Marsha's Porcelain Art

Flower Fairy part 2

2008-05-10T08:30:00.002-07:00

Here is the Flower Fairy from the April 6th post after firing. I've painted her face, added a bit of color to her clothes and mother of pearl to the flower. So how do you like her now that she is finished?

A wild and crazy guy

2008-04-17T08:45:00.003-07:00

For all of you that like the wild and crazy guys I've got a new creation to show you. He is a woodland spirt of some sort. I think he has been hiding in the bushes and under bridges too long. I've seen lots of images that are similar to this and decided I finally needed to put one in porcelain. He is made of colored porcelains and all hand built. He is mostly light and dark brown colors. I think he is cute in a wild and crazy sort of way. For some reason this sort of thing really appeals to me. He is another of the new pieces I am trying to get done for the Phoenix Bead Expo which is May 2-4 here in Phoenix. You can get more information about the Bead Expo on my website Amazing Porcelain in the calendar section. I would love to hear what you think about him.

New Flower Fairy

2008-04-06T17:34:00.003-07:00

Ok Back again finally. Been really busy, no excuse I know but that is really all I had to say over the last few months it seems. Nothing interesting to post about. Well today and yesterday I finally got to do something fun. Well mostly today. Yesterday got ate up assembling all the necessary tools, materials etc. So today mostly I built a flower fairy pendant. The fairy itself is cast but the clothing, wings, and the flower its sitting in are all hand formed. It is made out of colored porcelains and hasn't been fired yet so the colors are not real apparent. I will paint her face and probably add some details here and there after it is fired. They take quite awhile to build so the price will not be cheap probably $50-75, so I'd really love to hear back from everyone on how you like her and if you think these are a good idea or am I wasting my time. If I get a good response I'm going to try to have at least a couple of them at the Phoenix Bead Expo next month. Thanks for looking and your comments.

2007-12-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like my hard work is paying off in lovely write ups. For the last month or so I've been working on snow baby beads and little children beads for an order. The order has been shipped and as you can see from this article at The Beadin Path the Customer really likes them.

No I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.

2007-11-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm the worlds worst blogger. I admit it. Writing has never been one of my strong points. I'm an artist its the creating that is fun. I'm trying to improve this aspect so hang in there with me. I hope you will visit my New Jewelry & Bead website to find wonderful things to include in your jewelry projects. I've got it set up so the jewelry and the beads are in separate areas but you can purchase from either or both areas and check out in one easy step. I hope to have some exciting new pieces to put on their soon.

I've also been working on the Ceramic Bead Artists website This project is a sort of gallery to showcase all of the different styles of ceramic beads and bead artists that are out there and to raise the awareness in the market place of the time and effort that goes into these works of art. If you are a bead artist working in any of the fired ceramic type clays ie. earthenware, stoneware or porcelain think about joining us. There is a tutorial section to show people how things are done. To help out people that want to learn and to give the non artistic public a better understanding of the effort that goes into these pieces.

In between all that website work I've also been doing some porcelain and I've added a couple of quick little tutorials to the new tutorial section of the Ceramic Bead Artists site.

I hope you will stop by and have a look and let me know how you like all the improvements.

Confetti Heart Necklace

2007-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

This Necklace is created using one of my multi strand sets. There are multiple holes in the top on each side of the heart and corresponding holes in the lower edge of the small hearts. As you can see the idea is to help maintain the desired order of the multi strands allowing you to set up the way the necklace is going to hang. This gives the designer an advantage over simply putting multiple strand through a large hole bead in that they have some control over how the strands will lay. This necklace has five holes that can be used on each side of the necklace and additional strands were added as well. Two main strands on each side were strung with beadalon cable for strength. The additional beaded strands were strung using dandyline for flexibility. Then the decorative wire mesh was added just for show. I wanted this necklace to look a bit chaotic like confetti in the breeze so I used the multiple colors and added sequins to enhance the confetti look. For a larger image have a look at the Deviant Art Page

Apothecary in Miniature - the finished product

2007-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well the Apothecary Jars are finished. The photo here shows three of the finished jars which you may recognize from the previous post photos. To see all of the jars, some of which are still available visit my miniature shop
I also did some of these designs on small vessel pendants you can see a couple of those at the Ceramic Bead Artist site

Apothecary in miniature

2007-05-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I've been working on miniature apothecary jars. The first picture shows how I lay out the design with pencil on the little unfired pots. (Click the pictures to see larger ones) The other two photos show the pots that I have finished so far. These are all painted with underglazes and they haven't been fired yet so the colors will be a bit more intense once they have been fired. These pots have been done for several people that have asked me to make some. I'm not sure how many they will want so there may be some extras.

