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China decorating overglaze, which is nothing more than painting china with oil colors and baking them on permanently, is not an over-crowded field, and there is plenty of room in it for beginners who want to make profitable use of their spare time.

"In fact," says Miss Cerda, "the field is so unexplored that a beginner with a healthy curiosity can quickly become quite an expert whose work is in demand."

Although the process is very simple and gives very beautiful results, Miss Cerda says it is not widely understood or used in America except by foreign artisans who learned the technique in Europe and are working at it here. And even these people are old-timers who are willing to use the technique as it was taught to them, without any desire to experiment with the medium to discover new methods or improvement, according to Miss Cerda.

"Perhaps the reason why it is not widely known is that the process is seldom taught in any schools as far as I know," says Miss Cerda. "Most schools only teach underglaze methods. But here is a great difference in results between the two processes. To me it's like day and night—the beautiful brilliant and intense coloring of overglaze compared to the duller tones of underglaze."

Besides this most important difference, there are other major dissimilarities in the methods used. In the overglaze process, the painted decoration is applied on a glazed, blank, that is, a piece of clay ware which has a transparent and glossy, glass-like surface already baked on. Thus, it is literally overglaze.

In the underglaze method, a clay vessel is fired to remove its moisture content and solidify its shape permanently. Next, the pattern is painted on, and then a glassy surface is applied over the paint, and baked on permanently. Actually then, the paint is under the glaze.

Other differences are that overglaze employs paints mixed with gum turpentine and fat oil, and requires a higher firing temperature than underglaze, which uses watercolor paints mixed with water.

MISS CERDA happened into this hobby because of her desire to paint.

In high school, she studied fashion illustration and costume design with the intention of going into the dress designing field. However, when she graduated, Jean found the fashion field overcrowded. Looking for a related field to work in, one day she answered a newspaper advertisement for a young lady who could paint. The job was with a vase company which produces lovely hand-painted table lamps selling for $59 and up. Miss Cerda took the job, and has been there seven years.

Although she liked the work, Jean, who is a bit of an individualist, yearned to try her own hand at painting. Rather than repeatedly painting the standard commercial pattern that, the company uses for its underglaze production method, Jean wanted to paint what she liked, using the livelier, oil colors. This desire for self-expression led to her adoption of the overglaze method. In a short time, Jean has become so proficient in her hobby that when a private hobby school opened in New York City recently, she was asked to accept a position as an instructor.

"So you see, my hobby can be profitable in more ways than one," remarks Jean laughingly. "I was so thrilled, but I couldn't take the job because I'm too busy doing my own painting."

The one point that Miss Cerda emphasizes for all beginners is that it's more important to have the desire to paint than to worry about any lack of training.

"It's the particular way you paint that makes your work different from everyone else's," Miss Cerda says.

In decorating the china pieces, Jean does not even use the art training she received in high school. Rather, she uses a technique which she picked up by herself.

"I've always loved to paint," she remarks, "and I've learned everything I know about overglaze by reading books about it and experimenting with the process."

Although she has found no books written entirely about overglaze, the following volumes have helpful sections:

"Ceramics and Pottery Making for Everyone," by Carol Janeway.

"The Complete Book of Pottery Making," by John B. Kenny.

"How to Make Pottery and Other Ceramic Ware," by Muriel Turoff.

HERE'S HOW anyone can make lovely decorative plates, just like Miss Cerda's, which sell on sight. The "blanks," or unpainted pieces of chinaware, are purchased from hobby supply houses which carry plates, animal figures, statuettes, etc. It is worthwhile to get the better quality imported blank china because it is easier to work with, fires nicely, and gives a better glaze with more brilliant coloring.

Some quality domestic ware is also good. The cheaper chinaware, such as those pieces sold in five and dime stores, has a thin glaze and gives a rougher finish.

Before painting, it may be easier for the beginner to sketch an outline on the blank with ordinary wax crayon which runs off harmlessly later during firing.

Simple and very effective designs are found everywhere. All one has to do is become aware of them. Nature itself is the most common source of design—flowers, insects, birds, trees, etc. Magazine illustrations and advertisements are also an excellent source of design.

Such simple and well illustrated design books as "Discovering Design," by Marion Downer, and "Oriental Decorative Designs," by Pedro J. Lemos, are very stimulating.

Other sources are linoleum or drapery stores, wallpaper displays, and home furnishings, arts and crafts, antique or furniture shows.

It is best not to copy a design completely. The painter should use some originality in interpreting what he sees. It need not be realistic, just as long as it has color and design resembling the real.

