Screen Printing on Ceramics

This week I’m on a countdown, myself and my beads will be travelling down to Uttoxeter race course next Thursday to take part in the UK Flame Off. It’s a fantastic show full of everything a bead maker could desire and is a great chance to shop, sell and spend time with friends. 

So all I’ve been doing since we last met is making beads, making beads and making more beads. Today I thought I’d show you my new favourite technique.

Exciting new techniques!

If you’ve followed my posts here on the blog, you may have spotted that I love surface design, and I’ve been working hard to create my own style using the results of lots of experiments. My goal was to create beads with images on them. I love to sketch and wanted to try out putting some of my drawings on to my raku beads and pendants. 

I really enjoy the process of creating, but I’m very impatient. I want quick results that I can easily repeat. So after becoming frustrated with trying to paint designs, I decided to try out screen printing. 

Sketches

The designs were transferred from my sketch book to my computer and I printed a transparency. 

Laser printed transparency

The screen is prepared with a light sensitive emulsion, the transparency is placed over it, and the whole thing is exposed to a bright light for a few minutes.

Exposing the screen

The screen is then washed out and the unexposed areas of the screen are revealed with the design.

All is revealed

I mixed up some ink using black stain, and printed on to tissue paper.

Tissue transfer prints drying

The transfers were cut from the paper and pressed on to clay shapes to make pendants and beads.

Transferring the image

And after bisque firing, they were glazed and raku fired.

Finished screen printed beads & pendants

And a few re-fired with precious metal lustres.

Lustre fired beads

I love how they turned out and I can't wait to make more, I need to get back to sketching... I just have to make a few more beads!