How to Use Underglaze: Watercolor and Opaque Techniques 

BB Jo thanks! It definitely prolongs the production time but the final product is always what I look forward to in tutorials! I really appreciate the kind comment.

Lizzy is ur sleeping pills awww ☺️, Lizzy I’m so glad you found it helpful! It is my joy to pass on anything and everything I have learned. Good luck and happy New Year!! 🎊

Thank you so very much!

Thanks Anna! They love you too, and so do I :D

Cats*in*a*cradle Thank you so much!! I am creating another one on the creative process right now. I am new to RU-vid and am trying not to be a perfectionist, and I’m losing that battle 😂. I am hoping to finish it this month! Since I teach Art, Clay Sculpture and Pottery the videos will probably shift between those 3 subjects. I hope people don’t mind a variety! Thanks again!! 💗💗💗

Glad I could help!

Heather and Joe Garrison thank you so very much! 💗 your comment has made my day!!

You are so welcome! And thank you, it really means a lot that my video is helping people!

@Sylvia Hodgson thank you so much!

You’re so welcome, I hope it helps 💕

Donna Davies thanks so much!!

Ah, thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! And greetings from California

I am so glad, Tricia 💕

I am overjoyed! Thank you and happy underglazing!

Isabella Niven thanks baby

Thank you, Ivy :)

Thanks Cara! I'm so glad to help in any way and good luck with your watercolored designs!

You’re so welcome. Thanks for watching!

You are so welcom! :)

Sasa afshine Dear Sasa, thank you so much for your kind words 💜

I’m so glad and you’re so welcome! Thanks for the encouragement 💕

Darolyn Barber thank you! I’m so glad you found it helpful! 🥰🌞

Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, so much, for watching! 😋

Thank you so much! I'm so glad it was of use.

Such kind words, thank you!

I plan on making more drawing tutorials in future! Anyone can do it, when you know the right steps! Thanks for the sweet comment.

Thank you so very much! I'm so glad it is a help to you! I would love to see your work!

@@MissLinneaLark Thank you for your interest. I'm only an amateur and have only just started using underglazes so "my work" has some way to go!

@@miwhi2002 This video was actually my first time using a watercolor technique. I saw some pots I loved at Anthropologie and I so I tried to get a watercolor technique going. We all start somewhere! keep it up!

I usually enjoy bamboo watercolor brushes or the littlest, cheap detail brushes I can find.

Hi @WENDYCummings, I always fire underglaze before glaze because the gasses in the UG release during the firing and can cause glass bubbles if there is glaze on top.

Préséa some colors run thin as well. Our yellow is always a little blotchy. I use Amaco underglazes. I use their LUG brand white and their Velvet Underglazes for pretty much everything else. But each color reacts differently and it really takes time and practice getting to know each color and how it reacts. Our pink and amethyst are notorious for bad results. I mix all my pinks by hand. But I should also try other brands to find the best results. Good luck and I’m glad to help you where I can!

I am just getting back into underglaze since college. I was told that the underglaze can not be put on top of a glaze. Was the white you used an underglaze then? I have just gotten a set of 12 Amaco velvet colors, and then found Mayco Fundametal underglaze and would like to know if you can mix the 2 brands. Also, can each color be blended with another to create a different tone. @@MissLinneaLark

@@sondrahirssig6393 hi Sondra, underglaze can indeed ONLY go under glazes 😉. I mix Amaco underglazes all the time. Their LUG white is the best (I detest their velvet white, it bleeds and isn’t opaque). So you will prolly be ok? Maybe do a test first. I have tried to mix speedball and Amaco and that did not go well. I mix my own colors 100% of the time. I use little tubs with lids to organize them. I don’t love their purples and pinks and so I always mix them myself. Good luck and thanks for watching!!