Mixing paints is a simple procedure. The pigments, called overglaze ceramic paints, come in powder form, and are available at art supply stores and from mail order houses. To mix, merely add some spirits of gum turpentine and fat oil (balsam) to the powder on a flat piece of glass, enamel or metal surface. Using a spatula, mix the ingredients thoroughly.

No quantity measurements are necessary. Just mix the powder and liquid to obtain the most desirable consistency for individual working preference. However, take care not to make the mixture too oily, for the paint may bubble, blister or chip off and give poor firing. A mixture is too oily when it runs quickly; and when it's too thick, it looks pasty and doesn't flow off the brush properly.

A secret that Miss Cerda learned from experience is that red colors usually need more oil than others because they seem to be very gritty and dry.

White powder is rarely used since the blank pieces themselves are white. In special cases, however, it may be used to bring out a highlight in the painted subject.

Always keep in mind the fact that a little color goes very far, and there is no need to be wasteful.

JEAN LIKES to use a ¾-inch square-cut brush, preferably of sable hair. Additional sizes of ¹/8-inch, ¼-inch and a fine-line script brush for detailed work, signatures or executing trademarks, are convenient to have although they are not necessary.

In applying paint, first dip the tip of the brush into clear turpentine or fat oil, and wipe the excess off. Then, holding it like a pencil so that the tips of the bristles rest on the glass, draw it along the outline of the paint on the glass so that either the right or the left side of the brush at the tip gets paint, and the other half of the tip stays clear.

Then rest the whole brush tip on the blank plate and pivot the brush on the corner that is clear of paint until almost a complete circle is made. The result of this technique is an incomplete circle which is shaded in a progressively darker tone, ranging from the opening of the circle to the outer border, somewhat like a crescent moon on a hazy night. This light-to-dark effect creates an impression of depth or dimension in the object. Such a simple circle can be a berry, or part of a flower petal.

Certain flowers require different techniques with the brush. The rose requires more practice than other flowers because the petals are slightly more difficult to reproduce. First the rose is painted on the blank, and then the brush, dipped in clear turpentine and wiped clean with a cloth, is used to wipe off the highlights on the petals.

AN IMPORTANT point to remember about this technique is that the paint must always be brushed on with swift, single strokes. Once the stroke is made, the paint dries almost immediately and cannot be gone over again because the brush picks up or mars the first application.

When an error is made, it is simply wiped off thoroughly with a soft cloth dipped in turpentine. The area dries in a fraction of a minute, and the design can be re-applied correctly. This artistic single stroke technique is easily learned by experience.

"Beginners will usually apply the colors too heavily," asserts Miss Cerda. "The best results are obtained when the colors have a transparency on the blank. Also, there is less risk of the paint cracking or peeling in firing."

Variations of color intensity can be had by light and heavy pressure on the brush.

It's easy to tell if there is too much oil in the color mixture. If the colors take ten minutes or more to dry, or if they are too transparent, there is an excess of oil in the paint. If there is too much turpentine in the mixture, the color will run during painting, and it will also fire poorly.

When making a set of plates, it is a good idea to apply the first color to the entire set before mixing another color.

"For that extra touch," remarks Miss Cerda, "plates can be beautifully finished with 14-karat gold trimming."

The gold paint comes in liquid form, and looks like a dark cough syrup. It can only be applied to a clear china blank, or an unpainted part of the plate. If it is applied over another color, it turns black. Jean recommends applying it after the first firing, and then firing the piece again. Gold trimming should be used sparingly as it is expensive—about $30 for an eight-ounce bottle.

AFTER THE design is painted on, the chinaware must be fired so that the colors are permanently baked in. High temperature kilns which go up to 1375-1400 degrees are used for this purpose. Various kilns are available at hobby houses. They are of two types—the gas or electric operated. Jean prefers the electric type because it requires comparatively less time for firing.

The painted chinaware is placed in the kiln before the heat is turned on. Care must be taken in handling the painted china blank as any fingerprints left on the paint will show up in firing. Smaller kilns reach 1375 degrees F.—the most popular firing temperature—quicker than larger ones. When the correct temperature is reached, the heat is shut off and the piece left in the kiln to cool off slowly.

"You've got to resist the temptation to open the kiln and look at the piece during this cooling process," warns Jean. "The china has to cool gradually because sudden cooling may crack it. Cooling time depends upon the kiln, but I usually let my work cool overnight."

The heat in the kiln must not be permitted to go over 1400 degrees. At that temperature, the china may warp or the colors may "spit," that is, burn off or sputter. At 1900 degrees, china glaze melts.

