Leaf Skeleton Stencil

I wanted to use my leaf skeletons as a stencils for enameling to see if I could capture the detail from the skeleton . I first tested my enamel colours (Fig. 1 below) so I could figure out the approximate amount of time each colour needed to be fired so that it was not under or over fired once layered.

Figure 1 - Enamel test pieces 

I chose to dome my copper as this eliminates the need for backing enamel. Working enamel on copper or any metal it is better to have the copper domed or if the metal is flat a backing enamel is used so that the stress/tension is even on both sides of the copper when it's being fired. If a backing enamel is not used on flat pieces the enamel can crack.  Figure 2 shows which part of the leaf I used as a stencil and figure 3 shows the final enameled piece.

Figure 2 - Enameled dome and leaf stencil

Figure 3 - Enameled dome

Working on a dome was difficult and I found the detailing came out better on the flat prototype than it did on the dome. As can be seen in figure 3 I lost most of the detail on the right.