Decorating Tools 2

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decorating pottery

with wax resist, slip trailers,clay stamps, and carving tools

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ceramic decoratingtool techniques

This special report is brought to you with the support of C and R Ceramics

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Decorating Pottery with Clay Pencils,Wax Resist, Glaze Pens, and Slip TrailersBy Robin Hopper

There are so many ways to decorate the ceramic surace, and this overview o several

decorating tools used to apply color to clay includes recipes or making your own

pencils and crayons, as well as how to approach using each type o decorating tool.

Great Clay Stamps in 30 MinutesBy Virginia Cartwright

Making your own stamps is a great way to personalize and expand your pottery tool

kit. Polymer clay makes it simple and ast, so you can get ideas into clay quickly.

Using Simple Tools to Decorate Ceramicswith Complex DesignsBy Molly Hatch

Sometimes the simplest objects are the best tools or decorating pottery. Using a

pencil and laminated paper stencil, Molly Hatch walks you though how to transer a

design to a pot and then layer color onto the surace or a striking result.

Making Brushes for Pottery DecorationBy David Gamble

There is nothing more satisying than making your own pottery decorating tools, and

this step-by-step project shows you how to make personalized glaze brushes.

Ceramic Decorating Tool Techniques

Decorating Pottery with Wax Resist, Slip Trailers,

Clay Stamps, and Carving Tools

We all love tools, especially pottery tools, and we normally think about orming when we talk about tools or ceramics,

but the most useul clay tools we have, besides our hands, are tools or decorating our ceramic work. A decorative

surace, o course, is the frst thing noticed about a piece o pottery, and as with all things made by hand, the right

tools make all the dierence. Ceramic Decorating Tool Techniques: Decorating Pottery with Wax Resist, Slip Trailers

Clay Stamps, and Carving Toolsexplains those tools in detail and shows you how to use them or the greatest eect or

your own ceramic suraces. Make your own ceramic colored pencils, or try using a combination o dry and wet decorating

techniques to get maximum depth out o your work. For a more traditional approach that has your own personal touch, try

making your own brushes!



Decorating Potterywith Clay Pencils,

Wax Resist, Glaze Pens,and Slip Trailers

By Robin Hopper

For those who are excited about the graphic pos-sibilities o the ceramic surace and enjoy using

drawing implements that have something o asharp, scratchy or linear nature, the marks madeby pencils, pens, crayons and trailers likely will make themavorite tools o expression. These tools are the ounda-tion o written or pictographic communication in Westerncivilization, whereas the brush is the oundation o markmaking or most Eastern civilizations. Those raised in theWestern traditions usually eel more anity with scratchydrawing tools than with the sot, calligraphic brushes. For-tunately, the range o ceramic decoration tools encompass-es both sot and hard possibilities.

Ceramic PencilsRegular pencils, with what we call leads, actually aremade rom graphite o various degrees o hardness rom6H (extremely hard) to 6B (extremely sot). Marks madewith graphite pencils on ceramic suraces will burn outin the ring, which can be very convenient, as the ringerases the guidelines or grids used or painting or draw-

ing on patterns and designs in ceramic pigments. Guide-lines also can be painted on with vermilion watercolorpaint, which also burns away.

Pencils or ceramic use (to make marks that dont burnout in rings) are made with combinations o reractorymaterials, clays, and colorants and are usually only com-

mercially available in one level o hardness that wouldprobably equate to the HB rating o a graphite pencil. HBhardness is midway between 6H and 6B. Companies thatproduce ceramic pencils have a habit o coming and go-ing, but most ceramic supply houses usually will be ableto nd and supply them. Pencils are commercially avail-able in a very limited variety o colors.

