How to Start

Enamelling is very difficult to start if you have no training in some form of metalwork or some drawing skills. I will list below my suggestions on how to get going in the order of importance. A new beginners guide to enamelling page is now ready for viewing.

1.Books are the very best source of information to see if enamelling is for you and the library is a good place to start. Secondhand books are an excellent source of basic techniques and the old ones dating back to the sixties can be cheap and full of useful tips. The basics of enamelling dont change much but new and interesting ways have evolved and for up to date information I would recommend The Art of Enamelling by Linda Darty which supplies all you need to know, go to books to buy a copy. I have managed to collect around 10 books varying in age on enamelling, buying them from car boot sales, secondhand bookshops and Amazon. Books on jewellery techniques are also indispensable for tricky problems when you have no-one to ask.

2. Sketching and drawing skills are very important if you are to move your designs forward, practicing everyday in a sketch book and dating your work, will give you a good record of how you work progresses. Enrole in a course to start you off. We are not all fortunate to be born with a gift some of us have to work hard to achieve these skills, but it can be a great confidence boost when a new design proves a best seller.

3. Take a course in metalwork or silversmithing, if you are lucky you might find one on enamelling which will included everything you need. Make notes all the time as it is easy to forget what you have done and keep your first pieces.

4. Copper is the cheapest source of material to practice on, I use recycled copper tanks which gives me an endless supply. Go to recycling for more info.

5. If you feel after you have bought some books and been to college that you have caught the enamelling bug then it is time to buy a kiln. After spending 2 years at college full time studying crafts I decided that enamelling was my future so I splashed out on the largest enamelling kiln I could afford, £600, 3 months later I went to an auction and was amazed to find 2 in one lot which I bought for £22. I was gutted as one was the same size as my expensive one and one smaller, six months later I bought another 1960s small hotplate kiln for £5. Keep your eyes open and try all sorts of places as you never know what you might find for an unusual price.

6. Record everything you do and be meticulous, enamelling can produce the most unexpected effects and you want to make sure you can reproduce them six months later.

7. A common question is what colours should I buy first, I think you should go for the colours you like most in sample sizes and build from that base. There are two basic types of enamel, opaque and transparent, and by putting transparent enamel over opaque you can make new colours.

8. Enjoy yourself and make time to play with shapes, designs and colours.