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RERAMIC STUDIO 
POTTERY CLASS. 
Frederick A. Rhead 
LIQUID underglaze colors supply the pottery decorator 
with a palette that is at once fascinating and simple. 
They are cleanly, they need no special preparation or 
grinding; they demand no particular technical knowledge, 
and can be applied to any kind of biscuit or clay wares. It 
is impossible to shade in these colors as they dry perfectly 
flat and even. If an attempt is made to graduate the tone 
from dark to light, or light to dark, it will be found that 
when fired the graduation is imperceptible, and the surface 
will show level and even. This is really a great advantage, 
because it forces the user to confine himself (or herself) to 
purely conventional designs, while the tints are so soft and 
suave that almost any combination will be harmonious, — 
indeed it is difficult to juxtapose these tints discordantly. 
Another great advantage is the ease and precision with 
which a white line can be obtained, and the clean, sharp 
edges which can be got without hardness. The design should 
be carefully sketched on the piece, and then outlined in 
lamp black, mixed with turpentine and fat oil. It must be 
clearly understood that everything done in this mixture of 
lamp black will eventually appear white, as it is in fact, a 
species of stencil, or "stopping out", such as is applied in 
etching, and stencilling for groundlaying. When the pattern 
has been carefully traced in lamp black, the parts of the 
decorated article which are to remain white must be covered 
with the lamp black, or if not covered, a fairly wide band 
should be painted all round the outside of the design, to 
prevent the liquid colors from staining the ground. Over 
this the liquid colors must then be applied. In firing, the 
lamp black burns away leaving the place where it was ap- 
plied perfectly white, cream, buff, or whatever color the 
ware happens to be. 
It will be seen, then, that the lamp black is a stencil or 
"resist" and that it must be so applied that it does not itself 
constitute the design, but the white lines dividing it, and the 
design should be so planned that the general masses should 
be spacious and simple. Any diaper or "filling," such as 
scale work, keys, conventional leafage, etc., if traced in the 
lamp black, shows a white line pattern of such precision 
that it would be impossible to execute in the ordinary method 
of "picking" in, without infinite pains and labour. 
After the design has been filled in with the liquid colors 
the article should be fired in an ordinary enamel kiln. The 
piece is then dipped, or glazed with an atomizer, and fired 
in a glaze kiln. A great range of liquid underglaze colors 
is possible, but a palette of six or seven tints is sufficient 
for any ordinary purposes. This may comprise: Lilac, 
Turquoise, Grey Brown, Yellow, Chamois, Blue, Grey Green. 
All these colors are soft and filmy, giving restrained effects 
resembling the Copenhagen porcelain. If any definite or 
dark effects are wanted, such as touches of deep brown, blues, 
or black, a second or third coat of color may be applied, but 
the piece must be fired in the overglaze kiln every time this 
is done. 
This is a type of decoration especially suited to table or 
tea wares, and in the examples illustrated the following 
schemes may be effectively employed. In tea cup No. i the 
border of small squares is chamois, which can be washed all 
over and the squares painted on top in grey green. The 
oblong forms can be done in grey brown, and the small 
dark squares in ordinary underglaze black or Canton Blue, 
which must, however, be mixed with water and a little 
mucilage together with a touch of glycerine or maple syrup. 
An attempt has been made to give interest to the 
handles, which are too often slighted, or treated in a stereo- 
typed fashion. The handle to No. i is grey green, chamois 
and black. No. 2 is turquoise with blue squares, white 
rosettes, with the dark patches below in underglaze chocolate. 
The handle is chocolate, turquoise and blue. No. 3 is 
turquoise, with grey green trees and chocolate stems; the 
handle is grey green. No. 4 has a lilac band, with the 
spandrel shaped panels in blue, with chocolate stems. The 
handle is grey brown. No. 5 has a turquoise band with 
clouds in chamois. The trees are grey green and the little 
triangular trees at the bottom of the cup are in grey brown. 
The handle is carried out in the same scheme. No. 6 is all 
in lilac, with the dark patches in grey brown. No. 7 is 
lilac, grey green, and grey brown, with the handle in grey 
green. In No. 8, the beetles are blue, and the upper parts of 
the squares are grey brown and the lower part lilac. The 
strip at bottom of the square is brown and the handle blue. 
No. 9 is yellow, chamois, grey brown and grey green. The 
handle is done with the last named color. This method of 
decoration is especially suitable to monograms, which 
might, by-the-way, be more usually and effectively employed. 
•f iP 
PLATE DESIGNS (Page 49) 
Treatment by Jessie Bard 
NO. 1 — Outline design in Black. Paint all bands with 
Gold. 
Second Fire : — Thin wash of Violet on petals of daisies 
toward the center; Albert Yellow for centers shaded with 
Yellow Brown. Forget-me-nots, Deep Blue Green shaded 
with Banding Blue. Leaves, Moss Green, Shading Green 
and a little Black for the shadows. Retouch Gold. 
Nos. 2 and 3 — Outline design with Copenhagen Blue and 
Banding Blue. Dark part of design in Gold. 
Second Fire: — Paint thin wash of Fry's Special Oil over 
design and dust with three parts Banding Blue, one part 
Sea Green, one part Copenhagen Blue. 
Third Fire: — Oil over entire border except gold, and 
dust with Pearl Grey to which has been added a little Deep 
Blue Green. 
No. 4 — Dark part of design in gold. The darker grey is 
painted with one part Shading Green, one Yellow Green, 
one Copenhagen Grey. The light grey, two parts Apple 
Green, one part Lemon Yellow and a little Violet. 
•P *• 
VERBENAS (Page 61) 
Treatment by Jessie Bard 
SKETCH in design, then paint in the dark red ones with 
Blood Red and a little Ruby Purple; then paint the 
medium tones with Violet No. 2 and Blood Red, the light 
ones with Rose very delicate. Paint the bowl with Copen- 
hagen Blue. Add Yellow Green in the lights; shadow side 
of bowl Yellow Green, Grey for Flesh; to this add Copen- 
hagen Blue in the very dark touches. The shadow on the 
table is Copenhagen Blue and a little Yellow Brown. 
Fire this, then wash background in first with deep Blue 
Green, Yellow and violet ; the table use Yellow Brown very 
thin and shade with Violet No. 2. 
Then retouch flowers by washing some of the dark 
colors on shadow side. The stems are Blood Red and a 
little Violet; the little touches in flowers are Yellow Brown; 
the leaves are Yellow Green and Brown Green. Wash a 
little of Yellow Green into the reflected lights in bowl ; in the 
deep touches a little Shading Green may be added. 