Hi Erica, you can use amaco velvet underglazes with high fire. I have never done it but one of my students brought me an example once. The underglaze looks different at high fire so I would do some test tiles and see how you like it. And there is no need to clear overglaze unless it is for food ware or you want to. That’s because the clay will vitrify at that heat. My favorite underglaze brushes are Chineese calligraphy brushes because the are so absorbent. They make them in all sizes. But for fine details you might just use tiny cheap synthetic brushes. Their bristles are absorbent but also stiff so you can get a thin line.

linnea kokinos haha, always nice to meet another Linnea. I say that, but I’ve never really known another Linnea. I heard someone calling a Linnea in a store once. So nice to know there are more of us out there!

Bisqueware

Monica Mathyou I just use a plain hair dryer. But I don’t let it get too close and I am always careful to keep it moving because if underglazes dry too fast they crack. So glad you like the video

An underglaze is not food safe. You have to put a glaze over it and a higher fire glaze for it to be food safe. I don't know enough about your other questions to give you an answer. Maybe someone will come along that can answer them for you.

The easiest answer is that underglazes are totally fine to use with food ware but it must be covered with a glaze. I use Amaco’s clear matte. But their clear gloss is great as well. You can even cover it with a colored glaze but I tend to prefer a more transparent glaze so you can see the effects of the underglaze. For example… if you put down yellow UG and cover it with a transparent blue, you will have a more greenish blue as yellow and blue make green. 🤩 The velvet underglazes can be fired between cone 06-10! So you can use it on pretty much most types of clay. However the look, thickness and consistency changes at different heats. But give it a try. I do low fire only just because I only have one medium sized kiln and the faster firing times are good for our studio. The main thing to consider when using UG is that the clear glaze you cover it with is the same cone firing as the clay. If they are not the same cone firing they with expand and shrink at different rates and the glaze will “craze” which is when there are cracks all over the glaze. It is pretty, but will render your piece not food safe or waterproof. I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy the beauty of underglaze!! 🌞

Danette Riemer we fire at 05-04. All low fire. But the velvet underglazes work at high fire but with a different look. They look more like glaze when high fired. I have never fired ours that hot, however I’ve seen the effects and it’s kind of cool but very different.

Thank you! I’ll give it a try!

I work on clean 🧽 bisqueware.

Ok! I have been reading other comments and want to check my research. If I usually fire glaze to cone 5/6, then using underglazes, I would bisque fire my pots to cone 04, apply underglaze, bisque to cone 04, apply clear glaze and any other glazes, fire to cone 5/6. Is that correct?

@@stonecottagepotteryfarm3189 I have never done it, but yes! That’s how I would do it. 😁

Awe, another Linnea! Yay!

For white I use amaco LUG underglaze. Which is only low fire. You can get their velvet series but it’s always been kinda see through, so I don’t use it. But I use velvet for basically everything else.

you are so very welcome and thank you for the comment! I'm so glad to know you found it useful!

@@MissLinneaLark I am so grateful to you for taking the time to do this for others. One thing I learned that I had not known is, when using underglaze for design, one can apply the matte glaze on top with a brush. Brilliant! I often screw up the work I've done when I try to dip the pot into the glaze ;-(

@@shirleyzussman5823 you are soo welcome! as long as you fire the underglaze before applying clear glaze, you will be golden!

Hi Marci, the brushes are "Chinese Watercolor Brushes." Here's a set off of amazon: www.amazon.com/Professional-Chinese-Art-Brush-Paint/dp/B01FSAT372/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1TDS1587NAM6H&dchild=1&keywords=chinese+watercolor+brushes&qid=1601255203&sprefix=chinese+watercolor%2Caps%2C254&sr=8-6

All the underglazes are Amaco low fire underglazes. Good luck!

