Engobes and their use

When we say that at the pottery master-class you will be able to decorate your creations the majority of people think about acrylic paints and are genuinely surprised not seeing them in the studio. Thus we need to learn the ropes of this craft because decorating ceramics is a special subject. To cut a long story short, it should be mentioned that decoration of ceramic ware can be of underglaze and overglaze types. We use only the first type decorating ceramics with engobes on gray clay.

Engobe is paint on the basis of liquid clay that can preserve a natural hue of red or white clay. It can also be coloured with pigments, i.e. red, blue, pink, green, violet, yellow, etc. Such paint can be applied to an item directly on a pottery wheel or on a tournette during the decorating process.

angoby

Engobes are applied to a ceramic ware with a brush. The simplest kind of painting is waves or stripes on the round items conducted directly on a pottery wheel. In order to do it, take a brush dipped into engobe and apply it to the item turning on a pottery wheel. In this way a pattern is created. The width of colour stripes depends on a brush size. However, we do not recommend taking brushes that are too thin for such décor in order not to damage the item.

If you are willing to create fine lines, it would be better to move the item from a pottery wheel onto a tournette and create a desired ornament with thin brushes or stacks there. It is possible to use engobes for painting the fragments preliminarily decorated with stacks or plant prints or other decorative textures on a clay item.

Engobes can be divided into two types, i.e. the clay-and-sand-based and flux. For decorative ceramic items and ceramic crockery the potters use clay-and-sand-based engobes. Such engobes absorb liquids better than the flux ones.

Engobe

Among the typical pigments used for engobes there are cobalt blue oxide (blue), chromium III oxide (green), ochre (iron) clays (yellow, red, brown) and chalk (white). Coloured engobes can be purchased as powders and dissolved in a special foundation resulting in the paint of necessary consistence.

During the kiln firing process, engobe is baked together with the ceramic items and does not peel off in further everyday use. It is worth remembering that while drying engobes become darker and more opaque. Ceramic ware painted with engobes may undergo the second firing for glazing or milking. Please pay attention that glazing ceramics with milk can be performed in home conditions. During master-classes in ceramics at the Lihtaryk Art Studio a rich palette of high-quality engobes is waiting for you so that you have a chance to decorate your own ceramic creation.

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