Ceramic pencils are normally used on bisque-redclay that has been suciently hardened to withstandthe pressure needed or satisactory markmaking.Since the pencil lead may be quite ragile in use,the smoother the clay surace, the better the drawing.Trailers, ceramic pens, and pencils

Jack Sures, Canada, Wide Bowl(detail), ceramic ink draw-ing on porcelain. Private collection. Photo: Judi Dyelle.



blending. For color, you can usemineral oxides, carbonates, andprepared stains. A variety o com-binations will produce a wide rangeo colors, although its important toselect colorants that wont burn outat high temperatures; not many will,but cadmium/selenium and potas-

sium dichromate are likely to do so.The amount o colorant can be upto 15 percent. More than that willcause loss o plasticity in the rawstate, making it dicult to orm thepencils. The more colorant used, themore intense the color.

Mix the dry materials with approx-imately 45 percent water, to which1 percent o sodium silicate per 100grams o dry material mix has beenadded. This will slightly defoccu-

late the slip, giving additional greenstrength while also intensiying someo the colorants.

Form the pencils by drying the col-ored slip to a plastic state, and theneither rolling out coils or extrud-ing lengths o the desired thickness.These then can be let as pencillengths or cut into shorter 12 inchlengths. When dry, re the pencilsto between 1472F (800C) and1742F (950C), depending on thedesired hardness. A lower ring willproduce soter lead; higher ring,harder lead. The short lengthscan be placed in a claw grip drat-ing pencil (the Koh-I-Noor No. 48drating pencil can hold leads up to inch in diameter).

Pastels normally are used rom thegreenware state and are not preredunless they prove too riable orconvenient use. To make pastels, use

the basic recipe above and simplyorm the clay into coils or extrusionsto the desired size or use. I theyprove too ragile, they can be red tobetween 1112F (600C) and 1472F(800C) without making them exces-sively hard. Ceramic pastel drawingsshould be red on the ceramic objectto harden them beore a glaze is ap-plied; otherwise, the powdery suracelikely will be spoiled in glaze applica-tion or handling. Surace powder also

Bisque suraces can be smoothedby sanding with wet and dry siliconcarbide or aluminum oxide papers,or the surace o the greenware maybe sprayed or brushed with a terrasigillata coating prior to the bisquering to provide a harder workingsurace. Ceramic pencils may beused on the ceramic surace just liketheir graphite equivalent on paper.Although sharpened points tend towear quickly on the abrasive ceram-ic surace, the combination o penciltip marks, side-o-pencil marks,

and the opportunity to create tonesthrough nger-rubbing or smudgingthe sot image gives wide potentialor drawn imagery development.

I the commercial underglazepencils are too sot or satisactoryuse, it is quite easy to make your ownand harden them to a more satisac-tory and less riable state. Ceramicpencil drawings can be red ontothe bisque-red clay to harden thembeore glazing, or, alternatively, they

can be red on unglazed high-redclays, such as porcelain or stoneware,without the need or a glaze coating.

The selection o colorants or mix-tures o colorants used in the color-ing o the lead will control theeectiveness o the drawings at hightemperatures, but most will toleratecone 10.

To make ceramic pencils andpastels, use a porcelain-type slip with50 percent white ring ball clay orplastic kaolin. For dry strength in thegreen state, 3 percent macaloid or 5

percent bentonite should be added.Ceramic Pencil Slip Recipe

White-Firing Ball Clay 50 %

Potash Feldspar 25

Silica 25

100 %

Add: Macaloid (or 5% bentonite) 3 %

Colorant (maximum) 15 %

The materials, including colorants,should be dry sieved through an80-mesh screen to ensure thorough

Verne Funk, Caliornia, USA, SplitPortrait of the Artist, 18 in. (46 cm) in diam-eter, wheel-thrown whiteware, underglaze pencil, glaze, 1996.



might cause crawling through lack oglaze adhesion.

CrayonsTo make wax crayons, mix the dryrecipe above with ordinary com-mercial wax resist. Form the crayon,and let it dry. Since the crayon willcontain some latex, it also will havea slight resist eect on the work,particularly when used on bisque-red ware. For a crayon with greaterresist qualities, stir colorants intowax, let cool, roll the wax into rodso dierent widths, and cut the rodsin convenient lengths.

