SUCCESS ! Ceramic Sepia Decal works- Zentangle Pendant

The experiment with the sepia decal on ceramic worked - typically I had purchased the sheets for my glass work but now I can use with the ceramic - Not that I doubted it - just that I was not sure what to set my kiln to. I knew that at about 1540-50 the sepia fires on the glass and should be no different on the clay. So I set my trusty Paragon Home Kiln to cone 013 - 1538 and let it go last night.
Viola !

Now what you need to know about the sepia decal is that if you do not cap it it smears - as much as it is fired on I find that it still some comes off.  So like my glass I want just something thin - the Spectrum 700 glaze fires at cone 04/06 which I think is much too high and may burn it off the sepia - but then again the glaze is covering  -  I need to experiment .  So I put the same cover coat I did with my glass - since the clay has been fired and I use such a small surface amount it should be ok - but again - I've coated and am currently firing so later today I should see if it worked.
pics - without covercoat

Sepia Decal on Ceramic Blanks

I am very excited - I am going to Pine Tree Potters Guild in Aurora Ontario  next weekend for an image transfer class with Chris Snedden - -  I so cant wait ! My mind is working overtime on what I want to do with image transfers - as part of the class and to speed it up  we had to send in a black and white image and he makes up a screen of the artwork we want to use in class and I sent my zentangle - Did I say I so cant wait ! I can use it for both glass and for ceramics -  did I say I cant wait !

So  tonight I finished gluing bales onto the the black and white pendants and put everything onto cards and packed for the show - now onto the next batch of goodies.

 I decided I was going to experiment with my ceramic blanks I made last week to  see what happens when I use the sepia decals on ceramics   - the blanks are glazed - so that they float on easily.
















Here they are (I applied a decal to both sides )  dont they look great in black and white - soon I'll get them black and white - but hopefully they will be the sepia color in the morning .It will be different - I hope

I am not sure till I see what I have in the morning - either over fire the decal and have a bunch of brownish blanks or they will be ok - fingers crossed 

Screen Printing on Glass and Ceramic- YUDU

I spotted this product a few years ago (or more) when it came out and thought I might buy.
It takes a lot of the prep work away from preparing screens, and coming up with lighting for exposures etc.

Looks great and I think I'll pick one up as it will resolve my glass printing issues - my emulsion sheets are out of date.  This makes it look easier than what I used to do - I just will use my reusche black trace as my ink for the glass and possibly the ceramic

http://www.whatdoyudu.com/

I used to make T-shirts a very long time ago and this looks like a great little machine - has exposure unit, and dryer all in one

My previous glass screen set up entailed - a metal garbage can, outdoor spot light, piece of glass and multiple wooden and metal screens - so this looks compact

Just checking out the prices and I'll let you know the range

B&W out of the Kiln

Here are the black and vanilla out of the kiln

Now its work on some other fusing items this weekend and some lampwork

Putting Bales on Glass Blanks

My Black and Vanilla were done so I did the overcoat and re fired them tonight (wont see them till tomorrow morning)

I have my carmel and vanilla (sounds like pudding or maybe its because I just like food everything sounds like it )

Tonight I wanted to put bales on them so I can get them carded up and into the pile of goodies for my upcoming Toronto Bead Society Show in November (5th &6th) at the CNIB building on Bayview Ave in Toronto

1. I just clean them for now with a damp papertowel if any kiln wash is on them
2. I take diamond head drill bits and scuff up the backs using a dremel - very quick (just the area you will put the bale not the whole back.)

3. I then have them sitting with the backs facing up and give them another swipe with the damp cloth.
4. I choose the bale - in this case a sort of brassy bronze I got from Panda Hall (I love Panda Hall)

5. I cut up little squares of  wax paper to mix my two part epoxy - I use toothpicks for mixing
6 Mix up some two part epoxy - I like the UHU two part epoxy - can be found at Micheals or Canadian Tire. Equal parts - I like the little tubes - the syringe type drives me crazy and I waste so much of it .

7 I use the toothpick as an applicator and put a dab on each square where I scuffed it up. (Don't do all at once just in case it starts to set fast (heat is a factor)
8 Place a bale on the dab of glue, push down and dont worry if a bit squishes out - you want adhesion below and around the bale. Just be sure its centered. Let dry

Typically they start to set within 20 minutes but I like to leave for 24 hours to cure - and even longer .
When dry I'll put onto my cards for the show

I found one of my flood lights , the base and the pop up photo tent but I need the side floods so I can take better pics.
But you can see how shiny the image is with the cover coat over the decal.  If you put a glass cap it does give a magnifying effect but I find it distorts the lines when you have details.

I watched my screen printing dvd tonight to refresh my mind - now I have to find my tools in the basement and bring them up to the studio (where they should be ) and give screen printing a try again. Hopefully my  emulsion sheets are not too old - but I definitely am  going to get it done so I can screen the black onto the glass - Once I know I have everything I'll do a step by step

Black and Vanilla Blanks- sepia decal out of the kiln

The Black and vanilla blanks out of the kiln this morning
fired nicely and will coat with overcoat tonight and re fire

Epiphany

I have been thinking what can I do to make them black and white on glass - and OMG- DUH ! I used to screen images on glass using my black reusche trace (which I also use for my painting)  Sometimes I wonder about myself - I forget about things I did years ago.  So I can still make the same silk screens I planned for making ceramic decals but I bet I could use the same materials for glass as for ceramic - I see some testing coming up this weekend (if my photo emulsion sheets for the silk screens  are  still good) I bet I could screen onto the clay and then cut it but not sure that will work - again play play play . But I know for sure my black on glass will work. 

Black and White Blanks

I put my sepia decals on the black and white and fired tonight  so I'll seal them tomorrow and refire
I really like the black look - I need to figure out a way to make my own decals or hand paint onto the ceramic and glass  so that they stay black.

Here are the black backed blanks with the decals - before firing (will turn to sepia colour when fired)

I put one of the black and white decals on one of my ceramic hearts= just to give me an idea of what it will look at  - I can fire and get sepia (which I may do just to try) but really want black and white

Working on another sheet of zentangles