handmade pottery and ceramic art by les walker
My Special Process
The process of etching one of my drawings, photographer or images onto my ceramic art is a process of 3 firings, special printing and glazing. I will explain the process in each step below.
First I throw the piece as I would normally, let dry,... trim and bisque fire.
To bisque is to fire the clay for the first time.
Bisque fire is the first firing and is usually only to between cones 08 and 06 (1720 and 1835 degrees F or 945 and 1005 degrees C). This prepares my piece for my glaze.
It then goes in the kiln for its 2nd firing "glaze firing"
This is what the glaze color looks like out of the glaze firing
Then I glaze my piece in a special colbat blue glaze
Then I use a early 90's printer, which I have taken the print cartridge out and have removed the toner and replaced it with my special iron oxcide.
I then print, my image, art, drawing on to waterslip temporary tattoo paper
I soak the transfer in water and apply the image as I would the tattoo to my piece of cobalt blue glazed pottery
Then I put the piece in for its last of 3 firings, I fire to a special temp that burns off the plastic of the tattoo paper but still leaves my image and etches it into and becomes part of the glaze. Photo of my studio
The 3rd firing produces this result. The cobalt blue turns a nice golden tan, you will still see hints of blue and I have no control over that at all, its part of each pieces personality.
