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Tuesday 18 January 2011

Ceramic Art...

...was a craft I mention that I fell in love with back in 1998. I have to say that I miss the creativity of it but certainly not the cost...yes I know that I probably spend a small **cough** okay, quite large amount of money on my papercrafting but that is through choice and it is possible to make some lovely stuff for next-to-nothing when I want to.

With ceramics there was a set cost for the initial piece and then you would have to factor in the cost of your classes for however many weeks it took to complete - if you were making something using a new technique it could work out very expensive as obviously it would take time to get to grips with that technique. Such is life.

Here are some pics of a piece I made using a medium and technique that became one of my favourites.

This piece was made as a music box with one of those press button things on the back that played a tune (it seems to have given up the ghost after all this time). I decided to make it because I wanted it for my 'sewing room'...don't laugh, what I casually refer to as my craft room - that room that has become the household dumping ground - started out as my sewing room and I actually used to do sewing up there LOL Anyway, I digress. I wanted something themed to put in my sewing room and this piece took my fancy.
The medium used was a paint called Dona's - unlike ordinary acrylic stains/paints you don't paint it on you dry brush the piece to gradually build up the colour and it doesn't need to be sealed with ceramic spray/varnish as the aim is to finish up with a matt, almost chalky looking finish.
Varnish can be used to 'gloss-up' areas like the buttons - much in the same way that Glossy Accents can be used to add gloss/shine to a paper crafted item. But the main point of the technique is that you start with a piece that you basecoat and then 'antique' - as you add colour to the piece you are aiming to keep quite a bit of the base/antique layer showing as this is what creats the texture & depth of the piece.
Everything is hand painted - there are no transfers - everything is given life by the application of the colour.

This is one of the few pieces that I have left (3 years ago a lot of my bits got broken **sob** and there was never going to be a way to replace them) and unfortunately, not many of my surviving pieces are in the Dona's finish. I went through a phase of making musical pieces...a couple of scarecrows sat under a sunflower...a pair of snow folk under a poinsettia - both of these you turned the flower to wind-up the music box...and I also had a boy & girl teddy sat on a rotating base...sadly these all got broken and I didn't even have any photos of them.

My remaining pieces are in cabinets and are treated with the upmost care as I really wouldn't want to lose any more of my treasures.........................

5 comments:

Winnie said...

Tha's a gorgeous piece Toni, love it. Sorry to hear that most of your other pieces got broken. :(

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

Wow! Your eye and hand for detail are present in this piece. Sweet sewing scene.

Scrappy~Sarah said...

that is gorgeous :) Sad about the other pieces.

Dan said...

Wow, that's lovely Toni!

Kim Dellow said...

Good grief! You made that! It is just amazing! Totally love it! I'm very glad it has survived! TFS Kim