Green Cone 6 Glaze Combinations

I decided to experiment with the results of how different green overglazes came out on pottery that had already been underglazed with various green underglazes. Glazing in ceramics is one of those things that requires lots of experimentation. So below is my process and results which can be referred to if you wish to recreate the colors that resulted from these combinations.

1. Amaco Velvet Underglazes: Light Green, Leaf Green, Dark Green
2. Amaco Overglazes: Light Green, Leaf Green, Chrome Green
3. Sax Gloss Glaze(Transparent Glaze)
4. Paint brushes
5. Stoneware clay

The first step is to create the pottery in which you will be glazing on. Since this instruction, focuses on the colors of glaze there isn't an in depth description of the actual pot fabrication. However, possible techniques to try include coil pots, pinch pots, thrown pots and slab draped bowls.

After creating the pots, it is important to underglaze them before the bisque firing. By underglazing them before bisque fire, you prevent the overglaze from smudging the underglaze when it's time to paint the overglaze on. The underglazes I chose to use were the Amaco Velvet Underglazes: Light Green, Leaf Green, Dark Green. All of the small cups I painted Dark Green. Then a series of medium pots I painted Leaf Green and one tall pot I painted Light Green.

*When underglazing you can choose whether or not to paint the inside. On most of my pots I chose not to so that I could compare the difference in overglaze appearance

Sgraffito is a technique used to create drawings in the clay during it's greenware stage. The photo attached is an example of some of the pieces that I did sgraffito on. While the clay is still leather hard and after it has been underglazed you can use any sharp clay tool to scratch off the underglaze and reveal the unpainted clay underneath. Once it is fired it will appear white while the rest of the clay will have a color.

*If firing using a short fire kiln make sure the pots have had significant time to dry out to prevent cracking in the kiln.

By this step you should have 3 different pots that have been underglazed with Dark Green. Overglaze one with Light Green(overglaze), one with Leaf Green(overglaze) and one with Chrome Green(overglaze). When overglazing it is important to do 3 coats especially with glazes like light green and leaf green, which run.

By this step you should have 3 different pots that have been underglazed with Leaf Green. Overglaze one with Light Green(overglaze), one with Leaf Green(overglaze) and one with Chrome Green(overglaze). When overglazing it is important to do 3 coats especially with glazes like light green and leaf green, which run.

Using the same three overglazes, section the pot into 3 areas and paint each one with a different glaze going from lighted to darkest. Then in order to achieve a blending affect, use a sponge to sponge on the glazes that share a border, crossing the border in little bits with each color.

These glazes should be fired at Cone 6 in a glaze firing and typically take overnight to finish. After firing they can be taken out and used to compare the different colors. Having these pots can be a great reference for future projects!