Above are the results of my first colour test tile glazes. They are not fully what I was expecting, I had hoped for more of a gloss finish but these are a satin finish.

They have gone back into the kiln to be fired to 10 degrees higher to see if they will be more shiny. I don’t think it will make much of a difference but it didn’t hurt to try.

I’m glad to have done this test (even if it took my 2 full days) as it has given me a greater idea of what colour the oxides come out as. The oxides I’m happily surprised with are manganese and rutile. They have given a lovely speckled quality to the glaze.

Above is 2% manganese and 2% rutile. Although I’ve not really touched on SUMMER pots yet I think this works well to represent sand, which is what I want to use to represent summer, as well as other areas.

Another glaze that surprised me ( not in a good way) is nickel, I didn’t expect green but grey/ blue. The green is not a nice green either!

I have made a lot more test tiles and will continue to mix more glazes as this is an important part of my work, and very time consuming!

Below is a grid to show the different % that went into the base glaze. I’ve found it helpful (and easier) to reference the ingredients to the tiles in this format.