China Painting Techniques

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To use the correct terminology, we should call what we do "BISQUE PAINTING". Bisque is the unglazed surface of the porcelain that we use as a painting surface. China painting is the term usually applied to the act of painting over a glazed surface--such as a china plate or glazed porcelain figurine. We do, in fact, use paints that are called "onglaze" or "overglaze" paints; but we apply them to the unglazed porcelain surface.

There are ceramic colors for underglazes, overglazes, glazes, clays and slip. All these colors are obtained from the same source, namely various metal oxides. An oxide is the chemical combination of an element and oxygen. This is achieved by firing the element to high temperatures and introducing air or pure oxygen. Nowadays, the colorants are mainly commercially produced. Basically, the ingredients undergo a very high (refractory) firing, and then are finely ground (fritted). This process of fritting the ingredients minimizes, but by no means eliminates their toxic content. They are then carefully intermixed with other fritted colorants (stains) and fluxes to produce the stain to color glazes, slips, or the paint you use in your doll decoration.

Not all colors are suitable for all purposes. Some will not withstand, others will need, high temperatures. However, a larger range of colors is available in the lower temperature ranges (cones 019 to 015) than in the higher ones. So, china painters have an immense range of vibrant colors at their disposal.

The color intensity is directly linked to the amount of vitrification surrounding it. Therefore, a color that is imbedded in a glaze is much more vibrant than a color applied to under fired, unglazed porcelain. Color looks dull and muddy if applied to under fired bisque.

Doll makers work on an unglazed surface, especially those who use colored porcelain and do not apply an overall wash. This means that there is no glaze available to help fasten the color to the porcelain surface. Therefore, enough Flux has to be present in the color to adhere it firmly to the surface. Flux is a glaze, which melts, forming a glass, much as sugar melts with heat. If insufficient Flux is present to melt the color on, or insufficient heat has been applied to melt all Flux particles, the color will rub off.

% REMEMBER, SOME CHINA PAINTS CONTAIN LEAD, WHICH YOU KNOW IS TOXIC!!!!!!! Common sense should be applied whenever china paints are used. Do not eat and paint at the same time, wash your hands should you come in contact with paint, don't lick the brush you paint with, don't agitate and breathe the dry particles.

I use and teach the SEELEY WATERBASE TECHNIQUE as our method of painting the dolls.

SEELEY’S did not "invent" the Waterbase Technique. Glycerin was, in fact, used in doll making during periods of war when oil based products were hoarded for wartime needs. They have, however, refined it to a point where the modern doll maker can easily use the method to reproduce any doll she wishes. Also, the colors produced by SEELEY’S are the results of continuous research on matching colors to the actual antique dolls.

In addition to the research in china paints and painting, Seeley's has designed a line of brushes specifically created for use with the Waterbase Painting Techniques. These brushes allow the student to apply the paint correctly which helps produce a finer doll. We do not feel that purchasing ALL of the brushes is necessary as some of them are quite multi-purpose. If you can afford it, however, having each item does make the job easier.

YOU MUST NOT USE YOUR PAINT BRUSHES FOR ANYTHING ELSE. The brushes could pick up contaminants that you are not aware of and the result could be a damaged doll. Keep your paint brushes completely separate from your cleaning supplies. The container in which you carry your equipment should ideally have two separate compartments to hold cleaning and painting supplies apart.

After each painting session, you should clean all your brushes with clean water. If you have used your China Mop or Blush Brushes you should wash them in warm water, using only the tiniest amount of a gentle dishwashing soap. You can also wash them with a mild shampoo. For all natural hair brushes, it is good to give them a rinse in hair conditioner every now and then. This helps stop the bristles from becoming too brittle. It is sufficient to just swish the other brushes in clean water until all of the paint is removed.

Be careful to keep all of your brushes protected, especially if the brush has a fine tip. If you have lost the protective end that came with the brush, use a small straw that fits snug over the end of the ferrule of the brush. Do not lay your brushes on your work surface in such a manner as to distort the bristles of your brush. When applying china paint to the brush, do not roll the brush in the paint; rather, pull the brush through in a "stroking" fashion to load the paint. Proper care of your brushes is good for you and bad for the studio--if you don't take care of them, we get to sell more brushes!!!!!!!

As mentioned previously, we use SEELEY CHINA PAINTS in our studio. There are many colors in Seeley's range of doll making colors and your china painting technique sheets list which colors are required for each doll.

As a general thing, use the media sparingly. They absorb atmospheric moisture and it is this combination of medium and water that works so particularly well. Avoid working too close to direct heat.

· FINE LINE MEDIUM: A colorless odorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive water based medium that is used for painting fine lines. Slower drying than regular Line Medium.

