2 level hydro-abrasion

I got impatient while waiting for the previous attempt at hydro-abrasion to be fired. So I started on the next project. The aim of this one is to create some depth in the design by applying the shellac, removing the clay, then repeating.

Step 1: design. I used a medallion motif from a broken plate. I don’t like the central design on the plate but I thought the medallions were charming. The leaves are a common motif of the time.

1200s, Seljuk. Iran or Syria. Cleveland Art Museum 1915.590.

This is the design after the first layer of shellac. I love the golden tone!

I used a scalpel to trim away unwanted shellac before abraiding. It is really important to angle the blade away from the shellac so it isn’t under cut. I found some of the thicker areas tore if I wasn’t careful. This is probably because this isn’t a new knife blade and may be a little dull.

This is the cup after the second layer has been applied and a raised. As you can see, I shadowed the outer loop with a second layer and added a small arrow leaf in the middle / top. For comparison the two medallions on the bottom haven’t been a raised yet.

With 8 design elements to raise, I found was really important to stop and let the cup dry after every 2-3 items. Otherwise the rim was absorbing a lot of the water and getting squishy.

This dark blue glaze was very thick and it took forever to dry. As you can see it's reasonably runny so it pools nicely in little pockets. I do need to be aware of it along the foot though as it threatens to spill over and cement my piece to the kiln shelf. I'm really happy with how this came out even though I wanted the second, lower level to hold more glaze.