Enamel: Signal Box Red and Tangerine from Milton Bridge in the UK
Metal: Copper that is 3x4 inches and 1.2mm thick
Firings: 3 for red, 2 for orange and glass rod
Kiln Temp: 800˚ Celsius (approx. 1450˚ Fahrenheit)
Firing Times: 1.30 mins for initial firings up to 2 mins for the last firing.
Stencil: made from card stock. Stencils need to be robust without being too stiff. Regular printer paper is too flimsy. You'll need to fix tape to the stencil so that you can lift it.
I used a Cricut machine to cut out the stencil but a Stanley knife or scalpel is just as good.
Steel mesh stencil - just an old piece of firing mesh support.
Links: www.milton-bridge.co.uk/
Key takeaways: red and orange are considered "rogue" colours in enamel. That means that they burn off really easily when sifted directly onto copper. The disadvantage is that you need several layers and must under-fire (fire for less time at the beginning to offset the fact that they burn off easily) the first layer or possibly two layers. But the advantage is that they (esp. red) mix beautifully with the black oxides that are released from the copper when it is under extreme heat. So you get some black/burned effects which give the piece more gravitas, texture and interest.
The use of a background stencil - in this case the tangerine sun - plus the use of the black glass rods at the bottom of the piece give depth: the chicken is not floating in space. The black anchors it down and the tangerine gives distance. The composition where the tangerine is in the top left and the black rods are bottom right, make the eye travel around the image and tie it together.
Visit www.geraldinemurphyenamels.com to view and purchase my work.