When the piece is removed from the kiln, the colors should look rich and vibrant. An over-fired piece has dull colors which rub off easily, and the surface feels rough when the hand is passed over it.

If the piece is under-fired, the color also rubs off. An inexpensive pyrometer gives a convenient and accurate indication of temperature for proper firing, and is well worth the cost. It saves a lot of guess work.

After the china has cooled, Miss Cerda rubs the entire piece once over lightly with the finest grade of sandpaper available. This procedure smooths the surface and gives the glaze a lovely sheen. The final step is to wipe the finished plate with a soft cloth.

"I HAVE no trouble selling my finished plates," Jean says happily, "I display my plates, free of charge, along with my personal business card, in an optometrist's window on a nearby shopping street."

This effective means of advertising was something Jean stumbled upon in the beginning of her hobby selling efforts. One day while shopping on this busy street she noticed oil paintings in an optometrist's window, and a small card saying that these amateur works were for sale. In a flash, she recognized an opportunity, and went in to see the proprietor. She discovered that the optometrist was fond of paintings and wanted to help young artists display their work. Miss Cerda suggested that her plates would make a lovely and different display, as well as a novel change from the series of paintings.

Later that afternoon when the optometrist saw Jean's plates he agreed. A few days later, Jean helped to arrange the display with a name card, and left some business cards with the secretary to hand out to inquirers. This display brought many inquiries and quite a few sales. The plan can be used with almost any type of store by convincing the owner that the display will make people stop to look and bring them into the store to make inquiries. Emphasize the point that every inquirer is also a prospective customer for store business.

Jean has also depended on recommendations of her work to friends by satisfied customers and relatives. The resulting orders are enough to keep her spare time occupied fully.

However, Miss Cerda expects to devote more time to her hobby in the future. To obtain more orders, she plans to use classified newspaper advertising, and will call on gift shops with samples to make arrangements for handling her distinctive gift-ware on consignment. She feels certain that such a program will bring her more orders than she can handle easily in her spare time.

LOOKING AT her hobby primarily as a source of personal satisfaction and pleasure, Jean considers any amount left over the cost of materials as profit. She has no set price for her creations because she tries not to make any two pieces alike, so each item is priced differently.

Knowing what her cost of materials is, she approximates the time spent making the dish and sets a price.

A beginner will probably find it most convenient while learning the process to set an absolute minimum price for a plate, say $3 for an eight-inch size with a simple pattern with one flower and some leaves; $5 for a ten-inch size with a bouquet of flowers and leaves in the center; $7.50 for a spray and a decorated edge; and $10 for a "reverse" plate—one in which the background is dark or in color and the figures are left in white on the blank. Gold decorations are extra on all plates.

If other designs than flowers are used, grade prices similarly—lower prices for simple designs, and progressively higher ones for complex designs.

"One bit of advice I'd like to give beginners about selling," says Jean, "is to give the public what it wants. Remember that the public likes flash and brilliantly colored articles. Roses are very popular, and when you paint them, make them a bright red. What you prefer may not be popular—it's what the customer likes that she buys."

Every effort must be made to keep the work as original as possible because it is not profitable to copy items that are flooding the market. Also, there is no real personal satisfaction in copying someone else's work.

ONE OF Jean's most popular sellers is a children's cereal and dinner set which sells for $5. The three-piece set, consisting of a small plate, bowl, and drinking mug, is made on inexpensive domestic blanks using the overglaze method, but with the figures outlined and just brushed in with solid color. Pattern and coloring are kept very simple for faster production.

When an order is taken, Jean asks the parent the first name of the child, its birth date, and what particular object the child likes, for example, a clown face, toy blocks, a baby bear, etc. This information and the object is painted on the set, making it more personalized.

"That's why these cereal bowl sets sell so well—the child likes it because of the gay colors, and mother likes it because it's a keepsake, and because little junior eats up all the mush to get down to the bottom and see the happy clown face," Jean explains with a twinkle in her eyes, and a big smile on her face.

She was thinking of the time a woman ordered two different bowl sets for her youngsters. The day after they were delivered, Jean's telephone rang, and it was the same woman.

"Miss. Cerda," she said, "you've got to make me another cereal bowl set as soon as possible—the same as the baby panda one."

"Er, I'll be glad to," replied Jean rather puzzled. "Is there anything wrong with the sets you have?"

"Oh, no! Of course not," retorted the woman assuringly. "It's just that my little boy keeps crying for a baby panda set just like his sister has, instead of the laughing clown face."

"Oh, I see," responded Jean. "But what will you do with the clown face set?" she queried.