Tiffany Parker I’m using Amaco low fire clear matte glaze. The tricks are to: 1. keep it on the runny side by adding water 2. Strain it before every use 3. Apply one thin but full layer at a time. 4. Suck up any excess glaze that doesn’t dry quickly and starts to puddle. ESPECIALLY in carved areas or corners. 5. Wait for each layer to dry before you apply the next. 6. Only apply 3 layers 7. It’s recommended a firing at 05-04. 04 actually makes the glaze less cloudy. Just be careful because other low fire glazed will run at 04. Good luck!! Linnea

Absolutely! I use Amaco Clear Gloss glaze. It tends to go on thin so I always advise 4 coats. Gloss glazes rarely turn milky like matte glazes so it’s better to put them on a wee bit thicker. Good luck!

Tabitha Das hi! I am painting on bisqueware. You can apply it on greenware and that would save you a firing, the colors will look the same. Here is my process: Bisque Firing - Underglaze - Glaze Firing - Clear Glaze - Glaze Firing #2. You could also do: Underglaze Greenware - Bisque Firing - Clear Glaze - Glaze Firing. As a high school art teacher I decided that I would not allow my students to put underglaze on greenware/in Bisque Firings even though it's totally fine to do. The reason I made this rule is because there's always a kid who accidentally mixes up glaze and underglaze and that will cause problems, as you should never have glaze in a bisque firing. Just remember to always fire underglaze and then do a separate firing for glaze. This is because imperfections come out of the clay (and underglaze) during the first firing. When this happens, if you have glaze on the clay it will bubble up when the imperfections are released in the firing. This will cause bubbles and/or shards on your work. Hope this helps! I would love to see yours when you’re done!

@@MissLinneaLark Hello, can i put underglaze on bone dry wares? Cann i still sand the work after bisque firing to make surfaces nicer? Will the design get sand away?

Fang Xu absolutely! That sounds like an awesome technique.

Orgánica Bowls I have never made my own. But here is an article: ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/ceramic-supplies/ceramic-glazes-and-underglazes/make-underglaze-ceramics-studio/

You're welcome 😊

Amaco is a great brand. I order from Dick Blick, but you can prolly order online directly through Amaco. Sometimes you can get them through amazon. I usually prefer their Velvet Underglazes, but in some colors I prefer their LUG line (white is better with LUG). Also, they are meant to be used with lowfire clays and underglazes, but can be used with different results at different temps. Good luck and thanks for the interest!

I find there’s less chance of shivering when painting on bisqueware. So I usually bisque fire, paint on underglaze, fire again (underglaze can go in a bisque firing or glaze firing), glaze pot then glaze fire. So 3 firings in all. Hope that helps.

You could get it down to 2 firings total by underglazing your piece while it is greenware. Then you would just need to do 1 glaze firing of clear matte glaze.

thank you so much😘

@@MissLinneaLark did you put white underglaze on already bisque fired piece. Could you use white slip on greenware? Beautiful work and what a steady clean application!

@@xyzbakedgoods I did put white underglaze on bisqueware :D You can use underglaze or slip on greenware for similar effects. Good luck!

I am painting the design with underneath. After I fire the underglaze (colored clay), I put 3 coats of Amaco’s clear matte glaze. It goes on white but then becomes transparent when fired. I hope that helps. Thanks for the kind words. Good luck!

When clear glazed, white clay turns a creamy buff color. I don’t like it (just my preference) 😂 so I always start with white. But as far as the color theory of it goes you’d prolly be fine. But also this pot was red clay so I covered it with white first.

@@MissLinneaLark Oh my goodness. Thank you for the prompt response. This is really helpful. I am taking another pottery class in the new year and I definitely find I struggle to get things done in 3 hour blocks. So if I can save myself from doing 3 layers of white underglaze that would be helpful. I really appreciate your help.

I use low fire glazes and so my bisque firing and glaze firing are both to cone 05. As far as the glaze adhering to the underglaze, there is no difficulty there. Underglaze is just colored clay. When fired at low fire temperatures, underglaze doesn't vitrify, neither does the clay. So the clay and underglaze are both still porous and easy to apply glaze on top. At hotter temperatures clay and underglaze will vitrify and become waterproof. The only way to make low fire ware waterproof is to use glaze, which is what I do. I hope this helps!

