Enamel experiment

I decided to try using my abstract pattern page to create some enamelled domes. I first made a mistake of piercing out the pattern and then doming it which just distorted the shape and broke a section off, so I started again making sure to dome first. 

I love the contrast on the leaves of the Garden Croton plant I have growing at home so I decided to use that for my colour pallet for the enamel. The plant is not indigenous so I don't see them very often. The lady who owned the house before us put a lot of effort into her garden before we made many changes this was one of the few plants we left where she planted so there is colour in the garden.

I chose to use a deep green and red to imitate the contrast on the dark leaves and the colours are complementary. The green enamel appeared bluer on the lid test piece but when I fired it it came out green which is what I wanted.

My Garden Croton

Green and red enamel

I'm not sure if the green is a hard enamel but I do know that the red is a soft enamel. I tried layering the enamels both ways green on red and red on green (test pieces are at my bench I will insert a picture). The green sat on top of the red making it thick and look terrible but the red blended on top of the green making it smooth and speckled in some areas as if the two colours were applied at the same time. The leaves also have a speckled effect so I prefer the red on the green enamel.

The final domes after enamelling