired plate or platter - in white.
Underglaze in a flesh color (whatever skin tones your subjects might have) and Black
French Dimensions dimensional glaze in Black and appropriate colors for eyes and hair
Brushes for glazing
Clear Glaze
Circle template - a plastic top from a food container for instance that will fit on your plate for each person being included.
Please note: You can utilize one of those ceramic painting shops to do this project. They will have everything you need and a kiln to do the firings. If you do not have access to ceramic supplies or one of these shops, see the Glass article in this issue that will show you how to make “family” plates and platters with more common ingredients.
This particluar platter happens to be a wedding gift for my niece and will have the faces of the bride and groom, their names at the top, and the date of their wedding at the bottom. Your platter can be for any occasion or no occasion at all.
Start by locating a circle template the right size for the number of faces that will be included - making sure to leave room for the lettering at top and bottom..
The platter curves up at the sides, so using a commercial circle template is difficult. I prefer a plastic top from a food container. They are flexible and come in a variety of sizes, so you are sure to find the size you need.
Trace the faces directly on the clay, using light pressure and a pencil with a firm lead. Soft No.2 pencils can smear and make ugly smudge marks on the white bisque. Try a 3H or 4H type - found at any art, craft, or office supply store. Draw very lightly.
Because I have done this so many times, I sort of jump right in - but it still happens now and then, that my lettering does not end up centered where I want it.
I recommend that you make a guide by turning your platter over and tracing it on some scrap paper. Do your lettering on this template. Then, place the template beneath the platter so the lettering shows beyond the rim - exactly where you want it. Use this template as a guide for placement of each letter.
Stir the underglaze and pour some from the jar onto a styrofoam plate. Return the cover to the underglaze jar to prevent evaporation.
I like to use a soft, natural bristle fan brush to do the faces because it carries a lot of glaze and seems to facilitate painting a nice clean circular edge (see below).
For those not familiar with ceramics, I will mention that glazes don’t even resemble their real color until after firing. So, don’t worry about the dull brown-gray color of your faces.
Paint the faces with underglaze as shown. The edge of your fan brush should give you a clean edge on your face circle. Try it first on a styrofoam plate to get a feel for how the brush and underglaze will interact with the surface.
Turn the platter as you paint to give yourself the most comfortable angle for making your stroke. Do the outside edge first, and then fill in the center.
Another difference between ceramic painting and other types of painting is the number of coats required for good coverage. Looks can be deceiving. Even your first coat will look dense and opaque, but during firing, it will thin and allow the white of the plate to show through - and show brush strokes!
Your faces need three coats of underglaze. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next.
French Dimensions is an underglaze that is thick and comes in a tube - much like dimensional fabric paints and glass and ceramic “outliners”.
When using this kind of paint, it is essential that it come out of the tip of the tube smoothly if you are to have lines that look good.
For some reason (I am no scientist, so I don’t know why), throwing the tubes into a warm water bath at the beginning of your work session seems to make them behave better when you are ready to use them. Make sure the caps are on tight!
This works both for French Dimensions and for other dimensional tube paints I have tried.
