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.........................