Decoration on Ceramics

A terracotta tile will be decorated with enamels resistant to very high temperatures. When decorating with a brush it will be necessary to pay attention to the pressure exerted and to the density of the enamel. Firing will make the decoration permanent and resistant.

Instructions for of decoration on ceramics workshop

A plate or a terracotta tile, which the ceramists call "biscuit", must be covered with a liquid glass-based mixture, with one of the enamelling techniques such as spray, brush, immersion or waterfall. The enamel should be distributed homogeneously over the entire surface.

The technique of dusting is often used in in order to faithfully reproduce the original decoration and trace the basic lines of the design on which the decoration will then develop. The dusting is performed with a sheet of paper, drilled along the contours of the design to be reproduced. It is placed on the enamelled and dry surface and beaten with a cloth swab containing coal dust. During firing the coal will dissolve and leave no traces. The use of dust is not always necessary, many artistic decorations such as landscapes or floral arrangements are performed freehand.

The ceramic colors are very special powders because they have to withstand very high temperatures during the final firing of our object. They are obtained from different metal oxides, earths and minerals. For example, the green shades derive from the copper oxide, the yellow ones from the iron oxide, as well as the cobalt oxide is necessary to produce the blues and the blues and the manganese oxide for the browns. During the brush decoration, it is always necessary to pay attention to the pressure that is exerted and to the density of the color that will be mixed with water .