Certainly does! hey, thanks a bunch for your prompt, expert reply :-) Now I see how it can happen, i'm mid-firing , glaze Cone 6. So cool of you!. Will check into more vids :-)

Olympe Silve thanks for the comment. Underglaze is clay based where glaze is glass based. Because of this, underglaze is not food practical or water/dust proof without clear glaze on top. This is because the ceramic will absorb and leak any liquid or moisture in your food and then start leaking through your pot. Lots of artists choose not to put clear glaze on top of sculptural work as an aesthetic choice, but not functional pieces as it would not be safe for furniture without the clear glaze (glass) on top. If you choose not to apply glaze it will have a chalky appearance. Also, the colors will stay a little lighter. Underglaze can be put on leather hard clay (green ware) or can be applied to bisque ware (ceramic, already been fired once). Underglaze is also recommended for low fire. In order for your pottery to be food safe you would have to use low fire clay with it or else you will get crazing (small cracks in the glaze everywhere). While crazing can be beautiful, it renders the piece not food safe because it will absorb and leak water or liquids. You can get clear matte or clear gloss glaze. I tend to use the clear matte. I like that it is less reflective. Clear matte glaze should be applied in 3 light but full layers. If the matte glaze is applied too thick it can leave a while cloudy look. Almost like how school glue dries when too thick. Clear gloss is very easy to apply. Because Underglaze is clay based you can put it on the bottom without it sticking to the shelf. But this can be nerve wrecking for the kiln operator because they will be unlikely to tell if it is underglaze or glaze. Mistakes can easily happen and sometimes my students don’t pay attention to what they are doing and put glaze on the bottom. So I won’t fire anything on the bottom of any pieces. I hope this helps! I love the control and the illustrative quality underglaze allows me to decorate with. I am able to execute crisp and clear line work and edges without bleeding or fusing of colors. Good luck!!

@@MissLinneaLark thank you so much for this detailed answer !

@@MissLinneaLark yes, thank you!

Would it be ok/food safe to underglaze an entire mug (and even leave some exposed clay) and then only glaze the inside and lip which contact liquid? I fire to cone 6.

mokachino26 yes! As long as your lips or food don't interact with the not glazed portions.

It is earthenware, you can totally use it. If you do not want your base coat to be patchy, 3 coats are necessary. I have been lazy and tried 2 coats and always regret it! The watercolor effect can have any amount of layers. If you only place one layer down, it will be barely there. In this video some of the petals have areas of only one coat. You can layer as much as you like, but if you put a ton of layers down, eventually it will look solid(opaque) and not transparent like the watercolor techniques. On my pot, the areas of darker colors have more layers and look less transparent because there is more and more pigment (underglaze) in those areas. I hope this helps! In the next few days I will be putting out another vid on underglazing. It will prolly help. Good luck!

@@MissLinneaLark thank you!!! you are very kind!

Hi Colleen, underglaze and glaze are very different. Glaze is liquid glass and underglaze is colored clay. Because underglaze is clay based you can use it on greenware (leather hard or bone dry clay forms) or on bisqueware (already fired once). I usually choose to underglaze on bisquware because it is hard. It seems like anytime I try to underglaze greenware I end up breaking or chipping it. Bummer! In this video I had already bisque fired the vase. Glaze should only be used on bisqueware! If a piece is going to explode or break it usually happens during the first/bisque firing. If a piece has glaze on it and it explodes the glazed shards will attach themselves to other pieces in the blast radius. So only use glaze on already fired work. This happens because the glass in the glaze gets cherry hot and will attach to anything it touches. Also, the first lines are just pencil which will burn out when you fire it again. Good luck!

