Leaves and more...

GLAZE LEAVES...

Sometimes I use leaves as glaze tests...there are millions in the yard right now. They end up as saucers for plants on my window ledge in the kitchen. The lighter ones are Amaco Tawny/ 3 coats and the underneath is iron wash with clear glaze on top.. More interesting than the little folded pieces but I do still use both forms.

JAPANESE TISSUE PAPER TRANSFER

It's cold out! Too cold to get into the corner of the garage even with a heater. I read about this technique online and it involves specially treated Japanese tissue that uses clay infused underglazes. The trick here is to apply it to a damp bisqued piece. The tissue is applied to a dampened bisque ware and then sponged with a damp sponge. Use a tamping motion. If you try to move the sponge back and forth, it will smear. It should not be too wet as it will run. My sponge was squeezed [on the drier side] and then went to the tile piece. After it dries for a few hours, you can put clear glaze on and fire. 

These papers come in red, blue and green depending on the pattern and cost under $3 for a sheet. The detail is pretty amazing. 

Here are two tiny tiles that I tried. The tile underneath was applied with a rubbing motion with the sponge. The top tile was tamped with a sponge, left to dry for about two minutes and the paper pealed off. Pretty interesting!