Doilies & Slip Reveal

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October 7, 2018

When you want to decorate a leather hard piece of pottery and you have some doilies to spare (or even some cut out pieces of newspaper), you can attach the paper doilies really well to the wetted clay surface (be careful not to trap air under the paper, because the slip will get underneath and smudge the design) and cover the area with coloured slip. After the slip has dried for a few minutes (a good indication that it is ready is when the sheen has disappeared), carefully pull off the doilies and the design emerges. The possibilities of using slip are endless and tremendous fun! Now it’s time to…

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How sheep can be made using the humble pinch pot

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November 12, 2017

Recently I have been really busy making and there was no time for blog writing. So today I finally got to write how I make my sheep sculptures: First I start by making two similar sized pinch pots (weighing out the clay will help). It is important not to overwork the pots in order to avoid cracks – aim for an even wall thickness and leave the rims chunky and level. The rims on both pots are then scored and slipped before pushing them gently together. The next step is really important and can be tedious: blend the clay from both rims. The aim is to get a proper seal…

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