Check the website in the apothecary category for available jars.

Murrini

2007-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

For a long time I've wanted to do some murrini work with colored porcelains. This is a process similar to what many of the polymer clay artists do when they build canes. However, with porcelain it is a bit trickier. More attention has to be given to getting the various pieces to stick together and rolling the 'cane' to smaller and smaller forms doesn't really work. Some reduction can be done by careful pinching and pulling but in general the design must be built more or less the size you want it. You can enlarge it some by cutting thicker slices and rolling them to enlarge it but again care must be taken to avoid distorting the pattern. The accompanying photo shows the first murrini that I have done. The smaller slices shown are basically just cut from the piece and sanded a bit to smooth them out well. The larger ones were rolled to enlarge the design. There were several issues I encountered with this pattern that I think I can eliminate in future designs to make future ones better. However, for a first attempt I think this came out pretty good and for what I was making them for I think they will work out quite well. I will be using them for a component in some pendants that I will be working on in the next few weeks. When I get some done and fired I'll post the finished results as well.

Organic Dreams

2007-05-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Last fall when I created these organic pieces I didn't have the time to do up any examples of what could be done with them. Finally I've been taking some time to dress some things out. Here is one example of the sort of thing that can be done with the organics. For this one I've strung in some swarovski crystals, seed beads and some hematite stars. To see more of the 'blank canvasas' look under 'free forms' in my shop.

Pipestone Pendant

2007-04-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ok I know its been three months. I've been busy but not on art. You know how it goes, there are taxes and websites and houses that need attention. Well finally back to art. Here is the latest pendant I've created. It is hand carved out of Minnesota pipestone(catlinite)and inlaid with PMC (precious metal clay). The underlying circle design is borrowed from the mound builders. Designs similar to this were found on carved shell gorgets (pendants) and on large stone circles called sun circles found in mound builder ruins. On one side there is a pipe superimposed over the snake design combining the tradition of the pipe with the ancient snake design. On the other side (below) you can see that the tail of the snake is over the protrusion of the pipestem from the first side. Let me know how you like this latest departure from porcelain.

Hot out of the Kiln

2007-01-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. This is one of the last pieces I will finish before the To Bead True Blue show in Tucson. This is probably my favorite piece of all the ones I have done leading up to this show. I could easily keep it for myself. I would be interested to know how the rest of you like it.

Cala Lily

2006-11-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the cala lily pendants that I have done. They are all porcelain and finished with Mother of Pearl and a gold trim.

Organics

2006-11-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

These two items are examples of my new 'Organics' line. This is only two of the rather simple shapes that I have come up with for this line. Also included are some leaf shapes with little tendrils, shell shapes, flower shapes, and some more abstract shapes. The idea with the organics is that the designer who buys the item would include beads, a wire wrapped stone or some other object inside the 'Organic' component. These two are shown with a very simple inclusion of a stone or a few beads just to give you the idea. The 'Organic' is designed to be a sort of frame to set off a special stone, bead, charm, etc. and as such each comes with holes to attach the special piece. I can envision them with added wire spirals and curls or interesting groupings of crystals. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination of the designer. These are designed to add a focal point and greater interest to an otherwise simple design. A jumping off point to take a design to a higher level and give it more shape and interest than simple beads or stones alone. I hope you are as excited about the possibilities as I am.

Flower Cones

2006-11-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Yes its been forever. Been working hard on getting some new things done and putting some new ideas into porcelain. Here is one of the things I came up with to add a little bit of interest and dimension to those multi strand necklaces that are so popular these days. Every one has seen the pretty silver cones but they are not terribly flashy and are mostly just findings to connect the strands into one. Very functional but they don't really add any pizazz to the design, at least that is how I look at them. I've seen filigree ones and shiny plain ones I've seen lots but I've never seen one that really adds some punch to the design. So I decided that I would try and come up with some that are in and of themselves design elements and really add some punch to the design. The first ones that I am presenting here today are flower shaped. As you can see in the photo the idea is to place them at about collar bone level or a bit lower and to continue on above them with a single strand. I will add another more abstract looking one another day. I would love to hear your reactions to these.

