Alan Twelvetree

 

Transferring the outline of a design prior to painting in enamel is a process which many members find difficult.

 

Here is Keith Seldon's technique of doing this reported by Alan Twelve tree after the Dillington AGM Conference.

 

Keith first prepares the blank with 3-4 coats of enamel on the top surface, with one coat less of counter enamel. If the ground is to be white, he uses Blythes 3025. The top surface is ground smooth with carborundum, brushed off under running water and then fired to provide a "glazed" surface on which to apply the colour pigments.

 

Now to transfer the design on to this glazed surface:-

1. Take a photocopy of the design. It saves damaging the book or drawing; you can vary the size (within limits) and it is easier to work with a black and white image when making the stencil.
2. Attach a suitably sized piece of “K Trace” (a tracing sheet available from Artists’ or Architects suppliers) matt side up, over the design with Sellotape or masking tape.
3. Paint the outline of the design onto the K Trace. Use W&N Series 7 Size 000 brush and a pigment that can be ‘lost’ in the finished job. Keith would often use yellow on a white base. Paint as fine a line as possible but make sure the pigment builds up a little onto the K-Trace to facilitate getting a clear impression on to the enamel at the next stage. But, beware, too much pigment will tend to smudge.
4. Stick wide Sellotape over the design on the K-Trace, overlapping to form a single film. Press well down so as to pick up the entire print on the Sellotape.
5. Apply a thinnish coat of resin solution* to the enamel surface (*see note at the end). Do this with a small piece of clean cotton rag (fluff free) and allow it to become a little tacky. Test with your finger near the edge.
6. Remove the Sellotape from the K-Trace and place over the resin film, centering the design carefully onto the enamel. ‘Burnish’ with end of a paint brush.
7. Remove the Sellotape to leave some of the pigment stuck to the resin. Take out any smudges, etc., with a cocktail stick or similar.
8. Fire in the kiln which will completely burn off the resin but leave the design on the enamel base. Only fire sufficiently to make the ‘pigment’ glaze into the enamel, not so that the enamel itself becomes molten.
9. You can now begin to paint in the design with the coloured pigments but that is another story which Dorothy Budd has written up previously.

 

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