Wipe down the tile with a slightly moistened Synthetic Sponge to remove any dust and to rehydrate the tile. If dry greenware is used, use CB-604 Soft Fan loaded with water to apply a couple of coats of water to rehydrate the clay some before completing Step 2. It is easier to sgraffito the design on leather hard greenware that color has been applied. When dry greenware is used it is more difficult to carve through the color and clay. Several passes of the Sgraffito Tool should be made instead of one bold cut into the color. If the greenware and color are both very dry, extra care should be given when carving the lines as chipping of the underglaze can occur. Bisque tiles can be used but the look is slightly different and is a bit more difficult to carve the lines into the color.
Use CB-604 Soft Fan to apply 3 even coats of UG-228 Midnight Blue to the front and sides of the tile.
Use a pencil to sketch out the basic stem and leaves if needed.
Starting at the center of the dandelion, use the Sgraffito Tool to “chip” out 5 small pecks for the dandelion center. Continue the sgraffito “pecks” in concentric circles around the initial center. Continue with about 5 concentric circles to complete the dandelion. The sgraffito-ed pecks should be alternating in-between the placement outward with the previous circle.
Sgraffito the stem to the dandelion. Sgraffito the center veins to the leaves. By applying more or less pressure to the tool the edge of the leaves will appear wider and thinner. . Keep the Sgraffito lines loose and free while carving. This should give you a variation in the width of the line. Use a dry CB-604 Soft Fan to brush away any debris from the carving before firing or while working on the design. Let dry.
Fire to Shelf Cone 04.
Use a slightly moistened Synthetic Sponge to wipe down the tile to remove any dust or debris before glazing.
Apply 2-3 coats of S-2101 Crystal Clear Brushing to the entire tile.
