I have some wonderful enamel pins that my mother bought in the early 60's by an enamel artist named Lucille Cantini.  They are signed on the back with a PLAYBIRD stamp.

I've just started enameling (but an artist in other mediums), and I am trying to figure out what techniques she might have used to achieve the drawing on the enamel pin.  How did she get those lovely white lines?  The dark blue mouse shape?  Any suggestions for the methods that might have been used to achieve this would be appreciated.

Pin measures 1 1/4" wide, 3/4" tall. 

Thank you and I love this forum!

Hi Robbie,

This is a sgraffito technique - The first layer was a white opaque that was fired first - the light blue sifted on next and the white lines where scored through the enamel  with a pointed object  then fired - and I am assuming the dark blue mouse stencil was then laid down and sifted and the fired - We will see what ever one else thinks!

Hi Robbie, this is sgraffito, the bottom layer is white. The next two layers have been carried out exactly as Trish described. The color used ( light blue ) seems to consist rather large particles leading to not very sharp lines ( ears and tale, eye of mouse ). Using finer grains one can draw sharper lines.

Wow.  Thank you both for taking the time to figure this out.

My sgraffito attempts with the Thompson medium expansion enamel powders has been mostly unsuccessful in making clean drawn lines like she has here. Maybe its too grainy for sgraffito?  

Or are them some tricks to getting rid of the build up of enamel along the sides where there is a drawn line?