View Larger Image "White Pines," 24 inches in height. Since creating her first raku mural, the author and artist has continued to look to her own experiences and environment for inspiration.

November 21, 2007

Designing, Creating and Glazing the Raku Wall Mural

by Barbara VanSickle | Read Comments (1)

In part one of "Making a Raku Mural" on Monday, author and artist Barbara VanSickle explained the intial preparation needed to design and create a wall mural using raku. Today, she continues the project, looking at transferring the design, the drying process, and glazing.

Transfer the Design
Lay the paper pattern on the slab, then using a blunt tool, such as the dull end of a wooden skewer, trace over the marker lines. When the template is removed, you will be able to use the incised lines as guides for adding any relief or textures. Trim the edges of your panel using a straightedge and a sharp, dry knife, then cut the panel into individual tiles (figure 5).

Create the Pieces
Arrange your cut tiles on a large board or table to form your mural and add any relief or impressed designs. Once you’ve completed all the additions, cut through any pieces that overlap from tile to tile. Clean up and smooth all edges.



Drying process
Cover the entire mural with plastic, and place sandbags strategically to keep the pieces as flat as possible during the drying phase.

Tip: I make sandbags by cutting up old sheets into 12-inch squares, then scoop sand onto them, bring the edges up and fasten them with rubber bands. They are a great tool to have around the studio (figure 6). Check on the mural daily as warping can be reduced by relocating the sandbags if you catch it right away. Once leather hard, turn the tiles over and recover with plastic to allow them to dry slowly (about a week in my studio). Remove the plastic, turn the tiles right side up, and give the work at least another day to dry before bisque firing.


Glazing
Reassemble all the pieces to form the mural before glazing. This makes it much easier to apply the glazes accurately. If you’re masking any areas, apply your tape or resist material. I prefer to use black graphic tape as it provides excellent contrast, and can easily be rearranged without leaving residue on the bisqued tiles. It also creates perfectly straight lines (figure 7). Apply glazes according to your original drawings. I prefer to brush them on by completing all of one glaze color at a time on the entire mural before moving to the next glaze (figure 8).

On Friday
Barbara wraps up her step-by-step guide for creating a raku wall mural, showing you her processes for raku firing and assembling the mural.

For More Information
Visit www.galacticglass.ca/barbara.html to see more of Barbara's work. Also, Barbara VanSickle's article, "Art on the Wall: Making a Raku Mural" from which today's feature is excerpted, can be found in its entirety in the handbook, Raku, Pit and Barrel: Firing Techniques, available in the Ceramic Arts Daily Bookstore.