Potpourri Heart

2006-09-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is my most recently completed pendant. This is a new idea I had. I call it a potpourri heart. You will notice all the small holes around the edge. This pendant is hollow and there is a relatively large hole near the top at the back. The idea is to fill the pendant with cotton and then put a few drops of essential oil on the cotton through the large hole in the back. When the pendant is worn the fragrance will diffuse out of the small holes in the front. This will enable people that experience skin irritations from the contact with the oil to wear fragrances as the oil will not be in contact with the skin. Also people that find that certain fragrances that they like smell awful on them because of their body chemistry can now wear those fragrances.

For those of you that are interested in the process I have included a photo of the pendant after four of the five firings. There is one additional firing between the third and final photo. I forgot to take the fourth photo but this should give you an idea of how the design is built and how it progresses with china paint.

This pendant is porcelain hand painted with china paints.

Butterfly Pendant

2006-09-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Another new pendant in the works. This one I painted up for a fall challenge. It is another of the new shapes I'm working on. Just got some more out of the kiln today so will be painting more soon. Again I welcome any comments.

Pendant: Hand painted porcelain.

Bracelet

2006-09-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ok well I finally finished the bracelet that was in my head to match the wire wrap pendant I did last month. It is copper wire with iridescent glass baubels. Do you like the set? Let me know.

New Pendant

2006-09-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Been working hard through July and August on orders but I did manage to complete this new pendant. This is a new style that I hope to have several of available soon with different sorts of flowers on. Would love to hear your comments.

Just to quell any confusion this pendant is made from Porcelain which has been fired to approximately 1200 degrees centigrade (about 2300 degrees Farenheit) It has been glazed and fired again. Then the design was added using china paint. This required an additional 3 firings to about 800C. Then the palladium accents were added requiring 2 additional firings of around 750C.

Making a two piece mold part 10

2006-07-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

You have probably been asking yourself "How is she going to pour that mold she has forgotten to make pour holes?" Actually I find it much easier to make the molds without pour holes and to put them in at the end. They end up much more consistent and clean and the mold is easier to seal without funny lumps of clay around the edges. So that is what I will do now.

In the top photo you can see me marking the angle of the intended pour hole on one side of the mold. I use a sharp #11 X-acto knife to do this. Just score the shape of the pour hole at a nice angle.

Next use the x-acto knife over a trash can to carve out a half cone shape. (Middle photo) Pay attention to the tip of the knife while you are doing this so you don't cut into the cavity of the mold or poke it with the tip of the knife. Also be careful not to cut too close to the edge of the cavity. You should leave at least 1/16 of an inch that is flat on the end of straight pieces like vases or tube beads. Otherwise when you pour them removing the spare may cause some cracking down the side. This does not apply to round things like ball shaped beads.

When you have all the pour holes carved into one side of the mold put the mold together and use the cut side as a guide to mark the uncut side. You can see this process in the botom photo. (Again you should hold the mold with your opposite hand not as shown in the photo I had to use mine to hold the camera) I carefully stick the point of the x-acto knife into the hole and score the plaster on the uncut side by drawing it out along the edge of the cut side. Again be careful not to poke the end in too far and poke the actual cavity of the mold. Now take the mold apart and carve out the second side of the pour holes.

Put the mold back together after the second half has been cut. Now carefully take the x-acto knife and finish off the pour holes so they line up nicely on both sides and are nice and round. When you have finished open the mold and blow out any debris that has dropped into the mold. Then put it back together and put rubber bands on it to hold it tightly closed. Use a stylus to write on an edge of the mold what it is for. (After the first dozen or so it is helpful to know what a mold is for without having to open it.) Molds should always be stored with the parting lines horizontal and on un-sealed wooden shelves. This is recommended for several reasons. 1. rubber bands sometimes break and if you have the mold stored with the parting line vertical it may fall open and break. 2. Although not usually a big deal with small molds, storing a mold with the parting line vertically can lead to the mold warping and the parting line not fitting together as tightly as it did. 3. Un-sealed wooden shelves are recommended as they allow the mold to breathe and dry out between uses. A metal shelf may rust and that may transfer to the mold plus it will not allow the mold to breathe as well.

