I fired these two with the stain last week. I was expecting to get quite a bit more tonal variation on the surface but I am not disappointed with the result. I think that the stark contrast is partly due to the fact that i applied the stain to the surface after it had been fired to ^1. By applying the stain to bisque ware I imagine more variation will be possible. I am considering adding some slight color to theses pieces with under glaze.