Sponges
Familiar household items since the days of ancient Greece and Rome, natural sponges are still in great demand by cosmetic manufacturers, artists and surgeons. In ceramics - aside from their aforementioned role in cleaning processes — sponges can play an important, though often neglected, part in decoration.Synthetic sponges of expanded rubber, neoprene and plastic have been substituted for natural sponges for most household duties, and some of these, too, can be used to great advantage in ceramic decoration.
The natural sponges most often used by hobby ceramists are the wool sponge, the Mediterranean silk sponge, the silk cup sponge, and, to a lesser extent, the elephant's ear sponge (the latter is most often employed by potters, when throwing on a potter's wheel). Several synthetic sponges can be employed for ceramic decoration, each one selected for a special effect -which will be explained later in this chapter.
Every ceramist interested in design and decoration should have, and should retain for only. It is a good idea to tag decorating sponges in some manner (perhaps by threading a piece of colored cord through one side) just in case they accidentally become mixed in with sponges used for cleaning greenware.
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Silk Sponges
Cup Sponges
Wool Sponges
Veiling Sponges
Gold - Veiling Sponges
Painting Sponges
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May 19, 2012