I’ve been using Speedball Underglaze for about 5 years now and I can’t say enough good things about them. They come in 24 different colors which you can use straight out of the bottle. 24 colors not enough you say, well let me share a little secret…they are mixable! So really the color possibilities are endless.
The first thing I did with my Speedball Underglazes was make a color wheel test plate.
To make the test plate I applied 1, 2 and 3 coats of underglaze to the plate then a cone 6 clear gloss glaze over them.
This takes the guess work out of what the final color will look like and how they will respond to your glazes. It is a great reference to have in your studio. I highly recommend you make a version of this or test tiles for your own use.
What can you do with Speedball Underglazes? Well… I use them for a wide variety of surface decoration techniques such as: sgraffito, mishima, painterly watercolor effects, covering an area with solid color, bubble glazing, lettering, stamp inlay, dry brushing and staining. Checkout the Glazing & Surface Decoration section on TV.ClayShare.Com for classes on many of these techniques.
I will be posting more on how to create some of these effect but here is a brief overview of a few techniques to get you started.
- For sgraffito I apply two layers of underglaze on leather hard clay, paint a loose design on the surface then carve into the clay. The carved lines reveal the clay underneath and allows for detailed imagery and texture.
- To create more intricate designs, I use the Mishima technique, I incise my image right on the surface of the leather hard clay then use the underglaze to fill in the lines. After the underglaze has set up a bit it I then wipe away the excess with a damp sponge revealing my now colored lines.
- One of my favorite ways of using Speedball underglaze is to use it in creating a rainbow of iridescent colors on the ceramic surface. For this technique, I use a wash of underglaze on the bisque ware, then a clear gloss glaze over that. After the glaze firing I apply and fire on a layer on mother of pearl luster which gives a variety of stunning luminous colors!
Other fabulous facts about Speedball underglazes: they are made right here in the USA. I was lucky enough to tour their factory in Statesville, North Carolina last Summer. It was amazing to meet the people and see how they make all of Speedball’s great products. They sponsor artists, myself included, so we can keep making great art and sharing it with the world. They make not only some of the best quality underglazes out there, they are more affordable than other brands. Another great thing is that they are always a vendor at NCECA and have demonstrations using their products and even give away samples, so stop by their booth to get some and tell them Jessica sent you!
Check out Speedball Underglazes and try them for yourself. I know you will love their quality and value and all of the surface decoration techniques that are possible with them.
Paint the rainbow, with all of the colors available from Speedball Underglazes!
