Drawing and Ceramics: Pioneering a Digital Solution

Ensemble of readymades, vases with digitally printed ceramic transfers
 of my ballpoint pen drawings.

Ballpoint pen drawing of
a five clawed dragon. 

I am a ceramic artist with a passion for ballpoint pen drawing. In the past, I used my drawing as a design tool to create modelled, press-moulded and fired figurative ceramic sculptures. The renderings were executed on acid free paper in bound books as ballpoint drawings fade with time when exposed to direct light.

Vicissitude III (detail), digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen
 drawings of a tulip (image below), flies and a beetle on a bone-china vase.

With the advances in ceramic and digital technology, I am now able to capitalise on my ballpoint drawings skills by creating digitally printed ceramic transfers which can be fired onto a range of ‘ready mades’ as well as expressive ceramic statements.

Ballpoint pen drawing of a fly. A4 size.

Test piece result - transfers fired on top of each other (twice fired)

Vicissitude III, Digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawings on
a large bone china vase - readymade.

Iris Troiana, in celebration of the handmade in a digital age.
Homage to Albrecht Dürer, the ultimate artisan. 

This was a real breakthrough for me. When the first batch of digitally printed ceramic transfers was test-fired onto commercially produced ceramic plates, my ‘impermanent’ ballpoint drawings were instantly immortalised.

The intricate crosshatching detail was perfectly visible in the fired transfers, even when the rendered image was radically reduced in size (see image of tea bowl and jewellery piece below). 

The Road Less Traveled. 2018.The jewellery installation piece featured here capitalises
 on Hön’s detailed blue ballpoint pen drawings of a barn swallow, digitally printed as ceramic
 transfers and fired onto one of the shards of a broken bone china bowl. This work comprises
 the partially restored bowl with its missing shard,  metamorphosed into a jewellery pendant.

This article sheds light on the techniques involved in producing digitally printed ceramic transfers, focusing on creative drawing opportunities in the field of ceramics. (See image of large ceramic plate).

Migration, digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawing of a
barn swallow. Fired onto a large plate/platter - readymade.

Ballpoint pen drawing of a barn swallow.

I am a lecturer in ceramics to Industrial Design students at the University of Johannesburg. Through my work, I am exposed to the latest 3D printing and manufacturing technology.

Although I wholeheartedly embrace the advances in digital technology, I do not lose sight of my creativity which is rooted in ceramic craft traditions. 

Transfers of my drawings fired onto a
hand decorated (cobalt brush strokes)
Celadon bone china readymade.

I consider myself a ceramic artist who celebrates the handmade whilst exploring a range of digital creative options, seeking new possibilities for this art form. 

Manufraction IV. 2017. Digitally printed ceramic transfers of Barn Swallow

drawing on a press-moulded ceramic shard.

My first digital foray featured a projected animation of my ballpoint drawings entitled …and the ship sails on. My latest work rises to the challenge voiced by Paul Scott in the ceramic handbook series, Ceramics and Print: (See image of … and the ship sails on).

... and the ship sails on, ceramic installation with projected animation of my ballpoint
pen drawings. Exhibited at the 2014 Tawain Ceramic Biennale.
See article Ceramic Surface: A Virtual Crossover (above in the Title banner)

The advent of microprocessors and the dawning of the Computer Age has resulted in new developments industrially, many to do with mechanization, but also to do with image production. Much of the development appears to be heavily based on investment in machinery, hardware and software. How much of it is of use to the small-scale producer, or the artist/ceramist printmaker remains to be seen. (Scott 31, 1994)

My ballpoint drawing technique resembles the etchings and engravings of printmakers, reproducing images and illustrations before the advent of photography (Scott 18, 1994). My greatest inspiration is Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), the ultimate ‘artisan’,who was not only a painter, printmaker and engraver but also a mathematician and theorist.

It was therefore fitting that my first set of digitally printed ceramic transfer tests was of my detailed drawing of an iris.

Rendered in red, orange and pink ballpoint pen ink, it was an interpretation of Dürer’s Iris Troiana(1508), depicting a bruised flower. The drawing was one of three separate components for an artist’s book installation titled Read, Peep, Reap. (Ginsberg Collection).

Manufraction II. 2017. Digitally printed ceramic transfers of Iris Troiana drawing
on a press-moulded shard.

When I first mooted the idea of digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint drawings to colleagues, I had no knowledge of the quality of reproduction of the original rendering. There were no printing machines in the area where I live and work and there was no opportunity to discuss the printing technology or view possible samples. 

Iris Troiana drawing ceramic transfers on
platters readymades

My only option was to consider the printing lab in Cape Town, 1,500 km away. At the time, this was the only local printer in South Africa. Not having access to proper technicians and engineers associated with developing the technology, I started a series of tests based on their recommendations. The first set of tests, completed a year and a half ago, showed enormous promise. The detail of the rendered image was remarkable. (See image of ceramic platters above).

