No Bake Marabu Pens

There are things that just make life easier - like hitting every green light on the way to work, having seat warmers, and the automatic shut off feature on coffee makers.  All these conveniences make me smile!  So in the spirit of green light commutes, Bisque Imports is now offering No Bake Marabu Ceramic Painter Pens! Now tell me that doesn't make you smile!  I see you smiling... :)

Shannon Hegger painted this beautiful Christmas Charger and I personalized it with a Red Metallic No Bake Marabu Ceramic Painter Pen.

So here's the scoop:  Bisque Imports is still carrying Marabu Ceramic Painter Pens that you have to bake in your oven for 30 minutes at 340 degrees Fahrenheit.  But now we also offer No Bake pens in regular and metallic colors.  The No Bake pens have a blue teacup on them that distinguishes them from the regular Marabu pens.  After a 24 hour drying time, the no bake paint is dishwasher-safe, but it dries to the touch much faster.  If you make a mistake, use a dab of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to remove the paint. 

If you see this blue teacup on your Marabu Ceramic Painter Pens it means they are dishwasher-safe without oven fixation.

Marabu Ceramic Painter Pens are ideal for use in your studio during this time of year.  Pair them with a glazed piece of pottery to create a make-it-take-it option for all those last minute shoppers!  Marabu pens are also ideal for use with signature platters, personalizing custom plates, signing your glass art, or adding last minute details to any glazed pottery or glass art.

I created this glass wreath using a clear glass blank, assorted green scrap glass, red glass rod dots and medium white frit.  After fusing the glass, I used a Gold No Bake Marabu Ceramic Painter Pen to add my initials and a few accent dots.

It's a Miracle

Duncan's Fired Snow is a miracle!  It's snow that doesn't melt in your kiln! This specialty product is now available at Bisque Imports (Item #SY546-4) and is ideal for use during the holiday season and throughout winter!

Fired Snow adds dimensional texture that simulates the look of snow when fired.  It looks like really thick paint before it's fired, but becomes porous during firing giving it a light, fluffy snow-like texture.

How to use Duncan's Fired Snow:

• Use on shelf cone 04 bisque that has been painted and clear glazed.
• Stir Fired Snow well to smooth consistency.  Don't add water.
• Apply 1 or more heavy coats of snow over unfired clear glaze.  
• Fire your piece to cone 06. 
• Water clean up.

More Tips and Techniques:

• You can use a variety of tools to apply the snow including a palette knife, brush, sponge, ice cream stick or squeeze bottle.  I used the angled end of a brush handle to apply Snow to Roxy, then used my finger to smooth it over.
• Apply it up to 3/4 inches thick for extra dimension!
• Snow may move slightly during firing.
• Fired Snow can simulate more than just snow; use it for ocean foam, clouds, etc.

Duncan's Fired Snow captures the billowy magic of snow for your wintertime inspired projects!

Out of the Box Idea

This "Carrots for Reindeer" plate was created using #5727 Light Bulb Tag-Alongs in an out-of-the-box way!  Tag-Alongs don't always have to be what they seem.  In this sample, I painted the Light Bulbs as carrots and reindeer ears!  Remember to stretch you imagination and think out side of the box!

Rubbing Alcohol Technique

Create unique patterns in your ceramic glaze using rubbing alcohol. From water droplets on flat surfaces to interesting drips on vertical pieces, the rubbing alcohol technique is an easy way to create intricate patterns that appear like magic!

Materials We Used

Bisque: 700 Small Cone Vase, 140 Cereal Bowl

Duncan Colors: CN505-8 Neon Green,
CN302-8 Bright Caribbean, CN253-8 Dark Black,
PB26399 Pure Brilliance Clear Dipping Glaze
Tools: Damp Sponge, R2845-8 Aqualon Ultimate
Fan Brush, Rubbing Alcohol, R2250-4 Aqualon Round
Paint Brush

Instructions

1. Wipe off bisque with a damp sponge to remove any dust.

2. Apply a base coat of color using a fan brush for even coverage over a large area. We chose Neon Green and Bright Caribbean. It is important to choose a base coat color that is lighter than your top coat. Let dry.

3. While your base coat is drying, prepare your top coat by mixing the color of your choice with water to a thin wash consistency. We used a wash of Dark Black for our top coat.

4. Apply color wash in small sections because it is important that the top coat is still wet when you apply the rubbing alcohol.

5. Immediately add a drop of rubbing alcohol to the outside rim of the bisque using a round brush. The rubbing alcohol drop will repel the top layer of color and create a drip pattern.

6. Continue applying the wash and alcohol drips in sections till you are satisfied with the pattern created.

7. Let your artwork dry.

8. Apply a coat of Pure Brilliance clear dipping glaze and fire to cone 06 to finish your ceramic masterpiece.
 
The Rubbing Alcohol Technique is a great idea for summer camps and year-round workshops.  Start by introducing this technique as a kid's summer camp project.  Gather the campers around and watch their faces in amazement as the rubbing alcohol magically forms patterns in wet paint!  Visit http://www.bisqueimports.com/ for a printable worksheet on this technique and to order your bisque and brush supplies for this project.

Bisque Pendant Light Kits

Bisque Pendant Lights are an ideal way to add a personal touch to your home or studio decor while using the bisque and color that you work with every day. To create these Pendant Lights, we used a Flower Pot in an innovative way. Simply flipping it upside down turns your everyday Flower Pot into an attractive lamp shade for your pendant light.

