What Is Ceramic Lithography In Pottery?
What Is Ceramic Lithography In Pottery?
Many people know Emma Bridgewater for our hand-sponged pottery, but some of our patterns are very complex and require an entirely different process.
Our finely illustrated garden birds, British flowers, favourite dog breeds and characterful country animal scenes, for instance, need to have every subtle line and shade brought to life. We achieve this through ceramic lithographing. It’s the process of transferring detailed designs onto the surface of ceramic pottery.
Emma was first inspired to try this method by Victorian engravings, back in 1990. What began as simple single-colour designs soon evolved into the richly detailed and colourful patterns – often involving Matthew Rice’s distinctive typeface – that we’re so familiar with today.
The History Of Transfer Printing In British Ceramics
Lithography is a form of transfer printing – a process that began in the 1750s and came to be used by Josiah Wedgwood on his creamware. People hankered after the fancily embellished dinner sets that only the most affluent English families could afford because every plate had to be hand-painted by an artisan.
Transfer printing replaced this time-consuming work, revolutionising British pottery decoration techniques. It enabled porcelain production on a large scale making high-quality decorated tableware accessible to the broader public.
With transfer printed ceramics, the pattern was etched onto a metal plate, such as copper, then inked. The design was then transferred to a special tissue to lay onto the bisque-fired ceramic item, then glazed and fired once more.
However, a major drawback of transfer printing was that only one colour could be printed at a time. It came to be replaced in the ceramics industry by lithography, a process that enables full colour patterns to be applied and fused to the ware in one firing.
Lithography And Spongeware Processes: What’s The Difference?
A similar process to transfer printing applies to ceramic lithography. Our craftspeople apply a base glaze to the piece before biscuit firing, then carefully place the patterned paper transfer (the lithograph) by hand onto the glazed surface.
Creating a lithography pattern for transfer-printed ceramics is a lengthy process, with a lead-in time of up to three months from initial design to production. Once printed, a finite stock of lithographic sheets makes it rarely possible to continue producing a pattern past the first print run. A new set has to be created.
Unlike the finely detailed lines and aligned patterns of lithography-printed ceramics, spongeware is a much freer craft process. Our highly skilled decorators dip the sponges in pigment to dab the designs directly onto the unglazed pottery clay. Because the clay is so highly absorbent, the paint soaks straight in. The pottery glaze is then applied before firing.
For spongeware, we cut relief patterns into synthetic sponges by hand with soldering irons. It can take from 30 minutes to up to 3 hours to create each sponge, which may only last for one week.
Lithography and spongeware each have a key role to play in crafting Emma Bridgewater pottery. Both decorative techniques are done by hand and require an equally high degree of attention to detail, yet each brings something different to a pattern.
Why We Use Different Decoration Techniques On Our Collections
Sponge painting (spongeware) and lithographic transferring bring our Stoke-on-Trent pottery to life in different ways.
Hand-sponging creates a characterful, folksy look in collections such as Polka Dot and Pink Hearts. Slight variations in colour and a slightly irregular finish are all part of the charm, giving each pottery piece a handmade feel as unique as the skilled craftsperson who decorated it.
Lithography allows us to reproduce highly detailed artwork with detailed illustrations and use a wider range of colours. It’s just the thing for patterns with delicate shading and fine lines, such as British Birds. It also ensures the borders on the repeat patterns are aligned and uniform.
By acknowledging both techniques, our Stoke-on-Trent factory maintains heritage and the use of traditional crafts while still producing beautiful contemporary pottery mugs and ceramic tableware.
How Emma Bridgewater Lithographed Patterns Are Applied
Every piece of lithography starts out as glazed creamware that’s already been fired in the kiln once. Pieces selected to ensure maximum quality are taken to the lithography area.
We print our patterns onto large sheets of transfer paper that the decorator then cuts out by hand. The individual transfers are then lightly soaked in water to remove the backing paper while the glazed mug, plate, jug or teapot is warmed in a heater so that the transfer is easier to apply.
Once positioned carefully on the ware by hand, the transfer is smoothed over with a rubber squeegee to remove any air bubbles.
These transfer ceramics are then fired again for the colours and pottery glaze to fuse together. A temporary yellow protective coating burns off in the kiln, leaving the design permanently bonded to the pottery with a perfectly smooth finish.
The Role Of Craftsmanship Within Lithography Production
Craftsmanship within lithography production on our British ceramics is a whole world apart from mass-manufactured efficiency.
It requires expertly placing patterned transfers by hand to a curved, three-dimensional surface and aligning the repeated seams flawlessly.
We have a team of more than 50 talented full-time decorators, with the skills, patience and attention to detail that’s required. On average, our ceramic lithography craftspeople make 175 pieces a day.
How To Tell Whether An Emma Bridgewater Piece Is Lithography Or Spongeware
While spongeware has visible textures and tiny variations in the way the pattern looks, ceramic lithography has smooth and exact designs, like decals, featuring intricate illustrations and highly defined wording.
But whether your favourite pattern is an iconic spongeware one or a finely detailed lithographic decoration, our Stoke-on-Trent craftspeople ensure that every handmade piece of pottery for your kitchen table, garden table or dresser is made to be treasured for many years to come.
Now you know what lithography in ceramics is all about, take a closer look at What is Spongeware?