Underglaze PensUnderglaze pens are like super-netrailers containing an ink thatgives good fowability or drawing.They are available commerciallyrom a number o producers, or youcan make your own with the netrailers that are available. You canalso dip any orm o nibbed pen,rom ne-pointed mapping pens, toquills or sharpened bamboo, intoceramic ink.

Thoroughly dry-mix these ingre-dients, then add a mixture o waterand 5 percent sodium silicate (100

milliliters water to 5 grams sodiumsilicate). Pass it through a 100-meshsieve twice. Thin the ink as appro-priate or your use. This ink shouldwork at all temperatures up to cone12. It can be thinned to producepen and wash-like drawings or usedwith a ceramic watercolor or glazes.Other colorants also can be usedwith this base.

For watercolors, the materials aremixed together, then enough water isadded to make a slip, which is passedthrough an 80-mesh sieve and pouredonto a plaster surace. When dry tothe touch, watercolor cakes can bemade by orming rounds or squareso the colored slip and letting themdry completely. They then can beused like ordinary childrens water-colors by wetting the surace withwater and applying with a brush.

TrailersA wide range o trailers or slip, ink,glaze or overglaze uses are avail-able rom ceramic suppliers, kitchenstores, and drugstores. They usu-ally consist o a rubber or neoprenebulb or container and a nozzle witha ne-aperture tip, or sometimesmultiple tips. The simplest to nd is

usually either a hair coloring appli-cator bottle or a childs nasal bulbaspirator rom a drugstore.

Ceramic suppliers oten have ne-tipped trailers, sometimes with inter-changeable tips o diering aperture.The aperture o the tip required de-pends on the thickness o the materialbeing squeezed through. Thin inks willgo through a ne tip without clogging,but a wide tip may be needed or slipsor glazes to fow properly.

As with any tools, youll need topractice to get the correct eel toachieve the best results. Keep a thinneedle tool nearby when workingwith trailers, because the ne onestend to clog quite easily.

This article was excerpted rom Robin Hop-pers Making Marks published by The Ameri-can Ceramic Society.

Lynda Katz, USA, Covered Jar, 8 in. (20cm) in height, thrown, altered, andhand-built porcelain, glaze-trailed deco-ration, 1997.

Lynda Katz, USA, Bayou Boogie Woo-gie, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, thrownand aceted porcelain, underglaze pen-cil drawing with luster glazes, 1984.

Black Ceramic Ink RecipeCalcium Borate 30 %Potash Feldspar 30

Ball Clay 25

Silica 15

100 %

Add: Bentonite 5 %

Mason Stain 6600

or other black stain 10 %

Ceramic Watercolor RecipeWhite-Firing Ball Clay 50 %

Potash Feldspar 25

Silica 25

100 %

Add: Macaloid (or 5% bentonite) 3 %

Colorant (maximum) 15 %



stamps

Great Clay Stampsin 30 Minutes

by Virginia Cartwright

Polymer clay can be used to create a variety o clay stampsin a short period o time.

sulieThere are several brands o polymer clay available(Sculpey, Fimo or Premo), all o which are good.Sculpey has a product called Super Sculpey which Iuse because it is a strong, shatter-resistant material.Super Sculpey is only available in a tan color, so I com-bine it with about 25% o another color o polymer

clay i I want to change the color.Youll need a clean, non-porous surace to work on,

and a Plexiglas roller made just or polymer. You cansubstitute this roller with an 8-inch piece o plastic pipe.You should also buy a 6-inch long cutting blade andan inexpensive pasta machine (both available at cratstores or garage sales). The pasta machine is used tosoten the clay and to blend the colored clays together.

I youre just making a ew stamps, you can useyour hands and roll the clay into coils until it sotens.I nd it helpul to attach handles to the stamps. Buya bottle o liquid polymer clay and use this as glue toattach the polymer handle to the top o the stamp.

