Winter EZ-Stroke Majolica Canvas

1. Check the bisque ware over for blemishes. If present lightly sand with 100-grit sandpaper.
2. Damp sponge the ware to remove any fired dust and to condition the ware for decorating.
3. Pour an ounce of Cotton Tail in a paper cup and slightly thin with Thin ‘n Shade or water. Mix with a Palette Knife.
4. Smoothly, in one direction apply three coats of the Cotton Tail over the entire piece. Work horizontally over the ware. Allow the Stroke & Coat to lose its sheen between coats. Set piece aside to dry thoroughly. For best results overnight is a good drying time.
5. After the piece has dried, wad up a dry paper-towel and lightly buff the front of the canvas down, thus smoothing the Stroke & Coat application.
6. Using the provided pattern, red pen and clay carbon, trace the design on the front surface of the ware. Try not to score the applied Stroke & Coat.

Before Proceeding, read these instructions carefully.

• All the colors are mixed with Thin ‘n Shade.
• Thin ‘n Shade should be placed on the palette as well.
• When shading and floating in color, the Round brushes should be loaded with Thin ‘n Shade. The Thin ‘n Shade should be removed slightly by tapping the Round gently on to a paper-towel. The towel will remove excess Thin ‘n Shade, however, the brush will still have plenty remaining Thin ‘n Shade.
• The Round brushes should only be tipped loaded.
• Once loaded, the color and Thin ‘n Shade should be blended together on a clean area of the palette.
• Unless otherwise stated, the Round Brushes are held mostly flat against the surface of the ware.
• Colors are applied in thin layers, thus generating a watercolor appearance.
• Except for the trees, the colors are applied horizontally.

7. Place all the EZ-Strokes as needed (except Cobalt Jet Black) on to the palette. Thin with Thin ‘n Shade to a light cream consistency and mix with palette knife.
8. Place a small amount of Thin ‘n Shade on the palette.
9. Starting with the Sky and using the #8-Pointed Round. Note: Try not to apply the sky colors over the large tree in the foreground. If some color bleeds into the tree do not worry, the tree colors will cover any of the sky colors.
10. Blend in Cool Blue across the top of the design and down about two inches.
11. Do not rinse the brush.
12. Reload as directed with Lilac and streak in this color here and there to the sky. Work the color upward into the Cool Blue.
13. Rinse the brush.
14. Pick up Butter and begin to add the color to the middle of the sky Work in as much of the Butter as desired. Note if color appears too strong blend with Thin ‘n Shade or with White.
15. Add some additional Cool Blue below the yellow. However, be careful not to make a strong green shade.
16. Again, rinse the brush.
17. Gingerly tip load in Carrot. Blend this color, just along the lower edge of the sky (the area behind the trees and distant mound).
18. The lake will have these same colors applied in a similar manner; however, their colorization should be softer and more of the Cool Blue is blended in along the lower edge of the lake. There is a hint of Butter and Lilac also, applied to the Lake. To apply the lake colors, use the #6-Pointed Round.
19. Tip load the #6-Pointed Round in Thundercloud Grey, fill in the curved line area around the upper edge of the lake. Pull a small amount of the Thundercloud Grey from the edge the lake inward, thus creating a shadow.
20. To define and shade the snow drifts and the hills in the background use the #6-Pointed Round, tip loaded in Cool Blue. Again, using the brush on the flat, with the point of the brush on the upper side of the snowbank line, add the Cool Blue, floating the color behind each line. Also, float the shading to the lower side of the background hills.
21. To the foreground snowdrifts, using the #6-Pointed Round, tip loaded in Lilac add accents of color below the blue shaded snowdrifts. The point of the brush is directed up to the line (the opposite direction of the previously applied Cool Blue). Use the Lilac sparingly and do not apply to every drift.
22. With the Script Liner and the #6-Pointed Round loaded in Juniper Green, stipple in one to two coats of color to the background small trees. The application of color should be somewhat variegated, with more color to the bottom edges of the trees.
23. When the Juniper Green has dried a little, add shading here and there amongst trees with a stippling of Thundercloud Grey.
24. The large tree is completed with a varied application of colors. Paint in the tree as follows using the #6-Pointed Round and #2 Script Liner.
25. Apply Thundercloud Grey tree trunks.
26. Stipple in Juniper Green to the lower edges of the bough segments. One to two coats.
27. Over the top of the Juniper Green, stipple in Cool Blue.
28. Above the Cool Blue, stipple in White.
29. Again, Thundercloud Grey can be used for shading under the Juniper Green.
30. With the #2 Script Liner fully loaded with thinned Juniper Green, pull in fine lines of grasses throughout the foreground. These lines should be of varying lengths and amounts per cluster. Note how the lines are pulled out over the lower edge of the lake.
31. Thin Cobalt Jet Black to a light cream consistency and fully load the Script Liner. Proceed to detail the entire design with fine broken line work. The leafless trees are pulled in at this time. The more detailing the better, especially the large evergreen. This outlining will define the entire design.
32. Sign the piece.
33. Carefully stilt the ware and fire to shelf cone 06.
34. Remove stilt marks with Dremel Tool or Stilt Stone.