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Incising
Incising
Incising or drawing on clay is a great way to add decoration. Incising should be done at the leatherhard stage. Tools for incising can include a pen point pen, pencil, wire loop tool, depending on the desired thickness of the lines. To clean up the lines, while scratching into the clay, one should remove the tiny pieces of clay ("clay booger") that build up on the incising tool. A damp (not soaking wet) small brush can also be used. For older students, a colour shaper tool with a rubber tip can work wonders for improving the neatness of the lines as well as for smoothing out small areas in between and around the lines.
Carving
Carving
Carving to Produce Texture or Low Relief: A wire loop tool can be used to carve or remove clay from the project. This is a great technique for adding texture or for creating a design in low relief.
Carving Completely Through the Form: Similarly to a real pumpkin, clay can be carved by carefully cutting away pieces when the clay is at the leatherhard stage. This is a great technique if making a votive. Depending on the age of the students, a plastic knife, traditional fettling knife, or a needle tool can be used to carve. Be sure to caution students to take their time and to not take away too much clay so as to maintain the structural integrity of the piece. Intricate carvings should be planned out and even sketched lightly on the clay with a ball point pen or incising tool. A small wet paintbrush can be used after carving to remove clay "boogers" and to clean and smooth edges (on the exterior AND interior of the piece).
The texture on this vessel was achieved by carving away pieces of clay with a wire loop tool.
Low Relief Additions
Low Relief Additions
Students can add low-relief pieces of clay that are pinkie finger thickness or thinner. To make these additions, students can cube up clay, make a clay "pancake" of pinkie thickness, and then draw out the desired shape on the clay before cutting out the shape. As an alternative, students can use coils or balls of clay to make their low relief additions. Stress to students that each addition must be scratched and slipped onto the main form or it will later fall off.
Modeling or Sculpting
Modeling or Sculpting
Ideal Consistency of Clay: Modeling or sculpting pieces either to make a sculpture or an addition to another form, can be done most easily with clay that is most malleable in the plastic stage. Sometimes, larger sculptures or additions require individual parts to be made separately and to then be allowed to dry to leatherhard before attaching them together for greater structural strength.
Joining Pieces: Modeling or sculpting pieces that are plastic do NOT require scratching and slipping when adding additions so long as the clay used is the exact same consistency. However, if the clay is leatherhard, any additional pieces added are leatherhard, or the form to which the sculpture will be attached is leatherhard, scratching and slipping both pieces, at the locations which they will join, MUST be scratched and slipped before sticking the two pieces together. Ideally, all parts of a sculpture or clay project are kept at the same stage of drying to prevent cracking. In the case of larger forms, such as a large pot, the base will sometimes be required to be leatherhard while the top additions are still plastic. However, the gradual gradation from leatherhard to plastic, in this case, can help prevent cracking caused when the two parts of a join are drying at different rates and pull apart from each other.
Word of Caution about Thickness : Sculptures should be no thicker than thumb thickness. If sculptures are thicker than one's thumb, the piece should be hollowed out evenly to a thickness of about 1/4" (pinkie thickness).
Promoting Even Drying: To promote even drying, at least 1 venting hole should be placed in the hollowed out form (often requiring a section of the piece to be strategically sliced off at a non-integral point of stability before being hollowed and reattached) AND (for more advanced work) "aerated" by making multiple pinhole sized holes in the interior of the sculpture that are about 1/8" deep and do NOT pierce through the piece.
Demo: Making a Horse Sculpture
Demo: Making a Horse Sculpture
Stamping
Stamping
Texture was added with marker lids and shells.
Noodle letters were pressed into clay. These can be left in the clay and will burn away in the firing.
The ribs of the pumpkin were added with the handle of a rounded paintbrush.
Texture can be added to almost any part of a project. If adding texture to a hollow form, support should be provided to the interior of the piece to avoid having the piece become distorted or form weakened. There are a variety of tools that can be used to press into clay and make an impression including but not limited to:
Texture can be added to almost any part of a project. If adding texture to a hollow form, support should be provided to the interior of the piece to avoid having the piece become distorted or form weakened. There are a variety of tools that can be used to press into clay and make an impression including but not limited to:
- Traditional stamps,
- Shells,
- Marker lids,
- Paper clips, and
- Uncooked noodles.
Clay pieces, especially slabs, can also be texturized by overlapping various texture materials on the desired piece (with slightly thicker than desired final thickness), such as a crochet doily or rubber texture mat, and applying pressure to the texture tool with one's hands or a rolling pin.
Clay pieces, especially slabs, can also be texturized by overlapping various texture materials on the desired piece (with slightly thicker than desired final thickness), such as a crochet doily or rubber texture mat, and applying pressure to the texture tool with one's hands or a rolling pin.
Texture was added by pressing a doily onto the exterior of a vase while providing support to interior walls.
Slip Trailing
Slip Trailing
Slip Trailing with White Slip using Nasal Syringe & Brush. Slip should be mixed up to the consistency of thick cream and applied to pieces that are in the later stage of plastic or early stage of leatherhard to ensure a better bond between the slip and form. Make sure that the slip used can be fired to the same cone as the clay body of the form it is used on.
Slip Trailing with Black Slip using Slip Trailing Bottle with 18 Gauge Tip. Different colors of slip can be purchased from clay companies or made by adding stains to the slip of the present clay body.
Slip like Frosting. Slip can be used in a thicker consistency to create form and texture, similarly to frosting as seen in the icing on the cupcake and icing boarder on the base of this box. Frosting tips, piping bags, and other household tools can be used. To help ensure that the thicker slip attaches securely to the base, you can scratch the leatherhard surface before applying it.
Burnishing
Burnishing
Burnishing is a great way to produce a lovely sheen to a clay project without having to glaze. A variety of tools can be used to rub over the clay's surface including the back of a spoon, smooth stones, and even a plastic bag over one's finger. This technique is best for simple forms rather than one's with intricate details. Lubricants, such as vegetable oil or fat, are better than using water to avoid weakening the piece.
How to Burnish Pottery - Follow an Ancient Tradition (thesprucecrafts.com)
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