MATERIALS WE USED:

Bisque: #615 Flower Pot

Duncan Colors: #CN511-8 Sunflower Yellow,
#CN512-8 Green Apple, #CN302-8 Bright Caribbean,
#CN122-8 Bright Nautical, #CN232-8 Bright Briarwood,
#CN253-8 Black

Tools: Pendant Light Kit, #ST332 1-1/8” Diamond Drill Bit, Drill, Sponge, Detail Brushes, Craft Yarn, Scissors, Tape
 
INSTRUCTIONS:
 
1. Drill a hole in the bottom of your Flower Pot using a 1-1/8” drill bit.
 
2. Clean off the Flower Pot with a damp sponge to remove dust from drilling.

3. Sponge base color(s) on your Flower Pot.

4. Wrap your pot with craft yarn. Tape yarn to the inside of your pot to get started. Wrap yarn tightly. Tape the end of your yarn in place on the inside of the your Flower Pot.

5. Sponge over the yarn with colors that are darker than your base color(s). If desired, use a fan brush to add splatters.

6. Unwrap or cut the yarn off to reveal your design. If desired, use detail brushes to add finishing touches.

7. Fire and hang using one of Bisque Imports easy-to-install Pendant Light Kits.
 

Hoppin' Ideas for Easter

Paint Your Own Pottery Studios all know that samples sell! If you paint a great sample, your customers will recreate it time and again. The trick is to create an eye-catching design that inspires the customer, but is not so complicated that it scares them off. Often times design templates, simple tricks of the trade and common art tools will help your customers achieve professional looking results with minimal effort. Here are some Easter-themed designs that we created using templates and a few clever tricks of the trade.

EASTER BUNNY PLATE

The Easter Bunny Plate was created using a template that is available to download and print for free from Bisque Imports. Using templates makes creating complex designs a breeze. Once you have printed out the template, trace it onto a #295 Athena Charger. Using Detail Writers, outline the design in black. Then fill in the design with Duncan Concepts color using your choice of detail writers or paint brushes.

Download and Print Easter Bunny with Egg Platter.

COLORFUL EASTER EGG

Show your customers how simple this Colorful Easter Egg is to create using a few tricks of the trade.  Pull out a few everyday items like tape, stickers and contact paper, and like MacGyver use them to magically create this Easter Egg. 

Thin pieces of tape can be used to section off each color block.  Apply circle and heart-shaped stickers on the plate to mask off those areas.  If you don't have stickers, you can cut your own from contact paper.  Add three coats of paint to each section.  When the paint is dry, peel off the tape and stickers to reveal your Colorful Easter Egg!

For more assistance, use our free template as a guide for where to apply the tape and stickers.  Download and Print Easter Egg Template. 

EASTER MUG

Watch your thumbprints come to life when you add a few simple details with common studio tools.

Using a Detail Writer bottle filled with black Duncan Concepts, outline your thumbprints to transform them into baby chicks and Easter eggs.  Add a medium gauge tip to your detail writer bottle to create an even, thin line. 

Add fluffy clouds using a small Paint Dotter or sponge.

Use a wide Fan Brush and watered down light blue paint to create the sky background.  Create multi-colored grass using simple brush strokes with a round brush and two shades of green paint.

 

BUCKO THE EASTER BUNNY

When creating your Easter samples display be sure to include designs for a variety of skill levels.  This Bucko the Bunny sample is super easy to create and requires no special tools or techniques.  Plus, having a painted sample of Bucko will ensure that he hops right off your shelves and into your customer's hands! 

When you're creating samples for your studio, remember to K.I.S.S (keep it simple, silly)!  When you see a sample design recreated over and over by customers, you will know you have a winner!

Paint Me Technique: "Sweet" Stenciling

A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes you want to add some words to your picture. Lettering can be tricky with Paint Me since everything you paint is pressed in reverse. Watch our first Paint Me Technique Video for a short and "sweet" stenciling technique that will help your customers add personalized messages to their Paint Me designs.



This is the first Paint Me Technique video that we have launched. Stay tuned for the next Paint Me Technique video episode coming soon...

Displyaing Paint Me In Your Studio

Last week's video post was quite popular, so we have another Paint Me episode for you to watch! This week we are talking about Displaying Paint Me in Your Studio! There is so much advice we could lend about marketing Paint Me in your studio, but in this case a picture is worth a thousand words, so we videoed a Paint Me display in a real studio! If you’re not quite sure how to merchandise Paint Me in your studio, or you wish your display would draw in more interest, watch this Paint Me video!



And just to wet your whistle, next week's Dirt blog will feature a Paint Me Technique video using stencils. Stay tuned...

Paint Me 101

I love Paint Me! It is so easy to create instant, pressable art onto t-shirts, tote bags, picture frames, dog tees and more! BI has a huge variety of “pressables” for your customers' original artwork! The printing process only takes 30 seconds and the items are ready to go! From handprint art and doodles to intricate designs, Paint Me is fabulous fun for all ages!

Watch Paint Me in action!



Bisque Imports is the exclusive North American distributor for Paint Me.  To find out more about Paint Me, visit our online Paint Me Resource Center.  We have an extensive Paint Me Resource Center which includes product information, marketing materials, design templates, customer comments, Facebook group link and project gallery.  Plus, all this information is free!  We will be adding more Paint Me videos with valuable marketing and technique tips soon!