Polymer clay stamps are best when used on slight-ly rm slabs o ceramic clay. I the stamp sticks to theclay during use, baby powder or cornstarch can beused as a release agent. These embellished slabs canbe used to make handbuilt vessels and sculptures, orlet fat or tile work.

Stamps enhance your work by adding interesting

textures to your pieces and depth to your glazes.

For years, I carved stamps rom small plaster

blocks or rom leather-hard clay that was then bisque

red beore use. I wanted a way to make stamps more

quickly so I could share them with my students and

workshop participants and ound that polymer clay(available at most crat stores) makes a clean, crisp im-

pression that can be cured and ready or use in almost no

time at all.

When making a stoneware stamp using regular clay,

you need to let it dry then bisque re it beore you can

put it to use, which could take several days to a week.

Polymer stamps, by comparison, are ready or use in

about 30 minutes. You can then take those stamps,

press them into another piece o polymer clay, and

quickly get a negative version o your designs.

Polymer clay does not crack or crumble as easily as

stoneware or earthenware clays, and scraps can be eas-

ily recycled. Since its not water based, the clay doesnt

dry out. This property also makes polymer clay an

ideal material or making impressions rom a variety o

objects, including antique urniture, kitchen tools, but-

tons, Indian wood blocks and tombstones.

As I began to explore the possibilities o this mate-

rial urther, I discovered that I could use my inlaid

colored clay techniques to make the stamps beautiul

as well as unctional. By layering and blending colors,

I can create an endless variety o intricate patterns.

The ProcessCondition the polymer clay by rolling it ten times

through a pasta maker on the thickest setting (fgure 1).

I you do not have a pasta machine, manually roll theclay into coils in your hands. Your body heat will soten

the clay. I you want to mix your own colors, make coils

o two or three colors, roll them into one coil and twist



it will bake at 275F or teen minutes, though you

may increase the time by ve minutes i the stamps

are very thick. Be careul not to overheat the poly-

mer clay. You can cover your pieces with aluminum

oil to prevent scorching and blistering (fgure 4). I

you smell a strong odor while cooking the stamps, it

means that they are getting too hot. Turn o the oven,

and ventilate the room.

Finally, add a top decorative layer and a handle.

I join everything together with a thin coat o liquid

polymer clay and cure the piece again. The heat uses

the layers and handle together.

Virginia Cartwright has taught ceramics or 22 years, and hasshown her work in numerous exhibitions. She currently lives inFallbrook, Caliornia.

tiIf you plan to make a lot of pieces, buy a toasteroven dedicated just to curing polymer pieces.

43

21

NoeThese stamps are not as strong as ceramic

or wooden stamps. If you have trouble

with your stamp breaking, try making the

layers of the stamp thicker.

the coil like a candy cane. Cut the twisted coil in hal,

join the two pieces and twist them again, repeating this

process until the colors are blended.

You can make stamps using several layers o poly-

mer clay by rst rolling it out into a slab that is about

inch thick. Thin polymer clay slabs take a deeper,

clearer impression than a thick one. Put a pinch o

baby powder or cornstarch on one side o the clay.

Next, press the clay (powder side down) on top o

a textured object. Place the polymer clay over the tex-

ture and press it with your thumbs, rather than press-

ing the texture down onto the polymer clay (fgure 2).

Leave the polymer clay on the textured surace and

add a second layer o Super Sculpey clay (fgure 3).

Press the layers again with your thumbs. Remove the

clay and trim the edges.

Bake the polymer in a small toaster oven, ollow-

ing the directions given on the package. Typically,



By Molly Hatch

Ihave always been interested in draw-ing. As an undergraduate, I ocused ondrawing or the majority o my time inschool. It wasnt until my nal year that

I was shown surace decoration techniques orclay that are similar to printmaking and draw-ing processes. It was this marriage o drawingand clay that has driven the development o mycurrent work.

