I do a lot of fine art equine ceramics.  As I await the arrival of a few more pieces of equipment and supplies to fire up my mold making and casting of my own sculpture this summer, I am custom glazing some other artist's sculptures as custom orders for clients from all over the world.  Eventually I plan to launch a Patreon page with a great deal more step by step detail of how I do my work one project at a time but for now here is a basic overview sketch of my processes.

This is a small earthenware sculpture called 'Hadrian'.  This mini was sculpted as a Dales Pony by Sarah Rose and produced in earthenware bisque by Pour Horse Pottery years ago.  Some of the pieces were custom glazed at that pottery, some were produced in an original finish edition, and some were sold unglazed.  I got a few of these in unglazed bisque.  He stands about 3 inches tall and is a highly valued sculpture.

The first photo is the bisque with raw underglaze airbrushed on.  I am using various soft tools to remove some of the underglaze to add dappling to the palomino coat pattern.  The white markings were masked and then detailed.  This is done before I fire the underglaze in to fix it into place.  At this stage it is very fragile and easy to damage.

 

Once I had that layer set how I wanted it, I fired him in my smallest kiln to cone 04 to set the underglaze.  Then I went back and hand painted some of the details such as the eyes, the hooves, and a few other things, then fired him again. This second photo shows the tiny little horse sculpture wet so I can better see the subtle differences in the underglaze before I finish up more details or make corrections.   Then he'll be ready to clear glaze him at cone 06 on a ramped, slow cooling cycle so he won't get too glossy.  I use a high gloss for the eyes and hooves. 

After the underglaze layers are all completed and I have applied the clear satin and gloss glazes and fired them on, he then looked like this third photo below - but not nearly as dark a sooty chocolate palomino nor as richly colored as I want him to be to match my client's reference image of a real horse she sent.  So the next steps will be overglazes in the form of china paints.  I could push the darks in the underglaze before clear glaze was applied but I knew it wouldn't have the subtle depth and warm color richness I'm aiming for so patience and layers are worth taking the time to get him just right.  Reds tend to fire out of under glazes if there isn't enough oxygen in the kiln at the time of firing.  Mere placement on the shelf or height in the kiln can effect the finished color - greenish or rosy.

After clear glazing, here you can see in the first layer of china paints that I have worked in a hint of the coat's texture that follows along the hair pattern.  I have also added a hint of a silvery sheen to the mane, tail, and back of the feathers though my camera doesn't show it very well.  He is then ready to fire again at cone 017 to set the china painted hair texture into place.  Cones refer to temperature and heat work levels in firing of kilns.  More information on precisely what temperatures I am talking about may be found by doing an internet search on 'Orton firing cone chart' or use the link provided for a quick reference.  The exact temperatures will vary depending on the rate of heating to 'mature' the materials used.

Now we are ready to push him darker using china paints through the airbrush.  This is a darker brown-gold to give him a nice rich caramel color and push the darks.  It also makes the hair pattern texture more subtle by 'sinking' it below this layer and softening the dapples. 

Once this layer is cleaned up, using first a dry brush and then a fine pointed damp brush tip to clean the whites especially well, I then put him back into my kiln to fire to cone 017 again.  Once this layer is set, I will go back and work a layer of smokey black-brown very softly in some locations.  I'll wipe some of that off to bring back some of the dappling stronger, adding yet more depth and value to make him match my reference photo as closely as I can.

I fire pieces over and over again building in subtle changes and many details.  When this piece is completed, I would normally sell him for about a grand - less if the bisque were common and more if it's a highly sought after mini and rare.  But as this is a custom order commission for a client, I keep her up to date with step by step photos for her input so I can be sure to make him just exactly what she ordered. 

Eventually with layers and patience, I can achieve some truly remarkable results - and I am always learning, trying new things!  New colors, new methods or materials to push my equine art to new levels.  Particularly when working with custom glazing using a kiln there is a lot that is 'up to the kiln gods' on what you get.  The more I learn the better I am at getting precisely the results I'm aiming for, the better I can correct mistakes, and not have to live with sub-par results.  But it takes a lot of practice, tests, and studying other artist's works (ideally in person) to pick up on things to try in my own work.  My client was exceptionally pleased with how this piece came out and so am I!

A last note -  I DO take many health precautions when airbrushing underglazes, glazes, or overglazes.  I wear a respirator, have ventilation set up, and wipe all surfaces down carefully with a wet sponge so that there is no build up of harmful dust to stir up.  My kilns are also ventilated and I'll even pick up the small one to fire outside if I am concerned about toxic gases.  Keep your health and your family's health in mind when working with any artist materials.

Article and photos are copyright 2022 by Hyn Patty LLC.