Monday, January 18th, 2010
The Plan
Regardless of what kind of ceramic endeavor you choose to pursue, you need to start with a plan. You need to have an idea of what kind of business you want to set up and then follow a design to achieve that goal. Some of the things you will need to address include:
1. Create a Name 2. Secure a web domain 3. Make a budget 4. Obtain a checking account 5. Licensing and legal matters 6. Secure a location 7. Lay out floor plan 8. Gather fixtures 9. Order stock and supplies 10. Set up method of inventory control 11. Set up method or record keeping 12. Turn on utilities 13. Set up the store
14. Advertise opening
To read more about these steps, click here.
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Introduction
You fell in love with ceramics as a hobby and you heard that you could make some money from it. It is tempting, why not do it? Or better yet, DO IT! This is the first of a series that will be designed to help you start a ceramic business.
There are many ways to turn your hobby into a business venture, but I don’t recommend you just jump in without doing some research and some homework. There are many ways that you can garner an income from doing something you love; but make sure before your turn from a hobby/business into a full-fledged income making business you know what you are doing.
The Internal Revenue Services has strict guidelines as to what is a hobby and what is a business, you are advised to get acquainted with all tax issues from the get go. But before we move on to that part of your new enterprise, lets analyze some of the ways you can make money with ceramics.
Presented here are several types of ceramic businesses. They cover all gambits from small enterprises to a large, full-fledged operation.
To see the rest of this seminar, click here.
Friday, October 16th, 2009
When handling porcelain, one must follow an entirely different set of rules compared to cast earthenware. It is much softer and much more fragile. It requires a lighter, more delicate touch. Once you get the hang of it though, working with porcelain is a real delight.
Cleaning Porcelain greenware doesn’t require any tools if you have fingernails and dry skin. Not to worry though, there are a lot of tools available on the market and some are designed for specific purposes such as a wooden ball to size and shape eyes in dolls, or a finger tool to help clean between doll fingers, etc. But generally, all you need is a clean-up tool (knife) and a piece of ladies nylons. It is useful to have a soft bristled brush available also. Kemper and other companies as well, have a double ended tool that has a spoon shaped knife on one end and a triangle shaped knife on the other. This is a versatile and necessary tool to have in your arsenal.
The first thing you need to know about porcelain is: DO NOT use water. With rare exception, it will ruin the piece. Please note: There is a method of cleaning porcelain IN water; but that requires a pre-fire at a low cone setting. This will not be discussed in this article.
To read the rest of this article and to learn how to clean porcelain, click here.
Friday, October 16th, 2009
I have always told my students that even if you dip your ceramic piece in pure gold it is not worth two cents if you do not clean it properly to begin with. Good cleaning is the difference between ceramics as a craft and ceramics as an art. Even a beginner can create a work of art.
Spending a little extra time to remove all traces of seams and re-incising details will always pay off in the long run. There are lots of little tricks of the trade that will help speed up the process, but you should never sacrifice quality for speed. Giving that extra bit of attention to your piece can raise its value and garner you a reputation that will keep your customers happy and returning.
There has been a lot of information written about the ‘how to’s’ in cleaning ceramic greenware, but my wonderful teacher showed me a method that I have passed on for almost 50 years that makes the process easy and quite fast. As you become experienced, you will be amazed at just how fast you can whip through a table full of greenware.
If you would like to learn how, and to read the rest of this article click here
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Firing your kiln is really simple, but there are so many variables and factors that come into play that one should not take anything for granted.
There are many types of kilns and several types of firing processes. Here we will primarily address the basics of firing and address specific types and situations in separate articles.
Newer kilns have computerized controls which is pretty much just a matter of setting and forgetting.
Older kiln styles are either manual or come equipped with kiln sitters and/or timers. Some people with manual kilns will use Guide Cones and/or pyrometers to help control temperatures. A timer is used as a back up to help prevent over firing and meltdowns.
Pyrometers are also used in the place of kiln sitters and timers.
To read more about how to fire a kiln, click here.
Monday, September 28th, 2009
About 25 years ago, I always mixed up my own earthenware slip. It is not difficult, just takes patience and some time and a strong back; however when I moved to the South, there were no sources (that I could find – this was before the internet) to buy the raw materials. The only slip available was in pre-mixed, 2 gallon boxes. The cost was considerably higher, but the convenience was nice.
Now, though it is getting more and more difficult to find local supplies for hobbyists in the area of casting ceramic molds. I recently spent two weeks trying to find a local source for a gallon of ready made porcelain slip to fill an order for one of my customers.
I was about to tear out my hair before I finally found a source in another state and I had to pay high shipping costs to just get one gallon sent to me.
During my quest, I did find a local source who would have provided me with all of the fixin’s to mix my own slip; however they did not have a recipe for porcelain casting slip, just porcelain clay.
While waiting for my gallon of slip to arrive, I began a quest to find recipes to mix my own slip. I’m thinking it won’t be too long before I’m going to have to mix my earthenware slip also. To that end, I decided to share with my readers what I find out. I did find one recipe for porcelain casting slip – fire range cone 6-10. I have not attempted to make it yet, so I can not vouch for its result. If anyone tries this before I do, I would love to hear back as to what they think of the final result.
I will also be adding recipes for other slips besides porcelain soon.
To see this porcelain slip recipe, click here
Monday, September 28th, 2009
The look of airbrushing on ceramics is age old. You can see its early effects on pieces like the ones done by Hull Pottery. The subtle gradation of shading cannot be matched by any other technique. There is simply no way to effect the gradual shading of hues from one color to the next with a brush.
