What is the point of underglaze?

Underglazes are used in pottery to create designs and patterns that come up through the glaze covering them. This can give the surface more visual depth and character. Although they are often used under clear glazes, they can also be used under other, generally light-colored, transparent glazes.

Why do you underglaze pottery?

An underglaze is used in the pottery process to make designs on the finished product. Underglazes contain metal oxides that react with the transparent ceramic glaze on the potter's piece to form a range of colors.

Should I underglaze or glaze?

Unlike glazes, underglaze colors can always be mixed together to create new colors. Also unlike glazes, the color when fired is similar to the color when wet (another reason why painters often prefer underglazes.) However, a final consideration with underglazes has to do with firing temperatures.

When should you underglaze?

Painting with underglaze on pottery can be done either during the greenware phase, or the bisque phase. Nikki Mizak chooses to do her underglaze painting on bisque fired clay and enjoys building up layers as you do in watercolor painting.

Does underglaze show through glaze?

Using underglaze pencils is an excellent solution for students who prefer drawing over painting. They must be used on bisque-fired clay. Underglaze pencils will show through glaze and underglaze allowing for more defined shapes and detailed drawings.

Underglaze vs Glaze

Does underglaze stick to kiln shelf?

Normally underglaze does not stick to the kilns shelf when it is fired. However, this depends on the kind of underglaze you are using and how you have applied it. Most modern underglaze does contain silica, which melts when it is fired. So, your underglaze may become a bit sticky.

Can you fire underglaze twice?

You can bisque fire twice without damaging your ceramics. Bisque firing more than once is quite common practice, particularly if you want to seal underglaze before glazing. There are certain decorative techniques, such as using china paint, that involve firing at lower temperatures multiple times.

Can you paint over underglaze?

Like other decorating techniques, it can be a good idea to apply white underglaze before you paint your design. Applying three layers of white underglaze will give you an opaque 'canvas' to paint on. It is important to let the layers dry between coats.

How many coats of underglaze do you need?

A solid base layer of 2-3 coats of underglaze is important for the color to appear without streaking, but once you've got that down, you can use introduce water into the mix and start thinning down your underglaze to create washes.

What happens when you layer underglazes?

Underglaze Colors:

I have found with most underglazes, 1 to 2 layers of underglaze will be more transparent, and 3 or 4 layers will be more opaque. If you are unsure how many layers to apply to greenware, it is always best to start with fewer, and you can add more layers after your First Fire as needed.

Can you mix underglaze with clay?

Underglaze can be used to color clay. Because underglaze is designed to be used on unfired clay, it can also be mixed into clay to color the clay body.

Can you wash off underglaze?

Use a clean damp sponge to wipe off the excess underglaze

Each wipe is done with a clean damp sponge. Wiping multiple times with a dirty sponge will not remove the underglaze from the surface. If your design starts to spear the clay is too wet.

How do Duncan concepts use underglazes?

Concepts Underglaze for Bisque by Duncan (Mayco)

Normal use is to apply 1-3 coats on bisque, let dry and cover with two coats of your favorite clear glaze. Use them as Majolica paints on top of unfired non-moving opaque white or light colored glaze. No need to clear glaze as Concepts are shiny when fired.

Can you put wax resist over underglaze?

You can apply wax over an Underglaze layer and chip away a pattern, then layer with a different colored and textured glaze (Mishima with wax resist). Let's take a look at some popular techniques of using wax resists in glazing!

What's the difference between underglaze and slip?

The main difference in slips and underglazes is the texture. Underglazes don't have a texture or thickness as they contain less amount of clay. Colored slips, however, do leave behind texture and some thickness because they contain more clay.

What happens if you put glaze on greenware?

When greenware is glazed it absorbs water and swells up. This is the case whether you are glazing leather hard or bone dry clay. After the glaze has been applied the clay will start to dry out again. As it dries it shrinks and the glaze can flake off as the clay dries.

What happens if you put underglaze on top of glaze?

And it is true that if you apply underglaze on top of glaze you can encounter problems. Some of these problems are that the underglaze can peel off the glaze. At other times the underglaze will blister and look scorched. However, there are other potters that manage to use this underglaze technique with success.

How do I stop underglaze when running?

You can prevent smudging by applying a range of fixatives over the underglaze or applying your glaze in a particular way. You can also re-fire decorated ceramics to bisque before glazing. It's exasperating to work hard at perfecting your underglaze technique, only for the details of your work to be lost.

Why do glazes crawl?

If the glaze dries too slowly the most fragile stages of the adhesion mechanism are extended and cracks or bubbles develop. These low-bond areas instigate crawling during melting. To fix this problem speed up drying.

What happens if you skip bisque fire?

If your piece is not dry it can “explode” in the kiln. Without glaze on the pieces, this doesn't hurt anything (except maybe neighboring pieces.) But if that piece were covered with glaze, the pieces would stick all over the kiln. Organics have a chance to burn off in the bisque firing, so they don't affect the glazes.

Can you Refire glazed pottery?

Pottery can be reglazed and refried multiple times. Most pottery glazes need to be applied in 1-3 layers. Pottery that has already been fired with a glaze can be re-glazed and fired 2 times.

Why don't you glaze the bottom of pottery?

Glazing will make the bottom of a pot smoother, and hence more slippery. This makes it much easier for the pot to slip or slide, and hence, much easier to break.

Can underglaze go on bottom of ceramics?

(Don't forget to wipe off any glaze that sticks to the wax resist) That's the great part of underglaze, you can put it on the bottom of your pottery and it will not stick to your kiln shelf unless the underglaze is too thick. Only one coat on the bottom that touches the kiln shelf is recommended.

Can I use Duncan concepts underglaze for greenware?

If you love layers, coat your pieces with Duncan's Cover-Coat® Opaque Underglazes! Applied directly to greenware, soft-fired bisque or bisque, these underglazes provide solid coverage over even the darkest colors, and are perfect for airbrushing and brushwork.