Suitable greenware (Mold shown by Byron)
cleaning tools
Assortment of stiff bristled, flat brushes
Small detail brush
Oil Base Translucent Stains (Fashion Hues or Duncan Walnut, Duncan,Fash'nhues or Ceramichrome green, orange yellow)
Opaque Stain – (Duncan Goldenrod, black, white, yellow-gold)
Soft cloth
Mineral Spirit Thinner or Antiquing Solvent
Matte or Semi-matte spray fixative (Duncan, Gare or other)
Felt and glue
1. If you cast your own molds or your supplier can will do it for you, clay-lift the feathers along the edge of neck where they will be white while greenware is wet. This will give added dimension between the white ruff of the neck and the body of the bird.
2. When casting is thoroughly dry, clean the piece as normal and fire to cone 05-04
3. Using a stiff bristled brush that you have dampened in water, apply Goldenrod to the entire piece with the exception of the head and the tail. Paint the head/neck feathers tail with two coats of white stain.
4. Allow colors to dry completely.
5. Using a dry stiff bristled brush, apply a fairly heavy coat of Walnut antiquing over the entire piece. Let dry for several hours. It may be somewhat tacky, but will have a dull finish.
6. Using a soft lint free cloth (Tee shirts are wonderful for this), you will wipe away some of the antiquing. You do not want to take much off the feathers – body and wings – just enough to show the details and to create an even appearance. If needed, add a couple drops to your antiquing cloth and blot it well then use that area to continue wiping. When the body is as you want it, then add a small amount of Mineral Spirits to the cloth and again blot it. You will want to remove most of the antiquing from the tail and the head/neck area, but you still want some to remain in the details. You will repeat the process removing much of the antiquing from the stump and the feet. Let your piece dry.
7. Using a dry stiff bristled brush, take a small amount of green translucent and add a few streaks of green randomly to the stump. Use your soft cloth to then wipe most of it away. You are after just a hint of green, giving a mossy look.
8. Clean your brush then put a coat of yellow translucent on the beak and a coat of orange on the feet. You may need two coats, but you do not want solid coverage.
9. Using your small detail brush and golden-yellow stain, paint the eyes yellow. When dry, make a black half moon shaped pupil at the top of the eye. When that is dry, add a small white highlight to each pupil, just on the inside edge of the black. For one eye, this dot will be on the upper right side, and the other eye it will be on the upper left side. Let each color dry before layering another color.
10. Using a dry #6 or #8 white bristled flat brush, you will dry brush some black highlights to the wings. To do this, Work a small amount of black into your brush bristles and beginning at the outside edge of the feathers, pull the strokes toward the body of the bird leaving darker outside and a lighter feathery edge inside the wing. Repeat this ‘feathering’ along the tips on the underside of the wing as well as of the two inner rows of the underside of the wing. Also accent the brown feathers along the tail.
11. Spray a Matte or Semi-matte acrylic fixative to set your colors and protect them.
12. Cut a piece of felt to fit and glue it to the bottom of the piece to create a more professional finish.
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