· LINE MEDIUM: A colorless, odorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive, water based medium that is non-drying. Line Medium is used for all fine line work such as eyelashes, brows, accent lines, stroked baby hair lips, underbrows and painted eyes. In short, all fine, close work.

· AREA MEDIUM: This medium is more liquid and thinner than Line Medium and will partially dry off in time. It is also colorless, odorless, non-corrosive and non-toxic with a low temperature evaporation point. It is used whenever color is dry-stippled, blotted or polished as in the application of overall wash, cheek blush, lid blush, and some baby hair. It can also be used for blotted lips and dry-stippled shadow brows. In short, all area work.

· WATER: This is an additive, which is added to Line Medium and your paint to minimize blotching. It will dry off completely in time. It is used mainly for eyebrow browns, lip reds and painted eyes. I have found that mixing your medium half and half with water enables the doll artist to apply paints to feature areas without any loss of depth after firing.

Cleanliness is of utmost importance. If you have china paint all over everything, it will fire all over everything. Keep your hands and work area clean.

It is important to have everything set up before you begin to work. You must also prepare your porcelain for China Painting. To do this, you must first wash all the Hydrated Alumina and Prop-it off the pieces. It is extremely important that you do not sand the pieces with this on them, as both items are extremely bad for your health. Then you must sand the pieces smooth, using a grit scrubber. Once the pieces have been sanded, you then scrub them thoroughly with Comet and a denture brush. RINSE EXTREMELY WELL with clear water.

Before you begin to paint, you must be sure that all of your surfaces and equipment are clean and ready to work with. Wipe your surface with a damp towel and then wipe dry. Make sure that the SIDES of your palette knife are clean, as well as the surfaces. If you do not see some particle of old paint on your equipment and then pass it on to your porcelain piece that you are working on, you could end up with it fired on permanently. It is much easier to be PERFECTLY CLEAN to begin with. ALWAYS RE-WASH THE PORCELAIN PIECES BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PAINT. If you wash them down with your sponge, you will be absolutely certain that you have removed all of the Comet and that the piece is clean. Letting the piece air dry is preferable to drying it with a towel or paper towel. You want to avoid getting lint on the piece as much as you can.

For the rest of this section of your Handbook, we will refer to the porcelain that you are working on as the "HEAD" rather than "PORCELAIN PIECES" simply for ease of reference. All porcelain body parts will have an overall wash and a blush firing. You will treat these parts the same as the head.

The first step in China Painting is to do your overall wash. Besides providing nice shading and color for the finished look, an overall wash of China Paint provides a strong base to which the rest of your colors can adhere. As has been previously mentioned, Flux is the BONDING agent that takes the place of the glazed surface of china painting.

To prepare the head for painting, we will apply a very thin coat of Area Medium to the ENTIRE head, using one of your Doll Sponges, not your fingers. The head should have a "glow", not a "shine". Mix your Bisque Tone Color with Area Medium and mix to a smooth, creamy consistency. Spread your paint out in a thin layer over your tile.

Using another, clean sponge; dip the sponge LIGHTLY into the paint. Using a circular motion, apply the paint to the head. Use enough pressure to spread the paint without wiping the color off. Do not, at this stage, attempt to smooth color totally. This Doll Sponge only distributes the color evenly.

Where there are still a few accumulations of color, usually around the nose, mouth, eyes and ears, stipple the sponge lightly over those spots. Using your Duncan #6 Cat's Tongue spread the remaining paint smoothly around the nose, mouth, eyes and ears. You may also use a stipple brush at this point. Using another clean, dry sponge, lightly spread the color over the balance of the head. When you have smoothed the paint out and do not have any piles of color anywhere, take your Large China Mop (black tip) and polish the head smooth, turning the bisque in different directions. This "cross polishing" is important to achieve a smooth even coat of color. You may also stipple with your Large China Mop by bunching the hairs together with your fingers and pouncing lightly over the nose, mouth, eye and ear areas. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO WORK THE OVERALL WASH TOO LONG as it will ruin it--not improve it. As your media begins to dry out, you will only get streaking and bunching of the paint. The head should still have a glow when you are finished.

v Paint too Dry? Color does not spread. Apply a small dab of AREA MEDIUM to the sponge. Re-wipe overall wash and re-polish as before.

v Paint too Wet? Remove excess medium with dry Doll Sponge. Re-apply denser color mixture, continue as described above.

v Paint Streaking or Bunching? Remove excess paint with a clean dry sponge and continue polishing.

v Dark, Blotchy Areas? You haven't sanded your piece sufficiently. Re-sand, wash and re-apply medium and paint and continue as above.

Remember, the bisque tones are extremely forgiving paints and flow out evenly if applied properly.

