SLIP OR UNDERGLAZE?
Why not use underglazes instead of slip?
Underglazes work perfectly for their designed use. They have ingredients in them that make perfect sense for underglazes but not for slips.
Underglaze color work well on clays in all stages. They are excellent for flat line decorating.
But if you want volume, texture and color, you will want to work with slips. If you want a perfect match with the clay you are using make your slips with it.
Once you have made a sheet of a Skinner Color blend it is very easy to cut it in strips, let the clay dry, then re-hydrate and blend.This sheet would provide a wide variety of colored slips ready to use.
BRUSH APPLICATIONS
You can leave the surface smooth or texture it like an oil painting. You can add things like silica, grit or paper slurry to the slip to create textures.
The front tile has paper slurry added for texture.
You can brush a thick slip onto greenware.
This design is made through a heavily textured slip.
You can brush slip on raw, or fired tiles both commercial or handmade. You can carve through the slip and re-fire. I have used plain white glazed commercial tiles with good success.
This carving through slip technique is call sgraffito and there are hundreds of ways to do it.
This is the same hippo design when a layer of white slip is added on top of the black.
USE ONE COLOR OR MANY LAYERS OF COLOR
You can layer your slips then carve through them. Simply wait for each colored slip layer to dry before applying the next. Works very well with leather hard work … vases, bowls etc. You just have to wait for the right moment to carve through the layers … just dry enough so it does not chip off.
This is a vase made using this method.
I carved through to the layer of color I wanted in each section.
TEXTURED APPLICATIONS
You can use almost any object to texture a thick slip.
A piece of screen, sponges, tree bark, found objects … set your imagination free.
Put a swirl of slip on an object then cover it with crushed colored clay either dry or bisque fired. If it is dry put on your mask while doing this.
Press it in with a screen to leave texture and color.
Then add some dots of colored slip.
SLIP TRAILER APPLICATIONS
Here are a variety of slip trailers both home made and purchased.
Simple slip trailing image.
COMBINATION OF BRUSH & SLIP TRAILING
INLAID APPLICATIONS
Carve the surface then apply colored slips as needed. Wait for it to dry and apply again until the slip dries level with the surface. Then simply scrape away the excess to reveal your pattern underneath.Wear your dust mask!
INLAID AFTER FIRING
After firing you can inlay thin slips. Simply clean the surface with a wet sponge to reveal your designs.
