Lettering in enamel

Pat Musick says, 'Enamel is a medium of extraordinary
brilliance of colour and durability. Many people do not
realize that it is basically coloured glass fused to metal
at red heat. The very word "enamel" provokes widely
different responses, from Fabergé and cloisonné to the
London Underground and Victorian railway
advertising. Enamel has obvious potential as a mural
or architectural medium because of its intense colour
qualities which only stained glass can rival. New ideas
and techniques continue to evolve. The richness,
versatility and practical application of enamelling
challenging the letterer, and the degree of formal
definition required by lettering challenging the
enameller.'

The preliminary sketch and
finished panel of half-Uncial
letters enamelled on steel.

Pat Musick demonstrates three different enamelling
techniques: sgraffitto, wet inlay and screen oil. The
illustrations show quite clearly both the opportunities
for letterforms and the constraints upon the designers
in each case.

(1) Sgraffitto Dry enamel is
mixed with a gum tragacanth
solution, poured on to aj>anel
and dried. When the design has
been transferred it is cut

through with a sharp tool
(above left). The letters
themselves can be cut away to
reveal the surface underneath
or the background can be cut

away to leave the letters
standing. If the letters are
recessed, the surface of the cut¬
away edge reflects highlights
like any other incised letter.

78

(2) Wet Inlay technique Enamel
is mixed with gum solution to
paste consistency, then it is
guided on to the panel. This
process permits very precise
positioning of the enamel but
can be very time-consuming
and is best used for working on
a small scale. It can be used to
apply enamel to incised forms,
as the term 'inlay' implies.

The enamel is being carefully
used to fill in a cut-away letter.

It should be slightly raised from
the form inlaid, as after firing
this will level out and be flush
with the surrounding surface.
As designers' technical skill
improves, so will their control
over the letters. You can see
that this technique allows, and
even encourages, serifs, though
it is no use expecting the
precision that can be obtained
in glass engraving or stone
carving.

(3) Screen oil The enamel is
held by the medium of screen
oil lightly tinted with ink so
that you can see what you are
doing. This is applied with a
brush (a). You can use a flat-
edged brush just as you would
in free brush lettering, or you
can draw and paint in the
letters carefully. The quality of
letterforms is therefore
dependent on the writer's skill.
After the powdered glass has
been sprinkled on through a
sieve (b) the plate is shaken to
remove the excess (c). This
method is equally suitable for
large or small work, but you

must expect very fine lines to
thicken up slightly. You have a
chance to retouch your letters
after the oil and enamel have
dried, but before firing (d).
Letters written in oil will end up
slightly raised and will catch
and reflect highlights.
This panel of screen oil
enamelling (above) was freely
written with a broad-edged
brush in graduated and subtle
tones of red, orange and yellow.
Pat undertook post-graduate
studies in lettering and
enamelling in London where
most of the work, shown here
was done.

79