The most important step to airbrushing on ceramic bodies is in the preparation of the surface. It is important that there be a smooth dust-free surface before applying glaze or any other airbrushed paint. Whether the piece be slip cast or hand built, attention should be given to remove all blemishes, seam lines, joinings/attachments, and all imperfections prior to firing the greenware piece to bisque stage. After the firing, the piece should be dusted off with a stiff brush, removing any remaining particles in the crevices or on the surface and then finally wiped down with a damp lint free cloth. Allow the piece to dry thoroughly before beginning to paint it. Airbrushing with underglazes is best done on greenware unless you are airbrushing over a matte glaze.
It is a good idea to apply a base coat of paint or glaze over the entire surface. This creates a sound foundation for the other glazes to rest upon. This base coat will blend with additional colors during the firing process. It is suggested that there be a strong base of white or cream for light clay bodies (normal ceramic). For dark clay bodies, a brown or gray base works best (colored stoneware, terra cotta, etc). Do not apply heavy layers because they may shift during the firing process and your colors will run.
Paints need to be thinned slightly when using an airbrush and you may need additional coats to get the effect you are seeking. You may want to practice on a few small items to get a feel for the amount needed for a smooth surface on the finished item when using glazes. You want a smooth glass-like finish. Too thin and the surface with be rough, too thick and the colors will run.
You can airbrush underglazes, glazes and non-fired stains and create beautiful works of art. As with all techniques, practice makes perfect. Make notes and keep trying, you will find it well worth the effort.
To read more about air brushing click here
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Yes, it’s time to plan for Christmas and one of the best sellers every year are Christmas ornaments. Whether you sell bisque or finished pieces, ornaments are a nice steady source of income.
When making your ornaments, it is important to provide means by which the ornaments can be hung.
There are several methods available.
1) Utilize the area provided in the casting by making sure the indentation or hole is clear
2) Use a skewer of some kind to poke a hold in the top of the ornament where by a ribbon or string can be threaded through as a hanger, or
3) insert wire loops into the wet casting so that string, ribbon, wire hooks or chains can be threaded through it to hang the ornament after painting.
In my many years of casting ornaments, I have found that a continuous, circular wire loop provides the most secure and versatile means to display and hang ceramic or porcelain ornaments. Because they are inserted in the wetware, they will need to be made from a wire that can withstand high firing temperatures. Nichrome wire can fired up to about 2400 degrees Fahrenheit without melting, so it is good for use with ceramic, porcelain or stoneware.
For simple and cost effective instructions on how to make the best kind of wire loop, click here
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
Brush strokes is the art of creating pictures and patterns with simple strokes of the paint brush. Every type of brush, will create its own unique footprint on your canvas, be it paper, fabric, or ceramic. Consider your piece of ceramic bisque as a piece of oil canvas. It does not matter what the base is, what you do with it becomes the work of art.
Learning how to load your brushes will aid you in creating the perfect brush strokes. You should never try to load color into a dry brush. Your brush is like a fountain pen and it needs the paint to be of the right consistency in order to flow freely. Beginning with a wet brush adds to this ability. For water based colors you will use water to dampen the bristles. When using mineral spirit or oil based paints, you will dampen the brush with mineral spirits or other solvents. When using china paints, you will use appropriate oils.
Once you know the basics of how to make what kind of strokes with what kind of brushes, you open up a whole world of artistic creation. Experiment with your brushes. Hold them at different angles, apply different amounts of pressure on them. Try using more or less color and water/solvent to see the different effects you get. Practice practice practice. You cannot get too much practice as you explore your brushes and what you can create with them.
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Saturday, February 14th, 2009
A ceramist’s brush is their best friend. With proper care they will serve you well. This guide will give you some hints as to how to care for them and increase their service life.
A brush is anything from several straws banded together or any number of fibers, hairs, or synthetic strands that have been clumped together and bound tightly, usually attached to some kind of stick. It does not matter the quality, if you give your brushes good care, they will obviously last longer than if you don’t.
Brushes come in three parts, the bristles, the ferrule and the shaft or stick. When made, the bristles are glued together at one end and bound to the shaft by a ferrule, which is usually a piece of metal – copper, tin, etc. Some ferrules can be made of plastic or rubber. It is important that you know the construction as it will help you to avoid cleaning and handling mistakes which will damage them.
When you begin to use a brush, it is important to wet the bristles – all the way to the ferrule – with water. Keeping in mind, there are exceptions to this rule, it is the basic means to keep your brushes from wearing out. Some exceptions are when using mineral spirit stains, china painting, over glazes – golds and lusters, and dry brushing techniques. Know your products and techniques before using your brushes.
Soft bristled brushes are most often used for fired products, ie. Glazes, under glazes, over glazes. These products usually cause least friction and thereby less wear and tear on a brush. These products are usually applied with a light pressure.
Stiff bristled brushes are usually used for the non-fired paint products. These products inflict greater pressure and friction and cause the bristles to break or wear down at a fairly rapid rate. Using a lighter pressure does extend their life. Dry brushing techniques are the hardest on the bristles and have to be replaced most frequently.
It is preferred that when you use a brush for non-fired paints, you not cross-over and use the same brush for fired paints. Exceptions to this can be made for small detailing brushes, however if you can have separation there, it would be ideal. The primary reason you want this separation is that stains can contaminate your glazes. No matter how well you clean them, there are usually particles that will remain in the brush.
When cleaning your brushes, you will want to use whatever product is designed to clean up the paint you use. Glazes and under glazes are water soluble. That means they clean up with water and soap. Most acrylic stains are also water soluble.
To read the rest of this article, click here.