Lavender Hand Painted Ceramic Bead with Iron Oxide Daisy Decals

Lavender Hand-painted Ceramic Bead

I thought I would showcase this bead that I currently have available at my Etsy store. 

I drew that daisy, scanned the drawing, saved it as a 300dpi jpg photo, and opened up my word processing program.  I copied and pasted the photo into Word, then pasted enough to make an entire row. 

I copied that row to make another row, until the page was filled.  I used a laser printer in order to print out the file onto special decal paper.

The decal paper consists of paper, glue, and plastic (in that order).  The laser actually prints on the plastic part. 

I cut out each daisy separately and dip it in water, then place each one onto a paper towel for about 30 seconds or so.  I want the paper to separate from the plastic. 

I hold the decal between my thumb and forefinger and rub my fingers together until the plastic separates from the paper.  There is a bit of glue on the plastic, which helps the decal stick onto the bead. I also slightly warm each bead before applying the decals. 

After the bead(s) sit for at least 24 hours, I load a batch into the kiln and fire the decal covered beads to cone 05.

If I want additional colors, I can glaze the bead too, as long as the glaze fires to the same temperature as the decals.  However, for this particular bead, I had already applied the lavender lines to each end.

If it seems like a lot of 'work', it is ... but when the bead is completely finished it is a satisfying feeling.

Thanks for stopping by!
Natalie