Use CHEEK BLUSH CAKE. (Either make a Cheek Blush Cake using Line Medium, Water and Cheek Blush Paint or purchase a pre-mixed Cheek Blush Cake.) Using a clean Doll Sponge, apply a light coat of Area Medium, over the porcelain, extending beyond the required area of color application. This ensures well-blended blush edges.

Remove any excess medium with a clean, dry Doll Sponge. Do not use your fingers or paper towels. Rub the dry China Mop (Grey tip) firmly over the Cheek Blush Cake. Hold the China Mop by the base of the hairs in one hand, the Cheek Blush Cake in the other. This makes it easier to remove color from the cake onto the brush. Just patting the cake with the brush is not sufficient.

Now apply color to the fattest part of the cheek, fading the color gently outwards. Add color to chin and lids as required.

You can also apply the cheek blush using a dry sponge, pouncing lightly with the sponge, and moving the paint outwards in ever widening circles until it blends away to nothing. Once you have practiced this method, you will find that it produces beautifully blended cheeks. You can then use your China Mop to lightly smooth out any "rough" spots.

v Paint looks chalky? - Porcelain too dry; color cannot shift? The color was overworked. The brush was not rubbed firmly enough over the Cheek Blush Cake. Apply a few drops of Area Medium to Doll Sponge and remove existing color. Do not add extra Area Medium. Re-apply color as before.

v Paint collects in patches and will not adhere? Many small brush-hair particles stick to the porcelain? Too much Area Medium rubbed on porcelain. Remove excess with a clean dry sponge. Re-apply color as described above.

Use Dusky Lilac china paint and make a lid blush cake. Proceed exactly as described for Cheek Blush. Apply color to lids, Where needed, from the prepared Lid Blush Cake, with a small China Mop or Small Stippler.

Some dolls require a more lavender color to the upper eyelids. Use Lavender Mist. When doing modern lady dolls, it is nice to apply either a blue or green upper eyelid shading.

Mix dry china paint to a smooth creamy mixture with Line Medium. Run the bristles of the brush through a few drops of Line Medium, working the brush back and forth as you pull it. This is called "Conditioning your Brush". Then draw the lower portion of the bristles lightly through the paint. This is called "loading your brush".

The color of the lashes, ranging from black to light gray, is determined by the color mixture and the amount of Line Medium used.

Try not to load the brush too heavily with paint. Practice loading and painting a few times so that you get the feel for the correct amount of paint for YOUR touch. The paint should not be loaded into the part of the brush close to the ferrule or metal part of the handle. Paint in this area causes the bristles to spread more, contributing to darker, fatter eyelashes. You should touch the side of the brush to the inner rim of the cutout area of the eye. Then lift the brush away and go into the dot of paint your brush has left on the inner rim--WITH JUST THE TIP OF THE BRUSH. This allows you to use the point of the brush only to make your lashes. The stroke of the eyelash is made using just the dot or reservoir of paint that you have left on the eye rim. You should not press heavily because this simply makes fatter lashes. It is common sense that the lash will be thicker if you are pushing more of the brush onto the porcelain bisque.

Depending on the size of your brush and the eye being painted, and the amount of paint you can leave on the eye rim without blotching, you may be able to paint one row of lashes without reloading your brush. If you do reload, make sure that the dot of paint you are leaving is not heavier than the preceding dots; otherwise your lashes will be darker. If you practice enough, you will get to the point where you can finish a row of lashes with one load of your brush as you will be getting the paint from the "load" on the upper part of the bristles and simply using the point of the brush to pull the paint out for the length of the lash.

It is important that you learn to rotate the head with the "holding hand" and hold your "brush hand" in a stable position, ready to apply the lashes. This helps to establish the correct rhythm required to get the flow of the lashes working for you.

· FRENCH DOLLS WITH VERY BLACK LASHES: (i.e.) Steiner, some Unmarked French Bebes. Etc., -- SATIN BLACK

· FRENCH AND GERMAN DOLLS WITH BLACK LASHES: (i.e.) Jumeau, Bru, Steiner, AT, some Simon & Halbigs, etc. -- SATIN BLACK - 2 PTS SATIN WHITE - 1 PT

If a smooth, watercolor-like consistency is desired in the eyelashes, then you add more Line Medium on your brush. If the lashes desired are to be quite black, then you add less Line Medium and work with more paint.

v Paint drags? Mixture is too dry. Add a little Line Medium.

v Paint looks too gray and light? Too much Medium. Add more paint to your mixture.

v Paint "beads" on porcelain? The beading is a sign of grease on the porcelain. Rub a little saliva over the problem spot and the beading will disappear instantly. Re-paint lashes.

v Eye area is beginning to look gray and blotchy? You have overworked the area without cleaning it properly. Even if you have obtained some decent eyelashes, you will not be able to fire them until you have cleaned up the area. Do not try to save a few lashes at the expense of a nice clean doll. Wash the entire area with a wet sponge and START AGAIN!!