Theres something magical in the abilityto interpret what I see through my hands.I think o drawing as a visual language

similar to writing; both can be communica-tion tools. I am oten surprised by the smallnarratives that appear in the patterns I draw onthe suraces o my pots. Each bird has its owndistinct personality and expression . . . . A mothwill buzz around a peony. The patterns I draware always my interpretation and representa-tion o an already existing pattern. I sometimescombine elements o dierent patterns, in turncreating new patterns. I play with the scale o the pat-tern on the pot. How the pot rames the image otendictates the pattern itsel.

I spend a large amount o time looking at historicabrics as source material and Im always collectingnew patterns to add to my repertoire. I pull out newpatterns when I need a challenge and I draw the pat-tern on paper a ew times to amiliarize mysel with itbeore experimenting on my pots. I use porcelain ormy work or its durability and translucence. I love thesimilarity o pure white porcelain to a blank piece opaper. My orms are inspired by contemporary prod-uct design, 18th century European actory ceramicsas well as the English ceramics o the Leach/Cardewstudio tradition.

Throwing a Blank CanvasWhen Im throwing, I think o the pots and theirorms as that blank piece o paper. I strive to keepmy orms simple, quiet, and uncomplicated. Thissimplicity allows the drawing to become the majorocus o each pot, rather than a competition betweenorm and surace.

The simplest and most popular pot I make is atumbler orm that I reer to as a beaker. I use abouta pound o clay to make the beakers pictured in thisarticle. When throwing, I use very ew tools other than

Finch Cup with Baroque Frame,13 inches (33 cm) in width.

Using Simple Tools toDecorate Ceramics with

Complex Designs



my hands. I use the crook o my orenger and middlenger to shape the lips o my pots. When I do usetools, my avorite rib is a square rib ashioned atera Michael Cardew design and made or me by myhusband who is a woodworker (fgure 1). Im careulto use the rib as little as possible because I enjoy thepots much more when theres evidence o my hand inthem. When Im trimming, I usually use a bat damp-ened slightly with a sponge. I tap the pot Im trimmingon center and then, using the slightly damp surace othe bat, I apply pressure to the base o the pot, whichcreates a slight suction and secures the pot to wheel

or trimming. When using this trimming technique, ithelps to keep one hand on the pot at all times to catchit in the event that the suction gives way.

Image TransferMishima is a traditional Korean slip-inlay technique.The Korean pots you see with mishima decorationtypically use several colors o slip inlaid into the samepiece. I basically use the same black slip recipe or allo my mishima drawing. I always reer to a patternwhen Im drawing on my pots and sometimes use atemplate to transer a detail o the pattern (fgure 2).

When throwing, use the crook o your nger to shape thelip o a tumbler.

1

Finish o the rest o the drawing reehand, using the tem-plate as a visual reerence.

6

Laminated paper template o drawing can help maintainconsistency in a design when transerring images to a set.

2

Gently wrap the laminated pattern around the cup anduse a quill or pencil to trace the image.

3Remove the template to reveal the transerred tracing im-age now impressed into the clay.

4

Use the transerred image as a guide or drawing deeperlines into the surace.

5



Apply a layer o stained slip over the drawing using awide brush.

7Wipe the excess slip rom the surace o the pot using aclean sponge.

8

Use a vitreous engobe mixed with a brushing medium tocreate color accents.

9

Though it fuxes a bit at higher temperatures, the engobecan be used to ll in color areas on the bottom.

10

In this case, I am using the template to transer the birdin the pattern onto the cup surace. I make my tem-plates by laminating my own drawing o a ound pat-tern. This is helpul i you are trying to make multiples,but still requires a lot o drawing and interpretationbecause youre drawing on a three-dimensional surace.