Pair of Vases, Homage to Albrecht Dürer, in celebration of the handmade,
digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawings of Dürer's
Iris Troiana on restored readymades - Kintsugi style. 

Locally I could get A4 size transfer sheets with a satin or gloss finish. Once the images are printed, the supplier applies a clear or fluxed coat to protect the rendering during the application phase. The gloss gave a better result in terms of image reproduction, however, it required cutting exactly around the image to avoid leaving an unwanted outline after firing. The local printer could not promise an exact colour match and could not print white.

Pair of Vases, Homage to Albrecht Dürer, in celebration of the handmade, 
digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawings of Dürer's
Iris Troiana on restored readymades - Kintsugi style. 

The digitally printed transfers render white transparent to reveal the colour of the ceramicware beneath it after firing. These transfers therefore work best on a white surface. At first, I followed the standard firing recommendations that were specified by the agents for the specific digital transfer machines. However, I obtained the best results by firing the gloss-coated transfers to 770 degrees Celsius at 100 degrees per hour. 

It is important to note that my first tests were of a ballpoint drawing consisting of warmer colours -pinks, oranges and reds, with small areas of blue and black ink. The original drawing was photographed (due to its size) and the colour was compared and validated before creating the A4 printing layout sheets.

The image was copied in various sizes and configurations using Photoshop to alter colour and, more importantly, to create elaborate, digitally enhanced floral patterns exploring reflection symmetry (see image of transfer layout sheets). 

The test results were enormously successful and could finally be applied to a press-moulded, ceramic shard in a variety of image sizes to good effect. The beauty of digitally printed ceramic transfers is that it is possible to order one sheet with a bespoke quality for each specific ceramic statement, making it extremely cost-effective. (See shard image Iris Troiana - Manufraction I above).

Vorster and Braye Ceramic Design jugs (Readymades) with digitally printed ceramic
transfers of my drawings of a barn swallow and Chinese water renderings.

Most of my drawings are rendered in blue or black ballpoint ink. It was therefore inevitable that I would explore expressive surface development options referencing the blue and white ware of the Ming Dynasty -cobalt brushed on surface decorations, produced for global trade.

Vorster and Braye Ceramic Design vase (above) and jug (below) with digitally
printed ceramic transfers of my drawings of a barn swallow and Chinese water renderings.

Digitally printed transfers of my blue ballpoint drawings were applied to shards, ready-mades or up-scaled, moulded and press-moulded expressive ceramic statements.

Shards are critical in research into cultural migrations – particularly relevant today in a global society with its problems surrounding the displacement of people (migrants and refugees).

Refuse.The ceramic installation pieces featured here show Hön’s detailed blue
ballpoint pen drawings of a barn swallow, digitally printed as ceramic transfers and 
fired onto ready-mades. This work, entitled Refuse, includes a partially restored, 
broken bone china bowl with its missing shard, featuring a barn swallow attached 
with a bird leg tagging device. The big plate incorporates renderings that were 
Photoshopped to resemble shattered glass – the surface was then etched 
with a dremel machine - see detail below.. 

I could not match the ballpoint pen blue ink I required locally. I therefore printed the transfers abroad. The results were hugely successful. I was also able to order images in A3 size, increasing the options of the images enormously.

Vicissitude (Vase), digitally printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint pen drawings of a tulip,
flies, a beetle. Restored Kintsugi style. Another view below.

However, the best test results were obtained by firing the cold colour, ink-based transfers to 860 degrees Celsius at 150 degrees an hour, no soak. I was informed by the agents that printers are calibrated to produce transfers for either warm or cold colours.

Just a beautiful game (large Vase - readymade porcelain), digitally printed
ceramic transfers of a five clawed dragon, football, flaming pearl, water
and mist fired onto a readymade.Various views blow. 

The transfers worked best on vitrified ware (ready-mades), fired to stoneware temperatures – above 1,200 degrees Celsius. Applied to ceramics fired below 1,200 degrees Celsius (earthenware), one runs the risk of ‘spitout’. 

Refuse, Pair of porcelain readymades vases with digitally printed ceramic
transfers of my drawings of a barn swallow and Chinese water renderings.

Laser-printed ceramic transfers of my ballpoint drawings, produced in a wide range of colours and sizes, digitally enhanced and applied to ceramics, create new opportunities.

Just a beautiful game (Vorster and Braye Medium size Vase), digitally printed ceramic transfers
of a five clawed dragon, football, flaming pearl, water and mist fired onto a readymade.
Various views blow. 

  

The transfer is able to capture drawing marks like brush strokes, which presents a wide range of decorative and expressive options, with far greater image clarity and detail, hereto unobtainable with a brush. 

Through my drawing and design, and by referencing ceramic craft tradition, I was able to create a new and tangible interpretation of this art form. This article appeared in a research accredited journal titled, Ceramics Art and Perception in the Technical section, with my work on the cover - image below.