I have been making pottery for a very long time and have tried myriad surface decoration techniques over the years. I discovered cuerda seca about 15 years ago and have since been experimenting with the process. I love to draw and this technique enables me to create distinct lines and images on my pottery surfaces.
The cuerda seca technique was developed in the Middle East in the 1400s to facilitate tile decorating. The meaning of cuerda seca is “dry cord,” as the result of this process leaves a dry line on the pottery that delineates the pattern and runs between glazed areas. The original technique used an oil and stain mixture to create the lines. The oil repelled the glaze and helped it stay within the lines. Today we can use a variety of wax-resist products to do this. Cuerda seca has been adopted by ceramic artists around the world, most particularly during the Arts and Crafts Movement around 1900. It is being used today on tiles and pots in many parts of the world.
Getting Started
To try out cuerda seca, you will need a bisque-fired piece of pottery, a hard pencil (H), an applicator bottle of wax resist with a tiny tip, and applicator bottles with glazes.
You can use cuerda seca on any clay body, but be careful to select glazes that do not run when fired to maturity. I find that, in general, lower-temperature glazes tend to move less than high-temperature glazes.
For your first piece or two, try working on a tile or plate so you can get used to the process. When figuring out a design to use, I recommend not making the areas to be filled with glaze too small. The wax (especially clear) will spread a bit and the areas inside your lines are going to shrink. Draw your design on your bisque tile or pot with a hard drawing pencil (1). Mistake lines can be removed with a moist sponge. Any remaining ghost lines will burn off during firing.
When you have finished your drawing, take a damp sponge and lightly wipe/dab the bisqueware to make sure there are no graphite bits on the surface (2). Your drawing will still show.
Wax-Resist Lines
Take an applicator bottle with an 18-gauge tip and fill it with black wax resist (see A). Ideally, the wax should be thick enough that it stays in a bead when applied and does not run. When using clear resist, which tends to spread, thicken it using CMC gum. Tip: Practice applying the resist on a piece of paper before using it on your piece. Then, begin following your drawn lines (3). I most often use black wax resist. When the resist is fired, the wax burns off and leaves a dry black line, which I like the look of.
Once you have finished applying the wax resist over the drawn lines, set the piece aside and allow the wax to dry (4).
Glaze Application
Now for the fun part—applying the glaze! Any glaze that does not move during firing is fine for this technique. If working on a flat surface, almost any glaze will work. First, you need to prep your applicator bottles. I use plastic applicator bottles just like the one used for the wax resist but with different gauge tips for covering different-sized areas (see B). I use an 18-gauge tip most often for drawing resist lines and filling small areas with glaze. For medium-sized areas, I use a 16-gauge tip for glazing. I use a 14-gauge tip to glaze very large areas.
It is a good idea to screen your glazes and resist before putting them into the applicator bottles. This can be done with a small 80-mesh sieve. This will make your resist and glazes super smooth with no bits to clog up the small tips.
The glaze should be fairly thick so it will not run during the application. If it is too thick (very hard to squeeze out), you can thin it with a few drops of water. If the glaze is too thin and runny, let the container of glaze sit for one to several days so that excess water can rise to the top. Decant that water off with a syringe and try again.
Squeeze out a bead of glaze that will cover the surface in one go. Be careful not to overfill areas as glaze will spill over into adjacent areas. As you are applying the glaze, squeeze it out near the resist lines (5). The resist will keep the glaze from going beyond the enclosed area. Use the applicator tip to push the glaze around, filling open areas (6), and moving it into tight places. The glazed areas in between the lines will look raised. Once the piece is fired, this is still apparent and gives your piece a nice soft texture.
If you are working on a 3D pot, work on your piece horizontally, a small section at a time. This is a slow process—don’t try to rush it or your glaze will run all over the place. Have several pieces going at one time so you can go back and forth as each piece is drying naturally.
As you work, the glaze may go over the wax-resist lines, especially in tight areas (7). Fix these mistakes using a sharp pencil to scratch the waxy lines and scrape away excess glaze (8). This is most effective when the glaze has dried partway, but not all the way. If the glaze is completely dry, it will be very hard to scrape it off the lines without chipping the glaze. Use an X-Acto knife to help remove dried glaze. This cleanup is important because any glaze left on top of the wax lines will remain after the wax has burned off.
After you have filled all of the smaller shapes and areas with glaze, and have allowed the glaze to dry, work on filling in the background (9).
When all the areas are finally glazed, you can add small details, such as dots and lines to your piece (10).
Glaze fire your completely glazed piece to the appropriate temperature. I fire my work to cone 5 with a 25-minute hold.
Troubleshooting
If you do encounter a blockage, use a 2–3-inch (5.1–7.6 cm) piece of green floral wire to clear the applicator tip (see C). If this doesn’t work, unscrew the tip and clear it under running water, using the wire to aid in dislodging the blockage.
When the applicator bottles are not in use, keep the tip cover on (see D). This will keep the wax resist and glazes from drying out inside the small tip. When your applicator bottles are not being used for a while, clean each tip thoroughly before putting them away. This is tedious but very important. A metal tip with dried wax resist or glaze in it is very difficult to clean.
Leslie Messersmith attended ceramic classes at a community college and then was trained through a 4-year apprenticeship in North Carolina at Teague Pottery. She subsequently earned a BA in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been producing pottery and teaching for 40+ years and has shown her work in numerous craft shows, galleries, museum gift shops, and regional and national juried exhibits. She gives weekend workshops at various locations in Virginia, including her home studio. To see more, visit www.locusthillpottery.com.