Great questions! 1. Some colors and brands are harder to get opacity. If your underglaze is really thin I would leave the cap off for a few hours or until it thickens up. That can help cut down on the thinness, which makes it more opaque. I find yellow to usually run thin. Darker colors are harder to cover up than lighter colors, and lighter colors can be more transparent. I would experiment and get a handle on how your colors work with each other. As far as brands go, I usually like Amacos's Velvet Underglazes. But for whatever reason I have had bad luck with their white not going on solid and opaque. I prefer Amaco's LUG brand for my whites, as I have found it to be less splotchy. Also, if you start with a color other than white, you will have to careful with which colors you layer on them or you will get a muddy mess. Avoid layering complimentary colors as they usually result in brown or gray when layered or mixed. 2. Underglaze, when applied with 3 regular layers will result in complete opacity. So if you are using quality underglazes you will not be able to see through it. If you just "watercolor" or only apply watered down underglaze you should be able to see the speckles, which sounds lovely. I have never tried. I have also seen people mimic speckles by using a toothbrush to splatter underglaze on top. I hope this helps and I wish you luck! I would LOVE to see your creations! Linnea

Miss Linnea Lark thank you for your swift and thoughtful answers! I usually Sgraffito out the area of the background color I am going to apply a different color to and was considering a short cut since your white did not show through buuuuuut, will play it safe as I have made an entire set of dinnerware FOR MYSELF and don’t want to take any chances! After 20 years of potting, I finally did the thing potters always say they are going to do but never do-full 8 dinner plates, salad plates, small bread plates, soup bowls, cereal bowls, cups, and saucers! AND, don’t plan to gift these pieces, as I somehow always end up doing with my nicest work. I’ve kept them humidity controlled and wrapped in plastic at leather hard and am about to begin the design portion. I do mandalas on my work and usually carve the design or outline in a single color raised slip but since these will be for everyday use am foregoing the raised edges to avoid future chips. It will be a while before I am done (an understatement), but will send you pics of the finished pieces. I found this great speckled Laguna clay I’ve been using for a few years and love it! I haven’t done any underglaze work with it yet, so didn’t know that answer-was hoping to cut out a few test tile steps if you knew that answer, but will experiment accordingly. So, I’ll let you know what happens. Our kitchen and dining room are both yellow and red combinations so I’ll be doing a yellow background with mostly deep red pattern with some complimentary colors as accents-sort of a take on the old Terre e Provence pieces before they became Souleo and switched to that white clay that washed out all the beauty of the old pieces. Sigh.... I also use Amaco velvet underglaze and expect the shipment of my array of colors tomorrow. Wish me luck and I can’t wait to show you the final product! Thanks for all your help!

Cynthia Rickman WOW!! I cannot wait to see the finished product! Promise to send me a pic of your table set! I love when rooms match in colors. When I toured Monet’s home I was struck by his yellow dining room and blue kitchen and how everything in it matched but still looked elegant. It sounds like your set will be lovely in your dining room and you have a gorgeous design in mind. Thank you so much for sharing!

Corinna Amco underglazes can be applied on greenware or bisquware!

Charalambos Kouloumis, hello! You can totally do that. The matte clear glaze tends to go on too thick if you dip it. It’s a temperamental glaze and fires milky if applied too thick. Also, our school is small and doesn’t currently have room for buckets of glaze. If you decide to use clear gloss glaze, dip away!

It is Amaco Underglaze!

@@MissLinneaLark tnx👍

Either will work, but this is on bisquware.

I started on bisqueware fired to 05. Then underglazed and fired again to 05. The clear glazed and fired again to 05. 100% low fire. But you need to be sure your clay and clear glaze is both low fire or else you can have problems with crazing or shivering.

Also, make sure you're firing to cone 04 or 05, rather than 4 or 5 (ceramicartsnetwork.org/images/default-source/uploadedimages/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/kilnfiringchart.jpg?sfvrsn=ec095b44_0)

You’re welcome, Laura! I have never had issues with too many layers and I do a LOT of layers! Just make sure you wash off any dust before you begin.

Correct! You can underglaze on greenware also. And that would be 2 firings.

Amaco Transparent Matte

bonnie garson You can do it on either. But I did it on bisqueware.