I hope you have all found this informative and useful.

Making a two piece mold part 9

2006-07-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Once the heat has gone from the mold you can remove the boards and clay from the mold.
The top photo shows the mold after the boards have been removed.

Now you want to take the shaper tool again and file off the sharp edges of the mold. This makes it look nicer, its easier on the hands to handle it and it is easier on the rubber bands. You can see this process in the middle photo.

In the bottom photo you see me using a flat knife like tool (a butter knife works but don't use a sharp knife) to open the mold. Carefully push the tool into the V shape groove and gently twist it slightly. Do this again on the opposite corner. You may need to do it a few times and possibly on each corner before it will 'pop' loose. Be sure to hold the mold in your hand holding both pieces together when you do this so you don't accidently launch part of the mold. In the picture you see the mold on a table because I had to hold the camera. The photo only shows the angle and location to put the tool, it is easiest to hold the mold in your opposite hand (left if you are right handed) and use the knife with your right.

Once it has 'popped' loose put it on the table and carefully lift the top piece straight up off the bottom. Don't try to open it like a hinged box as this may result in chipping away bits at the edges of the cavities. If necessary you can hold it with one piece in each hand and gently rock it back an forth slightly to get it to slowly come off the model.

When you have it open carefully remove the model pieces and clean up the mold. Use the shaper to file the edge of the second half of the mold just as you did on the first half.

Making a two piece mold part 8

2006-07-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

The mold is now ready to pour the second half. But first we need to put the boards around it and seal it up. Be sure to use acrylic boards that are tall enough to allow 1/2 inch of plaster above the highest point on your model. You can see this by holding up the mold and looking through the side with the acrylic board in place in its groove.

In the top photo you can see how the acrylic boards are sealed on the outside both across the bottom edge and up the corners just as they were for the first half.

In the second photo you can see how the inside is sealed by pressing clay down into the little V shape groove between the mold and the acrylic that is created by filing off the corner of the mold previously. Be sure to pack the clay tightly into this crevice or the plaster will leak out. Pack it down and smooth it out to a nice smooth top surface. Also seal the corners the same as before.

In the third photo you can see the mold release being again applied to the mold and the side boards with a brush.

In the fourth photo you see that the mold release is being sponged off again just prior to pourin the plaster.

If your models are reasonably even front and back and you are pouring plaster into the same mold(s) as you did in for the first half there is no need to measure the molds again just use the same amount of plaster and water as you figured before. And again pour it in the same way.

Making a two piece mold part 7

2006-07-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

The next step is to carefully remove the clay from the plaster, clean up the mold, create the keys, and seal it. Carefully peal the clay off of the plaster. If you are molding several items that are virtually the same be sure that you keep track of which one goes in which hole, because although they look the same they may not be identical. This is especially true of hand made beads. Also pay attention to which side of the bead is in the plaster and which is out. Sometimes the pieces will come out in the clay as you remove it and you will have to clean them and replace them into the mold. If you don't get them back in the right direction you can introduce gaps which will allow the second pour of plaster to seep into the cavity of the first half of the mold ruining it. Carefully clean off all of the clay from both the plaster and the pieces. It is ok to wash the mold under running water at this point to remove the clay and dry it off with a towel. Don't soak it in water for any long period of time, however, just a quick rinse off.

In the first photo you can see me using an x-acto wood carving tool with a round end to cut the keys into the mold. You can also use the end of a spoon or the handle or a mellon baller to do this. What you want is a smooth rounded hole that has no undercuts.

In the second photo you can see me using a shaper to cut of the square corner on the edge of the mold. This eliminates the sharp edge and also makes it easier to seal the mold to the boards for the second half.

In the third photo you can see me brushing the mold release agent (murphy's oil soap) onto the plaster. At least two or three coats will be required. Let each soak in and dry before applying the next. Be careful not to let it run down into the mold cavity. Although this will not ruin the mold it will cause the first few castings to absorb unevenly and stick to the mold. The soap will come out after a few pours, however, so it is not a total disaster. Even if you are careful you will usually end up with a tiny bit right next to the seam line and the first few castings in a new mold are likely to stick in the first half of the mold.