Inlaying the ColorAll o my mishima is done when the pots are a rmleather hard. Usually they are ready to draw on justater trimming is nished. To ollow this technique,start the transer by gently wrapping the laminated

Tumbler, 53/4 inches (15 cm) in height, porcelain,mishima slip inlay, vitreous engobe, red to cone 6.

Drawing ToolsThere are many tools you can use to incise the sur-

face of the pot for mishima. I have gone through

stages of preferring particular toolspencil-style

X-Acto knives, commercial stylus carving tools (sold

in ceramic supply stores), African porcupine quills

(available at Santa Fe Clay) among others. My cur-

rent drawing tool of choice is a call igraphy pen with

interchangeable metal tips. Its the same kind of pen

that you dip in ink and would use to do traditional

calligraphy; I just use it on clay instead.



pattern around the cup, taking careto position the image exactly whereyou would like it to be on the cup.Then, using an Arican porcupinequill (dull-tipped pencils work welltoo), transer the image by tracingover the lines on the template withenough pressure to draw into thesurace o the pot underneath (fgure3). Remove the template (fgure 4)and use the transerred image as aguide or drawing deeper lines intothe surace o the pot (fgure 5). Youdont need to draw very deeply intothe surace or mishima to work.I oten eel as though I am justscratching into the surace o theclay. Ater going over the tracing,nish o the rest o the drawingreehand, using the template pattern

as a visual reerence (fgure 6).Just beore you apply the slip tothe surace o the pot, use a sot-bristled brush, such as a shavingbrush, to get rid o as many crumbsas possible. I you dont removethe crumbs, they can oten stick tothe pot and create problems whenremoving excess colored slip romthe surace later.

Using a wide brush, apply alayer o stained slip to the drawing

(fgure 7). I tend to use a thinnerslip so that it has an easier timegetting into the small details o thedrawing. Thicker slips tend to onlypartially ll in the drawn lines inthe surace. Once the pot has driedback to the dry leather-hard stateand any sheen on the slip has dis-appeared, begin to wipe away theexcess slip rom the surace o thepot using a clean sponge (fgure 8).You need to clean the sponge oten

during this process to avoid leav-ing streaks o color on the suraceo the pot. As you work, youllsee your design emerge. The slipremains in the recessed lines o thedrawing, creating the inlaid design.Tip: I you are using a clay with alot o grog, its a good idea to alter-nate between using the sponge toremove the slip and smoothing thesurace with a rubber or metal rib.

Recipes

Andrew Martins Brushing Slip(u o Cone 10)

Ferro Frit 3110 30 %

Ball Clay 20

Mason Stain 6600 (black) 50100%

Add: CMC 2 %

This is the slip I use or the mishima inlay ar-eas on my work Be sure to mix it thin enoughthat it flls in all o the fne lines I using acoloring oxide (like iron oxide, manganesedioxide, chrome oxide, cobalt oxide, cobaltcarbonate or copper carbonate, or example)instead o a commercial stain, the amounto colorant needed may be less than in theabove recipe

Vitreous Engobe

(Cone 046)Talc 153 %

Ferro Frit 3110 184

Kentucky OM4 Ball Clay 153

EPK Kaolin 51

Glomax (Calcined Kaolin) 255

Silica 2041000 %

Add: CMC 10 %

Macaloid 10 %

Add stains to the above base at a ratio o 1:1I use this on bisque ware

Brushing MediumTo make a brushing medium or use withthe Vitreous Engobe, slake a 50/50 mix oMacaloid and CMC in hot water and blendtogether until smooth To combine the en-gobe with the brushing medium, start with asmall amount o each and use a palette knieto mix them together Add more medium orengobe until you get the right consistencyor brushing

Val Cushing Clay Body(Cone 6)

Nepheline Syenite 23 %

EPK Kaolin 35

Tile 6 Kaolin 15

XX Sagger Ball Clay 5

Silica 22100 %

Add: Bentonite 3 %

I use a commercial cone 6 porcelain rom She-feld Ceramic Supply, however, this Val Cushingcone 6 body is great

At this point let the pot dry com-pletely and then bisque re it.

