Creations by R​uth Ann
Creations by R​uth Ann
MADE IN THE USA
NOTE: My site, as an Independent Authorized Fashenhues Distributor, i​s set up for you,
​as the Consumer, Student, Hobbyist , or Shop Owner to learn more about the magical
world of the Awesome Fashenhues products.
Note: Shopping Cart for class sessions is through Pay Pal while the shopping bag for
products is through Etsy until I can get it all together...
If you choose not to use Pay Pal,
I do have an etsy site that you can purchase through.
Until I get all the changes done, to be able to handle
your orders, the Brushes also go through Pay Pal and the
Fashenhues products still go through etsy.
I also take payments through Sell, but you need to text me first on that.
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How to use Translucents
Here is where you will find answers.
Things you would like to know about
how I use and teach the products made by
Fashenhues, Inc.
Basic FASHENHUES applications
By Ruth Ann Jackson Butler - updated 10/9/2019
Many folks have been asking about basic Fashenhues application. I will try to give you that information, the way I teach, in this file.
Keep in mind that different teachers teach differently. You should find the way that you are more comfortable with and use that method.
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For doing your Fashenhues work, I suggest that you create your own color chart. Each person applies different pressure when you create your project, so someone else's color chart may not be the same colors that you achieve when you use the products. I have posted samples in the color chart to help you see the colors I get when I use our products.
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We suggest that you use either white T-Shirt type material to wipe back, or VIVA PAPER TOWELS - untextured... Until I tried the Viva, I had always used the T-Shirts and once I started using them, I love them, and Viva is what we now use in all my workshops.
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Also... Equate Wet Ones... These are sold at most Walmarts – in the drug department. I buy them in the white canisters, usually found on the lower shelf, and run less than $2 for a canister of 120. These wet ones are odorless and work really well for our projects.
REMEMBER, WHEN YOU USE A WET ONE,
THROW IT IN THE TRASH!!
DO NOT PUT IT ON THE TABLE IN YOUR WORK AREA...
DRY YOUR HANDS BEFORE PICKING UP YOUR PIECE.
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BRUSHES - Taklon Blend - Flat Shaders or Anglers are my favorites.
On another tab, here on my web site, you will find pictures of Brush line. My brushes are made here in the USA.
(Presently, you will need to contact me directly to order, the website was charging way too much tax & I haven't figured out how to fix that.
So brush orders are direct until I get this corrected.)
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Always use a different clean brush for each color.
As you paint and wipe back, when you change colors, lay your cloths out in front of you, with the brush you used for that color on top of your cloths. You may need these later if you need to clean up your piece.
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NEVER leave your brushes in water. This goes for any painting...
This will cause them to come apart, and you pay too much for good brushes to ruin them by leaving them in water.
Wooden handles will soak up the water, causing the paint to crack, and as the wood dries, it will shrink and the farral will come off...
Plastic, Handles - the glue for the bristles will soften and your bristles will begin to fall out.
I would love to sell you more brushes,
but you'd like me better if
I teach you how to take care of the ones you already have. :)
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As you work on your piece, and think...
"I am not happy with what I am doing"... get up, walk away, take a look at it from a distance... WOW... it looks good....
Hold it up in front of a mirror... WOW... looks even better...
holding it in front of a mirror - you see what other people see...
keep in mind... YOU ARE ALWAYS YOUR WORST CRITIC...
Your piece, even your first will be beautiful if you keep the following notes in mind...
1. Picking out your piece...
A. Greenware to bisque...
Be sure to clean and DETAIL your piece back very carefully.
The badly detailed pieces will show exactly that.
The more detailed piece, the more your work will show up.
B. Bisque/ Purchased Bisque...
When you purchase a piece of bisque,
before beginning with your Fashenhues,
look carefully to be sure it is detailed back, and cleaned well.
If necessary, use your Bisque file to fix any areas that may need attention...
Remember, if you can see it, the whole world can see it...
For really bad bisque, you may have to use a Dremil tool to put the details back in, or to remove seam lines...
Remember, the dremil works much faster than your hand...
so proceed with caution in doing this.
2. Getting Started
A. With a soft, 1" to a 3/4" shader, load in either the C1044 White or C1048 White or C1244 Cream or
C1288 Cream base coats.
B. If you use the C1244 or C1288 Cream base coats,you should
put one complete coat on your bisque.
Then apply one coat of C1044 or C1048
White base coat to complete your two coats of base coat.
The advantage of using white over cream is
that you can see where you missed basecoating,
with each coat with the color difference.
(Personally, I tend to use more white on white...
I feel that I get a whiter base to start with... but I sell both).
Now, if I want more of an Italian, Olive look to my finished piece,
I will basecoat with C1244 or C1288 Cream.
For the Certification Courses, I teach the cream, then white
as Fashenhues prefers & teaches to do it this way.
C. IF YOU STILL HAVE SOME OF THE OLDER ANTIQUING SOLUTION:
Once you have your two coats of base coat dry,
pour out a little -
less than 1/2 oz of Antiquing Solution
in a small disposable container.
With another soft 3/4" brush, apply this completely
over your base coat. Spread this product out,
apply very sparingly...
If you have missed a spot,
the bisque will soak in this product,
and you will see a bit of a darker spot show up.
Wipe back with your soft cloth, and
reapply the white base coat.
Check your entire piece in this manor...
You should not have any puddles
of Antiquing solution on your piece,
as you work or when you finish.
If you do, you have used way too much product.
Wipe your entire piece with a clean cloth
to be sure the Antiquing Solution is wiped
with no puddles or shiny spots...
IF YOU HAVE THE NEWER ANTIQUING SOLUTION,
YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP.
