Bubble painting has got to be one of the most fun and original techniques I’ve ever come across. Kids of all ages love it and so do adults. The technique works great with underglazes or stains.

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As I was writing articles for this website, I had flashbacks to my beginnings in the world of ceramics. It seems like just a wink and a nod ago, but it was actually quite a few decades since I was a child and doing ceramics as a craft with my mother. I remember her handing me a little dog, a brush and a bottle of paint and telling me to ‘slap it on’. I didn’t know and I didn’t care about the process, it was just something to do with my mother. We did these projects together for a few years off and on, nothing major for me anyway. I would rather be outside playing “Red Rover” with the other kids in the neighborhood. It was some years later before I really became ‘hooked’ on ceramics.

It wasn’t until I had my own children and settled down somewhat that I happened to go with a friend when she picked up some of her ceramic projects from a neighborhood studio. I saw a piece of greenware I liked and I purchased it in hopes I could talk her into making it for me. When I asked her to do it she said, “No way. I’ll help you, but I never make anything for anyone.” Well, not wanting to waste my investment, I finally went with her to ‘classes’ and found out what ceramics was really all about. I was very lucky in that the instructor was really great-knowledgeable and patient. She gave me the foundation that I have built on and patterned in my own teaching as I explored the world of ceramics.

After getting a taste of how much fun it was and that “I” could be creative, I couldn’t get enough of it. Classes one night a week grew to two then three and finally I was bringing things home. I soon found out that if I was going to make 10 or more multiples of anything (gifts), it would be cheaper to buy a mold and cast my own. Oh my, the ceramic monster got a good hold on me. I found a supplier close by and became the proud owner of my first mold. I had NO idea what to do with it. The ladies at the supply house laughed at me when I asked “How to….?” and then they very kindly took me to the back of their shop and showed me how to cast my mold. A couple hours later, I walked out with a couple gallons of slip, tools, my mold and my first cast piece. I could do this!!

As with all people who suffer from OCD (Obsessive CERAMIC Disorder) my one mold grew and multiplied. This one ‘little’ mold was the parent of many. Each one larger than the last. Each one leaving me hungry for more. It was and still is like Christmas to open the first casting of a new mold.

As many beginners do, my kitchen was my studio. I cast my molds on the kitchen table, draining them into buckets, clay crumbs falling on the floor and into the stew pot. Yes, I lived, breathed and ate ceramics. This went on until the day of my baptism. You really are not a true ceramist if this hasn’t happened to you at least once. I had a pretty good sized mold sitting ready to pour on top of my table. It took all my strength to lift the bucket of slip to fill it. I kept filling and kept filling and my arms were shaking from the strain, but the slip did not seem to be raising to the top. All of a sudden I sensed this GUSH and the mold split and all of the slip spilled out………over the table, down the sides, over me and onto my carpeted kitchen floor!!! A couple gallons of slick, slippery goo everywhere. What a mess!! Have you ever tried to clean up a couple gallons of slip off a carpeted floor? I can only say, I wish I knew then what I know now…it would have been some what easier.

From that day forward, my casting area was no longer in my kitchen.

Would love to hear from you about your experiences and comments.

Brushes come in all sort of sizes, shapes and materials. Basically, a brush consists of long fibers attached to a firm shaft by a ferrule. The ferrule on most brushes is made of metal and holds the bristles to the shaft. All brushes are hand made. The parts may come off a production line, but the assembly is still done by hand. As with any tool, the better the brush you use, the better the job it will do. A ‘two-bit’ brush will give you a two-bit job. The proper brush is important in any job or craft but more so in the field of ceramics than any other, so the choosing of your brushes is an important thing to consider.

Finding high quality brushes for low prices is the challenge that faces any artist. Ceramics is hard on brushes, but if cared for properly, most will last a long time. Some techniques, like dry brushing, is notoriously hard on brushes and will wear them out pretty fast especially if the technique is not properly administered; so in addition to having a good brush, it is important to select the right brush for the technique as well as to learn ‘how’ to use it.

One point to consider when purchasing brushes is what material the brush is made from. There are synthetic fiber as well as natural. Sable hair has long been the Cadillac of premium brushes. They have great spring and flex and they retain large amounts of fluid. Because of their quality, they maintain their points and shapes much better than other materials. Sable brushes give great control for blending colors, smooth application and ease of use. They are fragile however and do not hold up to many of the painting techniques, especially non-fired types. They are wonderful for china painting.

Other hair brushes are great to use. As with Sable, they are not as durable for some of the painting techniques. Camel hair brushes are not made from camel hair - go figure, they are primarily made from squirrel and similar. Squirrel hair brushes are extremely soft, even softer than sable. Natural hair brushes are wonderful to use, but they are more costly than the synthetics and other natural fibers. Add their cost and the short life, and you will quickly see the advantages of going synthetic. Ox hair brushes are slightly more durable. Natural hair for paint brushes include: Sable, squirrel, raccoon, ox, goat, hog, pony, Pahme and others.

There are many kinds of synthetics used to make brushes, among them are Taklon, Nylon, Toray, Teijin, Tynex, Sabeline and others. Taklon is among the most common and it closely resembles the sable for its softness and ability to hold liquid, though it does have its limits as far as application and effects.

Styles of brushes are vast and include rounds, liners, flats, filberts, fans, angulars, mops, daggers, deer foot, shaders square, pointed, cats tongue, Hake, quill, longs and shorts, etc. Each has its own purpose by design.

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