Adding ColorOn many o my pots, I add coloraccents to the mishima patternthrough painting. I do all o mypainting ater the pot has beenbisque red and beore I do any

glazing. For the color, I use a cone04 vitreous engobe that I mixmysel, but commercial underglazesalso work well. I you use an en-gobe, combine it in a 1:1 ratio withbrushing medium using a paletteknie until it is well mixed (fgure9). The mixing-medium helps makethe engobe more brushable andthins it out so that you can build upcolor in layers, similar to paintingon canvas. This layering makes ormore solid colors with less visiblebrush strokes.

The engobe recipe that I use tendsto fux a bit at cone six but it can stillbe used to ll in the line drawings onthe bottoms o pots (fgure 10). AterI nish adding the color, I use a clearglaze over everything except the bot-tom o the pot, then re the work inoxidation to a hot cone six.

Molly Hatch is a ull-time studio potter in

Northampton, Massachusetts. She studiedceramics as an undergraduate student atthe School o the Museum o Fine Arts inBoston and received her MFA rom theUniversity o Colorado, Boulder. To seemore o Hatchs work, visit her website atwww.mollyhatch.com.

Molly Hatch working in her studiowhile she was a resident at the JohnMichael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboy-gan, Wisconsin.

PhotoCredit:JeffMachtig

CourtesyoftheJohn

MichaelKohlerArtsCenter



by David L. Gamble

Making Brushes

Using the right tool or the jobis always a good idea, but inceramics, using the right brushis critical or creating certain

marks on your pots. Youd have a di-cult time trying to use a short fat brushto create a long thin line, yet when usingthe right brush, you can create that linewithout any eort at all.

Brushes are made rom a wide variety o

either animal hair or synthetics. The mate-rial aects how the brush loads and dis-

perses a medium. For example, red sable

hair is the best choice or watercolors and

washes even though less expensive brushes

can be made rom camel, squirrel or horse

hair. Sti boar or hog bristles are good or

oil paint, while in ceramics we tend to use

hairs that load a lot o glaze, so we choose

goat and China bristles (the industry term

or hog hair). China bristles are normally

longer and stier than goat hair.

By making your own brushes, you can

control the qualities that are important

and unique to you. Though manuactured

brushes are made to perorm well with cer-

tain media, as artists we tend to use what-

ever will work to make the marks we want.

Ive been constructing brushes on and

o or many decades, and have presented

workshops over the years, rst along with

potter Steve Howell, and most recently

with my wie Tracy who is also a ceramic

artist. We have participants make brusheson the rst day o our two-day presenta-

tions, and use them on the second day.

During one demonstration at Atlantic Pot-

tery in Florida last year, Bob Kirk, a high

school art teacher, was demonstrating

making brushes and told me he has made

brushes in classes with his students. I think

that everyone rom students (at all levels)

to seasoned artists can appreciate the qual-

ity o a good brush ater spending the time

making their own.Your surace decoration is one o a kind. So why not make brushes customizedto exactly t your techniques and style?



Tie the base o the hair with foss.

1

Trim the hairs at the base.

2

Dip the cut end in glue.

3

Wrap and tightly tie the rest o the foss.

4

From let to right: Gray squirrel, deer (natural), deer(dyed red), and red squirrel.

Materials list

n Bamboo: Select pieces inches in diameter.There are more than 1450 species with 450 spe-

cies sold in the US, so theres a wide variety avail-

able! If you cut fresh bamboo, allow it to dry for a

month before using for handles.

n Hair: Ive found that deer and squirrel tail hair workwell to hold and disperse the glaze. Squirrel and

deer tails can be purchased at any shing store

that sells y shing materials to tie ies. Deer tail is

packaged natural and in a variety of bright colors to

imitate the color of insects. Also try dog, skunk, elk,

fox, goat, etc. Note: Human hair is too limp to use.

n Dental oss: Use strong dental oss to tie thehairs together. Waxed dental oss is a bit more

sticky and easier to tie. Non-waxed dental oss

is a bit harder to tie but accepts the glue better. I

prefer the waxed dental oss.

n Masking tape

n Sandpaper

n Hacksaw with ne blade

n White glue

n Needle tool

n Small drill bit (1/85/32 inch in diameter)

n Cotton thread/string



Test t the brush then add glue.

