Research
Ceramic colour on the plotter-cut stencils
I have been exploring ways in which the plotter-cut stencils could not only be used to emboss pattern into the ram pressed pots, or become slip resist stencils, but also could add colour directly onto the clay surface.
At the beginning of my research I asked Peter Castle, course director of the Ceramic M.A. at the Centre for Ceramic research, Cardiff, a question, "Is there some way of printing flat colour onto paper that can then be cut into stencil shapes, which could then be placed face down onto a wet clay surface, and subsequently have the colour remain on the clay when the backing paper is removed?"
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Transfer paper with enamel mixed in acrylic medium rolled onto the surface then plotter-cut when dry into runner bean shaped stencils. Fresh runner beans were scanned into the computer and the outlines selected to make the stencil shapes. |
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Detail of ram pressed plate showing the blue enamel colour from the plotter-cut runner beans. |
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Enamel printed transfer paper, ram pressed into the plate surface, now the backing paper is being removed leaving the blue enamel from the surface of the transfer paper stuck to the clay. |
We discussed a variety of options, including the simplest which involved taking transfer paper and screen printing the ceramic colour on top, then NOT cover coating it as you would do normally for transfer printing. Peter happened to have some screen printed enamel fish shapes on transfer paper which had not been cover coated. The very first test with these fish shapes worked well. By wetting the paper first then placing it face down onto the plastic clay, the colour was released onto the clay and remained there afte the backing paper was peeled away. Such positive results gained so quickly prove that the most valuable part of having a research post is the contact with other makers. Transfer paper with ceramic colour on top can easily be cut into a stencil on the plotter-cutter.
My first trials used oil based printing medium mixed with dry powdered cobalt slip on transfer paper, but the oil based medium did not shrink with the clay as the clay dried. After consulting once again with Peter, he suggested trying a water based acrylic medium. This mixture was more successful, and has the advantage of being water based. Rather than screen printing, to save time I applied the colour directly onto the transfer paper using a roller. I then realised that the colour could be applied to the transfer paper in any way I chose. In addition to flat colour, traditional slip techniques of marbling and feathering have also worked well and I will continue to explore their use.
