Handmade Holiday #8: Personalized Pottery

Remember the anemone platter? Well, here's the accompanying piece: a serving bowl. Both are Noritake Japanese china; from the imprint on the bottom, it seems they date from the late 40s. They have a lovely silver/platinum edge and are bright, clean white. Both pieces have been coloured, but unfortunately, those photos are safely locked away on a computer with a broken visual card; in other words, completely inaccessible. Oh well!

Drawing a fairy wren on an irregular/oval concave surface wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done. It required some shifting and stretching of various parts of the design to look right - this was my fourth attempt! At least I discovered that the paint in the porcelaine pens can be removed, with relative ease in fact, with a slightly damp Q-tip. I went through many, erasing and starting over again and again. It was worth it, though. I can't wait to show him to you in colour: the top of their heads are a blue-turquoise!

After applying the paint, the piece has to sit and dry for 24 hours. Then it is baked in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes - I put mine in and then turn the oven on, so that they warm up with it, and that way I avoid risking cracks or damage to the ceramic from the sudden heat. When it stops preheating, I turn the timer on for 30 min, and after it's done, I just turn the oven off and open the door, and let the piece gradually cool down. Afterward, the painted pieces are safe to eat off of, and I believe they're dishwasher safe, as well - though after all that work, I stick to gentle handwashing for things like this.