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I have been making pottery for a very long time and have tried myriad surface decoration techniques over the years. I discovered cuerda seca about 15 years ago and have since been experimenting with the process. I love to draw and this technique enables me to create distinct lines and images on my pottery surfaces.
The cuerda seca technique was developed in the Middle East in the 1400s to facilitate tile decorating. The meaning of cuerda seca is “dry cord,” as the result of this process leaves a dry line on the pottery that delineates the pattern and runs between glazed areas. The original technique used an oil and stain mixture to create the lines. The oil repelled the glaze and helped it stay within the lines. Today we can use a variety of wax-resist products to do this. Cuerda seca has been adopted by ceramic artists around the world, most particularly during the Arts and Crafts Movement around 1900. It is being used today on tiles and pots in many parts of the world.
Getting Started
To try out cuerda seca, you will need a bisque-fired piece of pottery, a hard pencil (H), an applicator bottle of wax resist with a tiny tip, and applicator bottles with glazes.
You can use cuerda seca on any clay body, but be careful to select glazes that do not run when fired to maturity. I find that, in general, lower-temperature glazes tend to move less than high-temperature glazes.
For your first piece or two, try working on a tile or plate so you can get used to the process. When figuring out a design to use, I recommend not making the areas to be filled with glaze too small. The wax (especially clear) will spread a bit and the areas inside your lines are going to shrink. Draw your design on your bisque tile or pot with a hard drawing pencil (1). Mistake lines can be removed with a moist sponge. Any remaining ghost lines will burn off during firing.
When you have finished your drawing, take a damp sponge and lightly wipe/dab the bisqueware to make sure there are no graphite bits on the surface (2). Your drawing will still show.
Wax-Resist Lines
Take an applicator bottle with an 18-gauge tip and fill it with black wax resist (see A). Ideally, the wax should be thick enough that it stays in a bead when applied and does not run. When using clear resist, which tends to spread, thicken it using CMC gum. Tip: Practice applying the resist on a piece of paper before using it on your piece. Then, begin following your drawn lines (3). I most often use black wax resist. When the resist is fired, the wax burns off and leaves a dry black line, which I like the look of.
Once you have finished applying the wax resist over the drawn lines, set the piece aside and allow the wax to dry (4).
Glaze Application
Now for the fun part—applying the glaze! Any glaze that does not move during firing is fine for this technique. If working on a flat surface, almost any glaze will work. First, you need to prep your applicator bottles. I use plastic applicator bottles just like the one used for the wax resist but with different gauge tips for covering different-sized areas (see B). I use an 18-gauge tip most often for drawing resist lines and filling small areas with glaze. For medium-sized areas, I use a 16-gauge tip for glazing. I use a 14-gauge tip to glaze very large areas.
It is a good idea to screen your glazes and resist before putting them into the applicator bottles. This can be done with a small 80-mesh sieve. This will make your resist and glazes super smooth with no bits to clog up the small tips.
The glaze should be fairly thick so it will not run during the application. If it is too thick (very hard to squeeze out), you can thin it with a few drops of water. If the glaze is too thin and runny, let the container of glaze sit for one to several days so that excess water can rise to the top. Decant that water off with a syringe and try again.
Squeeze out a bead of glaze that will cover the surface in one go. Be careful not to overfill areas as glaze will spill over into adjacent areas. As you are applying the glaze, squeeze it out near the resist lines (5). The resist will keep the glaze from going beyond the enclosed area. Use the applicator tip to push the glaze around, filling open areas (6), and moving it into tight places. The glazed areas in between the lines will look raised. Once the piece is fired, this is still apparent and gives your piece a nice soft texture.
If you are working on a 3D pot, work on your piece horizontally, a small section at a time. This is a slow process—don’t try to rush it or your glaze will run all over the place. Have several pieces going at one time so you can go back and forth as each piece is drying naturally.
As you work, the glaze may go over the wax-resist lines, especially in tight areas (7). Fix these mistakes using a sharp pencil to scratch the waxy lines and scrape away excess glaze (8). This is most effective when the glaze has dried partway, but not all the way. If the glaze is completely dry, it will be very hard to scrape it off the lines without chipping the glaze. Use an X-Acto knife to help remove dried glaze. This cleanup is important because any glaze left on top of the wax lines will remain after the wax has burned off.
After you have filled all of the smaller shapes and areas with glaze, and have allowed the glaze to dry, work on filling in the background (9).
When all the areas are finally glazed, you can add small details, such as dots and lines to your piece (10).
Glaze fire your completely glazed piece to the appropriate temperature. I fire my work to cone 5 with a 25-minute hold.
Troubleshooting
If you do encounter a blockage, use a 2–3-inch (5.1–7.6 cm) piece of green floral wire to clear the applicator tip (see C). If this doesn’t work, unscrew the tip and clear it under running water, using the wire to aid in dislodging the blockage.
When the applicator bottles are not in use, keep the tip cover on (see D). This will keep the wax resist and glazes from drying out inside the small tip. When your applicator bottles are not being used for a while, clean each tip thoroughly before putting them away. This is tedious but very important. A metal tip with dried wax resist or glaze in it is very difficult to clean.
Leslie Messersmith attended ceramic classes at a community college and then was trained through a 4-year apprenticeship in North Carolina at Teague Pottery. She subsequently earned a BA in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been producing pottery and teaching for 40+ years and has shown her work in numerous craft shows, galleries, museum gift shops, and regional and national juried exhibits. She gives weekend workshops at various locations in Virginia, including her home studio. To see more, visit www.locusthillpottery.com.
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