How to: Ceramic Underglaze Transfers!
Hello all!
If you've never used transfer paper (we sell some up front in the store), it can be a really interesting way to underglaze or decorate some of your items. Most transfer paper looks like this:
What it is:
Underglaze is essentially pressed or printed onto commonly rice-paper. It is very absorbent to moisture, so never pick it up with even damp hands. Always store this in a plastic folder or a dry place. It can be stored for a long period of time. Basically the life of the paper.
How to apply underglaze transfers to damp clay
TIP: When using underglaze transfers on damp clay, do not add anymore water to the area before applying the transfer. Smudging will occur from too much water. This is the most common mistake.
- Cut out desired image and place the printed side (darkest) face down to the clay.
- Use your dry fingers to gently press down the transfer. The moisture from the clay will absorb the underglaze pigment from the rice paper.
- You can check to see if it has transferred by using your needle tool to slowly peel it back a little. Generally leave it on for five minutes, depending how much color the transfer has. If it's a solid color, I suggest you leave it on a bit longer. After five minutes, you should check to see if it has transferred. It may need a gentle dab with a slightly moist sponge
- Peel back the transfer very slowly.
- Toss the transfer paper away, it's been used, and your piece should have the image perfectly stamped onto it!
How to apply underglaze transfers to leather-hard clay
This is the moisture stage of your piece when you would trim it on a pottery wheel, add handles or carve out textures etc. When transferring on leather-hard clay, use a clean sponge to wipe down the area that you intend to print on. We do this because at this stage, the clay has less moisture. We want to add a little moisture to the clay so the transfer absorbs the water and allows the underglaze image to transfer to the clay evenly.
TIP: Your transfer image can smudge if you have too much water, so squeeze the sponge of excess water. If you notice that the clay looks too wet, just wait a few minutes until it dries out a little, before applying the underglaze transfer.
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Cut out desired image and place the printed side (darkest) face down to the clay.
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Use your clean, moist sponge to gently press down the transfer. The moisture will help the leather hard clay absorb the underglaze pigment from the rice paper. DO NOT RUB.
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You can check to see if it has transferred by using your needle tool to slowly peel it back a little. Leave it on for around five minutes, depending on how much colour the transfer has. If it's a solid color, I suggest you leave it a bit longer, like 10 minutes. Check to see if it has transferred. It may need a gentle dab with a slightly moist sponge if it has not.
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Peel back the transfer very slowly. You should have the perfect image on the piece.
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Done!
How to apply underglaze transfers to bone-dry clay
This is a piece that has been drying for about a week or even longer, depending on the size of your pieces, thickness and your storage climate (it's humid in Tennessee, but not in the studio, we have air conditioning which drys out things faster!).
TIP: Use a clean sponge, squeezing out excess water. Don't use a soggy sponge. Evenly wipe the area you want to print on. This is to add some moisture to the bone-dry clay, so it can absorb the underglaze pigment from the rice paper.
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Cut out desired image and place the printed side (darkest) face down to the clay.
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Use your clean, moist sponge to gently press down the transfer. The moisture will help the bone dry clay absorb the underglaze pigment from the rice paper. DO NOT RUB.
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You can check to see if it has transferred by using your needle tool to slowly peel it back a little. Leave it on for about 5-10 minutes. Check to see if it has transferred. It may need a gentle dab with a slightly moist sponge.
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Peel back the transfer very slowly. The image should be nearly perfect.
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Done!
How to apply ceramic underglaze transfers to bisqueware
Applying transfers on bisqueware can be difficult, so do some testing to get it right.
Rinse your bisqueware to remove any clay dust before applying underglaze transfers.
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Cut out desired image and place the printed side (darkest) face down on your bisqued piece.
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Use your clean, moist sponge to gently press down the transfer. The moisture will help the bisqueware absorb the underglaze pigment from the rice paper. DO NOT RUB.
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You can check to see if it has transferred by using your needle tool to slowly peel it back a little. Leave it on for about 8-10 minutes. After five minutes, you should check to see if it has transferred.
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Peel back the transfer very slowly. You should have the perfect image!
Here is an example of a transfer papered piece after it has been glazed and fired! Hope this helps, thanks for reading.
