Monday, May 23, 2011

Watercolor Washes and Mixing Glassline Paint

The pendants above were created as experiments in mixing Glassline paint. It is unlike any pigment I have worked with before. It is kind of chalky, and it takes some practice to get a feel for working with it. But it is most amazing because it can withstand the incredibly hot temperatures inside the kiln. I fire it up to about 1550 degrees and I imagine it could go higher. Once fired, it is a permanent part of the glass.

It does takes time and practice to get an idea what colors the finished piece will actually turn out to be. It is one color in the bottle, a different color when wet, it dries lighter and more chalky looking than you expect, and then once it goes into the kiln...all bets are off.

If you decide to cap your piece with clear glass, then the color is muted and you may get little air bubbles in pockets where the pigment is applied a bit heavier (I love those little bubbles). If you don't cap it then the color is much more vibrant. To cap or not to cap? It depends on what effect I am hoping for.

On the pieces above, I tried to apply the pigment, add a little water and then swirl colors into one another. Glassline paint dries quickly. Once dry, I scraped away some of the paint with an Exacto blade to reveal the black glass base.

The pendants below illustrate the difference in the pigment before and after firing. These were not clear capped either, so the end result is a little more vibrant.

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