Winter Scene Ornament

Painting Instructions for Winter Scene Ornament

Title: Winter Scene

Medium: China Painting

Level: Beginner/Easy

Painting scenes using a wipeout tool feels similar to drawing or sketching. When time is limited and the need arises for a creative and quick gift this technique saves time and looks festive. Possibilities are limited only to your imagination. You could change the color scheme or maybe add some gold paint to the stars. Ann Cline sells gold paint. Ann Cline's address and order information is provided below. If you have questions regarding these instructions please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED:

CHINA PAINTS
- American Beauty
- Sevres Blue
  Substituting another darker blue will work.
  Gold Paint for Stars (Optional)
  Ann Cline is supplier for Gold paint. Ordering information is provided below.
BRUSHES--SABLE OR SQUIRREL
- #12 Flat Shader
- #8 Flat Shader
- #6 Flat Shader
- #4 Flat Shader
OTHER SUPPLIES
- Grinding Glass or Ceramic Tile
- Pallet Knife
- Pallet
  A pallet can be purchased from a supplier, i.e., Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas. Their address and telephone number is provided below. Also, an airtight tin can be used. Instructions are provided below for making a pallet from items found in your studio.
  Mineral Oil
  Denatured Alcohol or Glass Cleaner
  Lint Free Rags
  Old sheets or industrial strength blue paper towels and old t-shirts are suitable.
  Wipe Out Tool
  Open or Closed Oil
  Use oil/medium that you prefer when painting. Open Oil remains workable and does not dry. Closed Oil dries and cannot be re-worked.
  Porcelain Star Ornament
  SUPPLIER INFORMATION
  Mr. & Mrs. of Dallas, Inc.
  8428 Hwy. 121 N.
  Melissa, TX 75454
  E-Mail: mrandmrs@texoma.net
  Access their website at http://www.mrandmrsofdallas.com. Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas carries a complete line of china painting supplies as well as glass painting supplies. Call their toll-free number (800) 878-7528 to order your free catalogue.
  
  Gold Paint
  Ann Cline
  1318 E. Workman Ave.
  West Covina, CA 91790
  E-Mail: aclinestudio@anncline.com
  Access their website at http://www.anncline.com Ann Cline carries a complete line of china painting supplies. Call their telephone number at (626) 339-0555. Hours: 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.-7 p.m. (Pacific Time zone - 7 days a week) to order your free catalogue.
First Fire Instructions

Preparation:
Apply denatured alcohol or glass cleaner to the ornament and wipe off with a clean lint free cloth. Old sheets, t-shirts and industrial strength blue paper towels are suitable lint free choices for cleaning porcelain. You are ready to paint.
Assembling a Pallet:

When choosing a pallet for china painting, use a container that is airtight to keep the paint from drying out and collecting dust. Pallets can be purchased from suppliers, i.e., Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas, http://www.dallaschina.com however, many painters begin with a simple pallet constructed from items easily found in their studios. A cookie or candy tin like the special editions tin boxes released by Nestle or Hersheys companies can be used. Place a piece paper in the bottom of the tin box. Write the names of the paint colors on the paper. Insert a piece of glass on top of the paper. A frame shop will usually cut glass inexpensively for you.

Mixing China Paint:
China paint is usually a powder mixture packed in clear plastic or glass vials. Pour a small amount of powder out onto the grinding glass or a ceramic tile. Use an eyedropper or scoop a small amount of mineral oil onto your pallet knife and drop onto the china paint powder. Use the pallet knife to mix the paint. Mix thoroughly. If the paint is too runny, add more powder. Marci Blattenberger, co-owner of Porcelain Painters International Online, http://www.ppio.com, suggests scooping up paint that has too much oil and placing it on newsprint. The newsprint absorbs the extra oil in the paint. Continue mixing the paint on the newsprint until it is the right consistency. Scrape the paint up with your pallet knife and place on your pallet.
Marci Blattenberger has written an excellent article for beginners regarding the basic tools and techniques used for china painting. http://www.ppio.com/ppioclass/beglesson2/page_2.htm It is worth the time to visit this link and read this article.

Front Side Star:
Paint Sevres Blue and American Beauty onto the star. The paint doesn't need to be placed exactly like the photo. Use the picture as an approximate guideline. Let the paint rest for about ten minutes. Smooth out the paint using a #12 or #8 shader.
Wipeout the Design:
Use the photographs at the top of the page as your guides for the wipe outs. Using a chisel point wipe out tool, wipe out lines for the background mountains. Then wipe out buildings in foreground. Wipe out the details on the roofs, windows and doors. Carefully wipe out the shapes of trees and smoke exiting from the chimney's. Form the stars. Note that in one scene the stars were wiped out with outlines and on the other the stars were cleaned out down to the porcelain. These examples are provided for your reference. Choose the star forms you like the best. Use the #6 and #4 shader brushes (or even smaller square shader brushes) to shade the mountains and trees and smooth out any build up of paint. Don't over do the shading. Just enhance the areas of the mountains by pulling a little paint from the lighted areas to the shadow areas. Use the same technique on the buildings and trees.

You can also use a small stiff clean brush to wipe out areas. Dip your brush in Turpentine or Lavender Oil and blot the brush on your lint free cloth. The brush is very dry on this technique. Too much Turp or Lavender Oil on the brush will cause the paint to run or smear. Wipe out an area then clean the brush and apply another load of Turpentine or Lavender Oil and thoroughly blot again and repeat until the wipe outs are completed. A good place for this technique is along the roof lines, heavy snow build up on the branches and tops of mountain peaks.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the unpainted side of the ornament with denatured alcohol.

Fire:
Fire at 014. If you are familiar with firing hand-painted porcelain, there is no need to read further. If you are a beginner, it is important to note the following: Always place your porcelain on kiln furniture or stilts to keep the air circulating around the piece during the firing process. Air circulation is important to keep the piece from cracking or breaking. Use cones to determine whether or not your kiln is firing to the correct temperature. Every kiln has its own personality. Take notes each time you fire a piece. These notes will be come invaluable information as you practice firing your artwork.
Second Fire Instructions--Back Side of Ornament

Preparation:

Use the method provided in the first fire instructions to prepare and paint the the back of the ornament.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the backside of the ornament with denatured alcohol.

Fire:

Fire at 014

Third Fire Instructions--Details Front Side of Ornament

Front Side Ornament:

A third and fourth fire on this ornament may not be necessary. You might find that the ornament is finished. However, if the paint needs to be a little darker, repaint some of the areas to emphasize shading and form. It usually isn't necessary to repaint the entire piece when using this technique.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the back side of the ornament with denatured alcohol.

Fire:

Fire at 014. Enjoy your creation!

NOTE: Additional firing is subjective. If you feel that your ornament could use more color, paint and re-fire until you are satisfied with the results.

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Painting Instructions for Winter Scene Ornament

First Fire Instructions

Second Fire Instructions--Back Side of Ornament

Third Fire Instructions--Details Front Side of Ornament