Ceramics

• Greenware teapot, sugar pot and milk jug – can be purchased from The SeedPod Studio
• Clay & slip
• Pottery Tools, Paint Brushes, sponge, Sgraffito tool & Stylus
• Underglaze Paint in the following colours: Aqua, Mist Grey, Peacock, Lily, Brown, Red, Pink, Yellow & Black.
• Protea design or other design of your choice

• Step 1:Start with your Greenware items. They are very delicate, so remember to handle them with care. Place the picture of the Protea onto the teapot. Using a stylus, trace the image onto the teapot, applying a bit of pressure. Repeat this process on the other items. You can use any image, there are many online or use gift wrap.
• Step 2:Use your hands to mold small clay birds and attach them to the top of the lids on all 3 items. Score the top of the lids and the base of the birds. Using slip (a runny version of the clay), moisten these 2 areas and ‘stick’ the birds to the tops of the lids. 
  
• Step 3:Clean up around the area using a wet paint brush or small sponge.
• Step 4: Now start to paint the background of all 3 items, using duck egg blue, use a large paintbrush to create wide, random strokes to make the background look more natural.
• Step 5: Use broad, random strokes of white on the background to create a more mottled affect over the Duck Egg Blue colour.
• Step 6:Use a smaller brush to paint the Protea in a combination of red, white, lily and yellow. For the leaves use lily green and dark green, with an outline of red. For the stem use chestnut and ochre as per design.
• Step 7: Paint the birds in the same red as the Protea and also do a white wash on the heads and tails. Beak, eyes and wings are done using a fine paintbrush and black outline.
• Step 8:Use your stylus or carving tool to carve through some of the harsh black outlines. This shows a close up of the Protea and leaves where you can see how the sgraffito actually scratches through the paint to reveal some of the clay colour underneath.
• Step 9:This shows a close up of the Protea and leaves where you can see how the sgraffito actually scratches through the paint to reveal some of the clay colour underneath.
• Step 10:This gives a much more natural and ‘free’ look to the design and also helps with any imperfections that may have occurred when doing the outlining (too thick lines or mistaken splodges etc.).
• Step 11:Once you are satisfied with your paint work, take the ceramic items to be glazed & fired at The SeedPod studio or a ceramic studio near you.

>>PDF Download – Tea Set – InstructionTemplate

• Wooden Tray
• White PVA paint, Gel Medium, Clear wax & Varnish
• Chalk Paint in Sea Foam Green
• Assorted Pictures

• Step 1: To start, paint your tray with the white PVA paint. Once it has dried, rub wax onto the areas where you would like the white to eventually show through.
• Step 2: Paint the entire tray in Sea Foam Green chalk paint and allow it to dry.
• Step 3: Use sand paper, to sand the areas you applied the wax onto. This will expose the white areas.
• Step 4: Start planning your collage background on another blank tray of the same size. This will make transferring the images onto your project tray much easier.
• Step 5: Start moving your collage images over and stick them onto the tray. Apply gel medium, using a paint brush, to the back of the pictures and then place them onto the tray.
• Step 6: If there are air bubbles, just use your fingers to gently push them out.
• Step 7: Once the Gel Medium is dry, you can finish off the tray by applying a coat of varnish over your collage. Apply one more layer of wax over the wooden parts of the tray, to protect it.
  

>> PDF Download – Tea Tray – Instruction Template