Ocean & Insect Inspired Tableware Collection – Artist Spotlight

Following an absolutely overwhelming response to our newly-introduced MiCuit dinnerware range, we are excited to share an interview we’ve conducted with one of the artists behind this tableware collection. From jugs to plates and from bowls to bottles, they are perfect for any table setting or just as an individual decorative item. All our porcelain tableware is beautifully finished with elegant gold detailing around the rim, which makes these pieces truly unique and luxurious.

Each piece is individually hand-crafted and hand-painted in Spain by two young entrepreneur artists. They are passionate about design and illustration, and have developed their own brand, famous for hand-crafted tableware with a fresh and modern style.

This small boutique artist studio is run by two young entrepreneur artists. Their workshop is located in Valencia, where they carry out the entire creation process until their pieces reach our hands. By reading this you will be able to learn a little more about the work behind each of these pieces.

– How did you start your creative journey?

– I Have been drawing ever since I could pick up a pencil, although I never took it seriously, until the age of 8. I remember at school, there was a drawing contest for Christmas and the school announced the winner, the award was to illustrate the front page of the school magazine and, I won! That was the first real prize I got for my drawings.

While I was growing up, I never considered drawing seriously, besides the occasional doodles. Until a couple of years ago, when I started the very first project – a hand-crafted and hand-painted dinnerware collection. Sometimes a wrong decision makes you choose a different career based on your ambitions… But after many years, I decided to start a project that makes me happy! At the very beginning, I would only dedicate 20% of my time to the project, but now I’m 100% dedicated to my passion and this is what makes me really happy.

– Why did you choose this particular area?

– Decorating pottery is one of the most rewarding aspects of working in ceramic. It’s the time when you can add colour and life to a bare ceramic surface, which really shows off your creative talents.

– How would you describe your style?

– I consider my designs fresh, contemporary and dynamic. My signature style – is fine lines in the illustrations, which give volume to my designs. I also add a touch of gold to all my final works!

– What is the process behind your works and which techniques do you use to create these pieces?

– For most of my design projects we use digital ceramic decals with ceramic pigments – it is a simple and easy-to-apply form of decoration. This process makes it possible to reproduce any design and capture it in every ceramic piece, making them all individually unique. The entire process consists of the following stages:

1. Illustration

All of our illustrations are hand-drawn. We use different materials, such as graphite pencils, charcoal, watercolours, coloured pencils, markers etc. Another important element – is the paper on which we draw, which will depend on the material we are going to use.
Then, we scan these illustrations and send them to a laser printer adapted for ceramic colours. Our illustrations are then printed on special transfer paper for later application to glazed ceramic.

2. Placing the decals

For the placement of the decals – we follow several steps. First, we clean each individual piece with alcohol and a small cloth (or gauze pads) – that way we can ensure that the surface where we want to place the decal is free from dust etc.
Then, we cut the decal and place it in a container with warm water, after a few minutes we put the decal on the ceramic piece and slide it slightly until we see that the decal detaches from the transfer paper.
Once placed, we remove the excess water contained in the decal very gently with a silicone spatula.
Finally, we leave the piece in a drying cabinet for a while so that any remaining water can evaporate completely.

3. Baking

The combination of temperature, baking time, support surface and type of decal – are the 4 variables that will determine the result of our pieces. In general, the temperature that we use is between 840ºC and 890ºC. But everything depends on each individual piece since they are all different from one another.

After undergoing all the above processes, the piece is finished and ready to be enjoyed!

– How long does it take you to produce each individual piece?

– The process itself of designing the illustrations for porcelain tableware is not extensive. Once we have the illustration ready and printed onto the decal, the process of transferring the illustrations is relatively quick. The extensive part of this entire process – is when we put these pieces into the oven to bake! Normally, the entire process takes between 24 – 36 hours.

– How did you select this particular theme for your illustrations?

– I have designed hundreds of different illustrations to this date! I always try to come up with designs and illustrations, which will have continuity. For example, I designed this range inspired by nature because I can add more illustrations as time goes by.

– Where do you draw your inspiration from?

– My artistic inspiration comes mostly from nature. I live in Valencia, which is located on the Mediterranean Coast, so I’m constantly surrounded by the sea and nature.

I particularly love drawing sea creatures and insects – these are the basis of my work. Being out in nature, in the wild elements, is an amazing source of artistic inspiration. But sometimes I also try something completely different from my usual representational style.

One of the best ways of finding inspiration as an artist – is by looking at other artists’ work and learning from them. Also, just being in the studio, experimenting, making mistakes and learning from them- is very important for the creative process of the artist.