A guy at the Tacoma studio said my color mix looked like 'a sunset in a mud puddle' and I can't unsee it.

He wasn't wrong, and now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get cleaner, brighter amber and violet reactions without them going murky, anyone got a good frit blend or striking schedule for that?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindagreen28d ago

Ugh, that's the worst kind of comment that sticks in your head... Been there. Are you mixing the colors in the flame or layering them? I found amber purple gets muddy if you overwork it. Try a base of clear, then wrap thin stringers of each color side by side without letting them blend too much. A short strike in the back of the flame can help, but keep it quick or it all goes brown.

grace_bailey341d ago

Yeah, and @lindagreen is right about the quick strike, but I've had better luck not striking it at all sometimes. I'll put down the clear base and the stringers, then just pop the whole thing in the kiln for a minute before I even touch it with the flame again. Let the kiln do the work to set the colors without cooking them.

ivang9827d ago

Oh man, I totally get that. I used to think you had to really melt those stringers in to make them stick, but it just makes a brown mess. What changed for me was treating the flame like a really hot, quick paintbrush. I'll lay down the clear base, then just barely kiss the stringers to the surface, almost like I'm scared of the heat. One quick pass in the cooler part of the flame to set it, and that's it. The color stays so much brighter.