Expert: Leisha Hiester - 7/28/2008

Question
Hi,
Thanks so muchfor taking your time to help me!
It's been a few years since I have taught ceramics and I have a few questions. I know that clay can be painted before it it fired...I was wondering how long should i wait  between building and painting with underglazes? Also, how long after that can the pieces be fired?  Thanks again!

Answer
Barbara,
You're so welcome. I enjoy it so much. I Love, love, love underglazes because the ones on the market now are so versatile. I'm assuming  you're using low-fire? They're recommended to be applied to bone-dry greenware, but I've had success on practically wet clay. You, of course, have to let the entire piece dry to bone dry before you fire. Assuming the piece is bone dry, I've applied underglaze that morning and fired that day. As long as they're dry, go. It's easy to tell when they're dry because they quickly turn to a powdery look. Have fun. Leisha