You need to fire underglaze and glaze separately because the underglaze is clay based and all the gas and impurities release in the first firing. If you have glaze on top and are firing both together, you will get little air bubbles in the glaze that often times pop and are little shards of glass. If you want to get 2 firings the only way to do that is to put underglaze on your greenware. That will take care of the bisque and the underglaze and then all you need is a glaze firing. Just be careful you don’t roughly handle and snap your greenware. Hope this helps! Good luck!

@@MissLinneaLark thanks! If I'm using the underglaze as a thin wash for shading, could I get away with it? Would Stroke and Coat work under clear glaze?

@@DonaldDrennan if it is very thin, maybe. Sometimes I risk it 😎 and sometimes it back fires.

It is bisque ware, it had already been fired once. :)

Raylene Gardner thanks Raylene! I’m gettin so much shade on the music 😂 I really appreciate your helpful comments and look forward to improving in future. Seriously, thanks for your help!

Fang Xu 👋 you should fire underglaze before applying glaze on top. There are impurities that come out and bubble up the glaze when fired together. Also, you can totally sand your work! Just be sure to wash the dust off before applying underglaze or glazes. The dust can cause the glaze to detach. Good luck!

@@MissLinneaLark what happen if i alr fired the underglaze, can i still sand the bisque work that alr have underglaze on it?

Fang Xu you can! However it will thin the underglaze and could strip it. But that could make some cool textures!

hahaha and I shall go down in history as the messiest teacher desk of all time!

It is white underglaze painted on bisqueware :D

You can start with either. But in this video I am painting on bisqueware.

yes, it had already been fired :D

The colors are Amaco Velvet Underglazes and the white is Amaco LUG underglazes. Both are underglaze and work the same way. I just find that the white LUG is less patchy and so I prefer it over the white velvet underglaze.

@@MissLinneaLark Thank you for answering 😁

Monica Mathyou yes! I do that often. However I find that the colors do not match after a firing, even if you use the exact same underglaze. Depending on how exact you want your design, it might be wise to recover completely. Good luck!

Bisqueware

😂 this was my first video tutorial and your music suggestions have been hopefully fixed! It’s the one constant bad criticism I get on here. Lol In my experience, you can easily put underglaze on greenware… however 8/10 times students try it they break their pots because they forget how brittle it is 🫣. When clay goes through it’s first firing, it releases a lot of gas as it burns out of the clay. Underglaze is made of clay and will do the same thing. If you have glaze on top then it can create glass bubbles on the body of your work. You could probably fix this with your firing, maybe make it longer, but for a school environment and the amount of work we have to produce, it just doesn’t make sense. Also, longer firings could cause other issues with glazes running, etc. I never let my kiddos fire underglaze & glaze at the same time on the same pot. Hope this helps 😄

Yes, however I hate the velvet white so I use the LUG white.

Bisqueware

Low fire for both

Miss Linnea Lark what’s the clay body? I personally only work in porcelain, cone 06.

@@raquelasandino5825 It's called Spirit White. It is a lowfire stoneware clay body. The underglazes are made for lowfire. www.clayimco.com/product/spirit-white-leslie-ceramic/2

I use Chineese calligraphy brushes because they hold so much. But for small details I use cheap synthetic brushes that you buy in a pack. Sometimes I get paint brushes made for nail art because they are cheap and fine. Hope that helps 💕

Hi Ayesha, you can use gouache, acrylic, latex, etc. I love the feeling of painting with these mediums on bisqueware. It feel almost like painting on plaster. However it would just be for decorative purposes, and would not be food safe. And would not be up to hard cleaning and soaking. Hope this helps!

Thank you Miss Linnea , I am so happy you cleared my mind on paints.

Bisqueware 🤩

@@MissLinneaLark Thank you!

It is! 🌞

@@MissLinneaLark Thank you! Do you draw on green or bisquette clay?

@@feelofclay you can work on either, but I usually choose to work on bisquware so I don’t have to be as gentle.

@@MissLinneaLark 😀👍🔥