Making a two piece mold part 6

2006-07-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Now the mold is ready to pour the plaster. I use USG #1 pottery plaster. It is designed to absorb water at a rate that is good for slip casting which is what I normally do. Ultracal is another plaster that is available, however, it is much denser and will absorb water much more slowly. It is not generally considered acceptable for slip casting. It is a harder plaster and will maintain the mold characteristics a bit longer but it is not suitable for slip casting. If you are making a mold that you will use as a press mold it may be ok. The plaster commonly referred to as Plaster of Paris is also not a good choice for molds. This plaster is formulated for casting objects that will be painted and as such it contains ingredients to inhibit absorbtion. You may have noticed that plaster of paris objects seem to have a shiny surface somewhat harder than the interior, this is because of these additives.

In the previous step the mold was measured and the cups of water required for the plaster was determined. My apologies to those of you that use cm instead of inches my only suggestion is to measure in cm then convert to inches. 250ml is approximately one cup and if you consistantly use the formula in the same way the results should be satisfactory. For each cup of water that you came up with in the previous step you need to weigh out 11 ounces (298 grams) of plaster. You can use a simple kitchen scale or postage scale for this purpose. If you have less than one cup divide accordingly. (ie: 1/2 cup water 5.5 ounces of plaster)

Measure the water into a mixing bowl. I have a rubber investment bowl that I use and it is very convienient. Dump the plaster all at once into the water and let it sit/slake for a couple of minutes. You can see this in the first photo. If you don't have a scale you can approximate by dumping plaster into the water until it makes a little mountain out of the top of the water. For a cup of water the mountain should be no more than an inch or two. This method will work but will result in molds that absorb differently on each side and may create some problems. The main reason for weighing and measuring is to achieve consistency which results in better casting and molds that will wear better as well.

After the plaster has slaked for a couple of minutes (All the plaster has gotten wet) stir it well with a dowel or chopstick or other round stick. A round stick will help to reduce bubbles that are introduced into the plaster. The corners on flat or square sticks create a current around the edges of them that introduce bubbles into the mix. Slaking the plaster prior to stirring also helps to reduce bubbles. Once you have stirred it well tap the sides of the bowl and/or pick up the bowl and drop it from maybe 1/2 inch off the table. Just high enough to jar it you don't want it to cause the plaster to jump out of the bowl. Alternately you can vibrate the bowl on a vibrator for a few seconds. These actions bring bubble to the top.

Now carefully pour the plaster into the lowest point on the mold allowing the plaster to rise up over the model. This method of pouring the plaster will tend to pull bubbles to the top and off the model as well. Once the mold has been poured gently lift a corner at a time maybe 1/4 in and let it drop. Again this helps dislodge bubbles. Or if you have a vibrator available you can again vibrate it for a few seconds. The second photo shows the mold after it has been poured.

Plaster is a chemical reaction and it produces heat. As the plaster begins to set it will heat up. When the heat is completely gone from the mold you can remove the boards and take the mold off. The third photo shows me using the flat tool and running it between the clay and the mold board to loosen the clay from the board. You want to be careful so that you do not damage the fresh plaster. After you have loosened the clay you should be able to twist it off the board by twisting it. See the bottom photo.

Making a two piece mold part 5

2006-07-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

The next step is to determine the amount of plaster required for the mold and to apply the release agent.

In the top two photos you can see the measuring of the mold. You must measure the length, width, and depth of your mold. The depth should allow 1/2 inch of plaster above the top of the item you are making a mold of. Multiply the length times the width times the depth. Then multiply this number by 2 divide by 3 then divide by 15. This gives you the amount of plaster you need in cups of water required.

In the third photo you see the release agent being applied to all surfaces of the mold and the surrounding boards with a brush. I use a mixture of 1/2 murphy's oil soap and water. This is a cheap and very effective release agent. You can purchase special soap for mold making at ceramic stores but it is more expensive and doesn't work any better.

After the release agent has been applied you should take a damp sponge and sponge it off gently. Sponge off all of the surfaces that the release was applied to. Excess soap left on the surface of the clay or next to the model will cause the plaster to not set properly and will ruin the mold.