Check your painting picture first to be absolutely certain that the doll you are painting did, in fact, have a painted eye rim. Using the same paint mix as the eyelashes, paint by rubbing the base of the Lash Liner along the rim edge. Make sure you do not have an excessive amount of paint on the brush, as the liner will run if the paint is too heavy.

· One-Stroke Brows -- Mix dry china paint with Line Medium to a smooth, light consistency. Paint light, smooth brow with moistened Lip Brush #1 (yellow tip) or Medium Area Brush (Burgundy tip).

· Feathered Brows -- Mix paint with Line Medium and then PAINT the brow using a mixture of Line Medium and Water to condition your brush. You can apply a VERY THIN layer of Line Medium to the brow area prior to painting your eyebrows. However, keep in mind that the Medium causes the paint to spread, so if you can learn to apply your eyebrows without first applying Line Medium, it is better. Use your Eyebrow Brush (Red Tip or Green Tip) or your Super Brow Brush (Purple Tip).

Condition your brush the same way as you did for your Eyelash Brush. Work the conditioned brush through the paint mixture to load the brush thoroughly with paint. Lay the tip down first and gently lower the brush so the hair is laying on the porcelain. Drag the hairs along the porcelain in a smooth arc. This is achieved by pivoting the head on the outer edge of the ball of the hand below the little finger. Use a "Frisbee-throwing" movement.

Keep your fingers perfectly still and relaxed--the brow arc will be formed through the wrist movement. Hold the head so you are looking at it in profile. To change the brow-lines, change the position of the head--do not alter your hand movement.

· Mix dry china paint with Line Medium to a smooth, light consistency. Using a Lip Brush (Yellow Tip) or Medium Area Brush (Burgundy Tip), moistened with water, paint a smooth, light-colored coat. Long, smooth strokes, with slight pressure exerted on the brush, flattening the hairs lightly against the porcelain, will give best results. (Stippling with the brush tip causes blotchiness and an overworked appearance.) If it doesn't come out right, wash it off and try again. Don't keep worrying away at it, because you will never get smooth lips that way. If you have used too much paint and not enough water, you will have a very dark color. If you condition your brush with water and then work the hairs in the paint, you will achieve a nice smooth, thin color that will fire perfectly. When you are loading your brush on the tile, the paint you see should look the same as it will on the doll. If your brush is loading into thick paint, then the lips will be painted thick and shiny. If you are loading your brush with a fine, translucent load, then the lips will be painted fine and translucent. It is truly a case of what you see is what you get.

· Shading Mix darker shade of red (usually half and half Rose Red Gloss and Pompadour Red or Yellow Red Gloss and Pompadour Red for antique dolls) and mix with Line Medium. Using Lip Brush, paint shading where needed (refer to your painting picture).

· Accent Lines Use a moistened Accent Line Brush (Orange Tip) or your Eyelash Brush (Blue Tip) and load lightly with darker lip color. Apply as per painting picture. I find that if I wet the brush with JUST water and then into the paint, applying the color quickly to the lips, loading the brush for each stroke, I get a beautiful, crisp line that stays in place after firing.

· Shaded Nose Dots: Paint very pale first coat with top of water-moistened Lip Brush. Color mix is usually the same as first coat of shaded lips. Add a slightly darker inner nose dot using the shading color from the lips with Lip Brush. If you hold the head upside down and paint to the top of the nostril, you will eliminate the "nose-bleed" factor.

· Single Coat Nose Dots: Use lip color mix and tip of Lip Brush.

It is most important with nose dots that your brush is a smooth, fairly dry load as the dots will become shiny if too much paint is applied.

· Iris: Mix iris color with Line Medium and Water mixture. Paint entire pupil and iris area with a moistened Lip Brush. Shade a little where needed.

· Lid Line: Paint lid line with the Accent Liner Brush (Orange Tip) or Eyebrow Brush (Red Tip).

· Lid Crease Line: Paint pink lid crease line, where required, using Accent Liner Brush.

· Pupil: Mix color with Line Medium to creamy consistency. Paint pupil with Lip Brush. Rinse brush thoroughly in water.

· Iris Shading: Paint iris shading as required using remaining color and Lip Brush. Add a little dry color for extra depth.

· Highlight: Mix color with Line Medium to a very thick consistency. Use the tip of a round toothpick to apply.

Apply a smooth coat of Area Medium to the surface of the head, extending slightly beyond the hair line. Using a Doll Sponge, pick up paint and apply to the head, starting at the crown of the head and working out and around. Apply more paint as needed. You can smooth the paint by rubbing it around on the head. Just remember that most antique dolls with painted hair have no definite "line" where the hair color ends. Rather, it just blends out into the flesh tone of the rest of the head. It is darkest at the crown of the head.

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