Project by Aimee Bachna from Westlake, Ohio.
Drawing and painting has been Aimee's "thing" for as long as she could remember. She took art classes throughout high school, but it was the lure of a boy attending the Cleveland Institute of Art that really motivated her artwork. A number of art classes later, Aimee was not only submitting her paintings to shows, but winning honors for her work, as well. Nowadays, when this stay-at-home mom isn't busy with her family, she's making ceramic signature and memory plates for weddings and special occasions. Photographing and printing images of the plates for potential orders, however, is what led her to the discovery of waterslide decals. That prompted a clever way for Aimee to transfer her own paintings onto wooden and ceramic tile trivets.
Materials:
watercolor paper
watercolor paints
pencil
black marker
scanner
water-slide decal paper
color printer
Krylon triple-thick crystal clear glaze
slip
4" tile mold
kiln
frame to house tile
underglaze (choice of color)
clear overglaze
bowl of warm water
scissors
soft cloth
squeegee
Krylon UV-resistant clear acrylic coating
acrylic paint for frame
Tacky glue
Steps:
1. To create the tile: Pour slip into mold and let dry for approximately 48 hours.
2. Fire in kiln to create a bisque tile.
3. Paint the bisque tile with an underglaze color. Apply once for a light color or three times for a darker color. When dry, apply the clear over glaze. Let dry.
4. Fire in kiln (approximately 4 hours). Wait until the next day before removing from kiln.
5. To create the decal: Sketch design with pencil on watercolor paper and then paint with watercolor paints.
6. Apply words "hot chile" using a marker. Scan the design into your computer and open it in a photo program to resize the image to fit a 4-inch-square tile.
7. Print the item onto a waterslide decal (inkjet or laser) paper.
8. Spray the decal twice with triple-thick crystal clear glaze, waiting 1 hour between applications. Be sure to use in a well-ventilated room and use safety equipment.
9. Once dry, cut out the decal using scissors.
10. Fill a bowl with warm water; place the decal in the water design-side down; and wait 1 minute. Remove the decal from the backing and place the decal onto the fired tile.
11. Using a squeegee and soft cloth, remove any bubbles from the decal.
12. Wait 12 hours; spray the tile once with a UV-resistant clear acrylic coating.
13. To complete the project, paint the frame using acrylic paints.
14. Apply glue to the inside of the frame and place the tile into the frame.
Note: For safety reasons, these trivets are for display only and should not come in contact with food.
Website: www.signatureplates.com
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