First..... pen drawing.

• Since I am allergic to turpentine, I have to use a water based painting media, the RCP (Royal Copenhagen Painting media) which comes in a thick consistency called "Painting media", a thin consistency called "Thinner "and a nondrying open media.
• I use the thinner for pen drawing.
• I mix the chosen colour with approximately a bit less than 1/2 part of colour with thinner, and add one or two drops of water, depending on how much paint you mixed.
• Use a clean palette, perhaps a new ceramic tile, to avoid leftovers of oil, and a new pen nib.
• I use a thin little steel pen, and I know that Mr. and Mrs. has very good pen nibs.
• Clean the pen nib with alcohol (met. spirit) before you start, because the pen is prepared with a thin coat of oil to protect against rust.
• Then scoop up the colour with the back of the pen, but do not fill it further up than to the little opening, dip the pen point in the colour and start to draw.
• If the colour creates a little thick lump at the point, it's too thick and must be made thinner with a bit of water. If the colour runs out to a wide faded line, the colour is too thin. Mix a new portion, because it's not easy to know if it's too much thinner or water.
• It's important to hold the pen a bit more upright than when you write, and in a direction so the top of the penholder points to your shoulder at the right.(if right handed)
• Then touch the china, stay and see if the colour flows, and then start to draw,...Do it in the speed that allows the paint to get down to the china, steady and slowly with a light handed touch. Do not make small nervous lines like legs of a fly, a pen drawing should be as fine and complete to stand on it's own.
• If you press too hard, the pen doesn't have chance to do the work. Test the pressure in the palm of your hand, and discover how light handed you must be to make the pen work.
• The colour shouldn't be saved for next day, so only mix what you need for the moment.Fire before you continue.
• This technique is used for the Flora Danica style, the colour used is a soft grey green.

How to perforate the glaze with sand.

• First you have to prepare the sand.
• It can be either sand for a canary bird or from the beach.
• Put the sand in a container and pour over vinagre (vinegar) to cover....this will take away all the small bits from shells etc.
• Let it stay till next day, and put the wet sand in a koffee filter to get rid of the vinagre
• clean with water and spread the sand out on a newspaper to dry. Sift the sand when it is dry. Now it's ready to use.
• Paint a thin layer of thinner on the surface, in an even layer, pad it if necessary , then sprinkle the sand into the wet surface, in thin but even layer, pad it down with a finger, and clean up the shape, after it has dried.Make sure you do not have sand anywhere else than you want it to be.
• Fire at cone 0l5, and scrape the sand off with a old kitchen knife (not the dear pallette knife), and sand the surface. Wash it with water, let it dry, and then you can apply LA.B. gold or silver on top

Waterbased Painting media
Somebody asked about the waterbased painting medias. There are a lot of different brands on the market in USA, and they might be close to RCP( a European brand). I use RCP because it's what I am used to painting with, and I know exactly how they act and work.
Generally I can say that the thinner is used for penwork, banding and washes with a sponge, so called fond. The painting media is useful for the Flora Danica technique and other flower painting, mix the colour fairly thick, and use the thinner as --- thinner, and for the brush stroke technique, a-la country flowers like tole painting. The open media can be used for the american technique, painting with square shaders. These medias can be used the same way in glass painting.

Glass relief
If you use a thick mixture of white glass paint, it will almost have the same effect as white glass relief.You can buy relief for glass at the same places selling glass paints. But not premixed. Use relief oil for mixing and it will be ok.There are 3 sorts of relief: a white, a transparent and a matte relief. They are all nice under gold, but has 3 different effect.