Ceramic Tile Aztec Warrior

I've displayed a multi colored ceramic tile before but this is a colored tile using color for "shading" which I've learned is coloring around the "edges" of an image to give it depth.

I began with a simple white 6"x6" tile and sponge painted it with red acrylic and brown spray paint. Here you can see various patterns like swirls, lines and smudges of paint. I wanted to see what effects they would have.

After drying I spray painted them black. Sorry no photo of this step but the important part is to try to get an even coat when you spray paint.

Once dried choose an image that you want to use and size it over your tile. The image on the left, Aztec Calendar, I set the power at 35%.

The image on the right, Aztec Warrior, I set the power at 37%. Very little difference and very subtle color in the finished product. You'll notice there is a lot more "white" around the 2nd image. This allows more color to be seen in-between the engraved image.

Once your image is sized and ready send them to your M1 but be mindful of the time each one takes. I initially sent the "Aztec Warrior" with a setting of 200 Lines per CM and it was going to take well over 3 hrs!! I adjusted it to 140 and It dropped down to an estimated 2 hrs. Well, it's highly detailed and it was commissioned by a client so I went ahead and kept it at 140 Lines per CM.

Once completed, just dust them off and wiped down with a soft cloth. You can seal them with "Clear Glaze" but I really don't like that they reflect too much light so I leave them dull and uncoated. Here are the results. The first two were pre painted with red acrylic paint, the last two with brown spray paint.

Thanks for taking some time to look over this project. Please share any comments or suggestions you may have to improve on this process.