Duncan still makes and sells the original Cover Coat underglaze that is used to paint greenware utility pieces. One usually finishes the piece with clear gloss glaze after the first firing, but that is not always the case. Cover Coats are used for “solid three-coat coverage on greenware”.

Duncan still makes and sells E-Z Stroke translucent underglazes. They are also used on greenware but can be used on bisque. These paints give a watercolor effect which is especially nice for flower petals and leaves.

So how are Concepts different?

Concepts Underglaze for bisque

“The first coat is translucent. The second is semi-opaque. The third is opaque. Normal use is to apply 1-3 coats on bisque, let dry and cover with two coats of your favorite clear glaze.

Use them as  Majolica paints on top of unfired non-moving opaque white or light covered glaze. No need to clear glaze as Concepts are shiny when fired. Try using them on tile, at cone 6 (on appropriate clay), in a spray bottle, these paints are versatile.”

In your Grandma’s day

(and when we first got started), ceramic studios provided greenware which each student cleaned themselves. Then they painted designs with underglazes before the greenware was fired. In today’s ceramic world, most students purchase bisque–that is, greenware that has already been cleaned and fired. This can be in a traditional studio (such as ours), a PYOP (paint your own pottery) store, or ordered online. Because of this change from greenware to bisque, a new product was needed. So Duncan developed a product called CONCEPTS which is used on bisque. Other companies have developed their own product.

Carol’s Carousel Ceramic Studio

Some of you have learned how to use Concepts with silkscreens. We have another silkscreen workshop coming up where we apply designs to a plain teapot. Mine is still in process but I used fall flowers and a few butterflies. (You don’t have to do a teapot.)

This week’s workshop uses Concepts to do marbleizing. It is applied over an unfired glaze and several different colors are swirled together to give a marble effect. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday evening’s class but you can request that it be done at another time if that does not suit your schedule.

Concepts and Rubber Stamps is another technique that we used in a Kids Krafts class. Besides rubber stamp designs, we also have several sizes of letters in case you want to add a saying or a name to your piece. This is a good way to personalize items, especially for gifts.

Sponging Concepts is how I like to add a background or border when using silkscreens or stamps. It helps to complete the picture.

Brushwork with Concepts is offered in several workshops including the Beautiful Butterflies from last week. The design is transferred onto the piece using clay carbon, then you get to be a real artist when painting the design. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you can do and we have lots of Club David designs to choose from.

In general, underglazes are used to add detail to a utility piece that is going to be glazed. Pieces  that must be glazed are cups and bowls used to serve or eat food, ashtrays, and vases or pitchers that hold water. Glazed pieces are microwave and dishwasher sage.

Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

So come and learn a new technique.
We stock a complete selection of Concepts
and can  get the other underglazes upon request.