3. Clean your basecoat and antiquing brushes, shape bristles back to their normal shape, lay aside to dry.
REMOVE ALL WATER FROM YOUR WORK AREA...
you will not use any water again until you finish your project.
If you leave your water on your work area,
you WILL put your paint brush in the water... do not do this...
so... to be sure just completely remove it from your table totally.
4. Applying Colors - there are several ways to apply the colors.
It all depends on the final outcome
you would like with your piece.
The most common application, is to brush on,
wipe back softly with a soft cloth/Viva paper towels,
rotating your towel, using a clean spot each time.
You will go through many paper towels -
we cut "selectasize" paper towel in half.
There are different tips that you need for different colors as well...
A. What most folks call Antiquing... the most commonly used product for this step is S18 or S182 Brown.
You can antique with any of our colors though.
(see Cinder dragon, picture - antiqued in Purple)
Keep in mind a couple of things about your work as you progress...
First, do not apply more color than you can wipe back before it dries...
Secondly, once you applied and wiped back any color to your piece,
if you have to stop working on your project,
put your project in a plastic bag to prevent
the colors from setting up before
you begin to add your other colors.
B. Once your entire piece is antiqued, you can begin to add your
other colors. If you get some color on a spot
that you didn't intend to,
try to wipe it off with your cloth,
but keep in mind, that at the end,
you will go back after you complete your project
and clean up any areas that need your attention.
C. BRUSH ON, WIPE BACK - This is most common method of applying the colors.
Your results will depend on your own pressuer
how hard, or softly you wipe back.
Everyone uses a different pressure in their work.
D. PRESS AND ROLL is another way to do this - brush your color on, put the cloth around your finger, smoothly,
and press lightly on the spot you just painted,
and roll your finger across it,
just enough to remove the moisture,
while leaving the color on the piece.
E. BLOT is another way to apply colors. This method can be used to either initially apply the color
or to darken the color.
To APPLY the color in this method,
pour out a small puddle of color onto your pallet,
wrap the cloth around your finger,
lightly press into color,
blot off to the side, on your pallet,
then lightly blot (press or wipe)
this color onto your piece.
To DARKEN - find an area on the cloth (with lots of color on it) that you have used to wipe back,
in a brush on/wipe back off method,
pat the area that you need to darken
with this spot on your cloth.
F. STIPPLE - you can also "stipple" your color onto your piece.
This method is usually used when you
want to add a bit of spotting to fruit, etc.
I pour out a drop of paint, spread it out on the pallet,
and with a Deer Foot brush, tip into the paint,
and lightly stipple on the side of your pallet
to be sure you don't have paint blobs,
then lightly stiple (tap on) your piece.
G. Special notes - when applying your reds - NEVER WIPE BACK... you will get a bright pink. For a deep RED... depending on how much I think I will use on the piece, I pour out a puddle, as I begin my project, and set it aside. This step helps the stain to thicken while I'm working on my project, and helps me to get a deeper red color on my piece. I apply the red color to everything I want to be red before blotting my reds. Always BLOT the moisture out of the reds... again,
NEVER WIPE THIS COLOR BACK...
H. Keep in mind that COLOR ERASES COLOR... so if you have an area that is lighter than you prefer... DO NOT apply more color, wipe back, expecting it to be darker, because it will not be darker, but lighter... Blotting will darken...
I. If you find that you are leaving fingerprints on your piece, hold your piece with a paper towel.
5. BLENDING MEDIUM... Be very carefully when using the blending medium. It can get away from you very quickly, and you will have your entire piece covered with fingerprints. The colors are already at a good consistency when you open your new bottles. Pour out or use a dropper to dip out your colors. Do not leave the tops off your bottles - this will cause your product to thicken. As a rule, I always add a drop of blending medium to the following colors, every time I pour them out on my tiles - S7 Blue Gray; S9 Gray; S13 Flesh; & S38 Rose. I've found over the years, if I do not add 1 drop to these, then I get a bit of a grainy color... with the blending medium, the colors just flow and turn out very smooth. The video on the internet shows to TIP your brush into the blending medium before every time you paint. I do not do this, nor do I teach this. The reason is, as I stated above, the products are already at a good consistency, and mostly because people do not understand the difference between TIP and LOAD... they end up loading their brushes and using way to much blending media and get themselves into trouble...
6. When you finish your piece, and are ready to spray, look it over carefully to see if there are any places that need to be touched up.
To touch up, first, use the cloth with the color you want to be where it needs to be touched up... if that does not do it... use the brush that you applied the original color with - NO FRESH PAINT... Fresh paint will change the color. Using the brush that has dried in the same time frame as your piece, it will help you to touch up any areas that need it...
7. Earlier, I mentioned the Wet Ones. I use the wet ones to wipe the brown back in areas I want to have lighter, like on the Winken Troll's hair and beard.
On Santa, where I want it lighter, but want the depth, I start with S-9 Gray instead of the S-18/S182 Brown... then wipe back with a cloth, and lighten the tops even more, by wiping back with a wet one...
AND... the wet ones take the colors off of your hands... just remember to throw the wet ones away, do not set down in your work area, as you might put your piece
down on one and the color will be gone.
ALSO... dry your hands before touching your piece again.
NOW... I think this covers a lot of questions... as a basic information on using Fashenhues...
Basically, Brush the colors on, lightly wipe them back... SMALL AREAS AT A TIME... APPX 3" OR LESS... do areas that you can wipe back before it dries. Especially important in workrooms that have fans...
**Totally confused now? Just send me a message at ceramictx@aol.com and I will try to answer your questions. OR... check the under Events and see where there is a class/seminar close to you...
I travel teach between March - October annually... need a class in your area? Let's see what we can do if there are none presently scheduled...