7

Sand both handle ends smooth.

6

Insert brush then use a needle tool to shove it in tight.

8

Cut bamboo with a ne tooth saw.

5

Drill a hole in the top o the handle or hanging.

9Split the bamboo end with a knie.

10

ProcessTo begin making your brush, select the hair youre going

to use and get an extra long piece o dental foss to wrap

the bottom o the hairs. Four hands work best or this so

get someone to hold the hairs as you tie them (fgure 1).

Do not trim the foss yet. Next, cut the hairs at the base.

Start with at least one inch o hair. I you want a longer

brush, deer tail hair can be 34 inches in length or longer

i you use most o the tail. Remember that youll need

to leave about - to -inch o hair to glue and wrap to-

gether (fgure 2), so i you want a 1-inch-long brush tip,

cut the hair to 1 inch. Dip the cut end o the brush hair

into a puddle o white glue (fgure 3). Allow the hair to

soak up the glue. Wrap and tightly tie the rest o the foss,

orcing the base o the hairs together into a tightly bound

tube-like shape (fgure 4). Allow to dry beore gluing into

the handle.

Choose a piece o bamboo that your brush hair will t

into tightly. Hold the bamboo behind a node like a brush

to make sure its comortable. Bamboo is hollow between

the nodes so decide how long you want the handle, and

leave about o an inch beore you reach the node to cre-

ate a natural errule you can ll with glue.



Wrap masking tape around the end o the bamboo where

you plan to cut and use a ne-toothed hacksaw or jewelers

saw to cut the bamboo (fgure 5). The tape keeps the bam-

boo rom splintering. Sand both ends smooth (fgure 6).

Test t the brush hair in the handle then ll the errule

space with glue (fgure 7) and orce the brush hair into it.

Use a needle tool to shove it in tight so that the dental foss

wrapping cannot be seen (fgure 8). Let it dry.

Drill a hole through the bamboo at the end o the handle

using a small drill bit so you can add a thread to hang the

brush up (fgure 9). You can also sand fat a section at the

top o the handle so you can write your name on the brush

with a permanent marker. Tung oil can be used on the han-

dle or a nishing touch. No other nishing or waterproo-

ing is needed. Over time, the oils rom your hand will give

the brush handle a nice patina.

As an alternative, you can also split the bamboo er-

rule with an X-Acto knie deep enough or the brush

Wrap the end with thread or wire, creating a loop with thebeginning o the thread and wrapping around it to secure.

11

hair to t in (fgure 10). This works well i the opening

in the bamboo is a bit too small or the brush hair to t

in. Place glue inside and insert the brush hair. Wrap the

end tightly (fgure 11) then place the end o the thread

through the loop you have let at the top and pull the

bottom thread until the end is pulled into the wrapping

(fgure 12). Trim o excess thread and add a thin amount

o white glue over the wrap. Ive also heard o thin cop-

per wire being used.

With either method, once youve secured the brush

hairs into the errule and the glue has dried, thread a

piece o ribbon, twine, string or a leather strap through

the hole at the end to create a hanging loop (fgure 13).

This nishing touch is just one more way to create your

own special brushes.

David L. Gamble is a requent contributor to PMI. He holdsdegrees in fne arts and education and currently serves as an educa-tion consultant or Skutt.

Place the end o the thread through the loop and pull thebottom end o the thread down to pull the end through.

12Thread a cord or hanging the brushes through the holedrilled at the end o the handle.

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Documents

Decorating Tools 2