INCISING AND CARVING IN CLAY.
These are two of the simplest as well as most effective methods of
decorating pottery. We will treat first of incised work in clay.
The piece of ware to be decorated must, of course, be in the “green”
state; not too wet, yet not dry enough to be brittle. An outline
drawing can then be executed upon its surface with a pointed modeling
tool, not too sharp, and perfectly rounded at the point. If any burr
is thrown up in the course of the lines, it must not be brushed off
until the piece has become partially dry. The drawing can then be
brushed over with a stiff camel’s-hair brush, leaving the lines
free. These lines can now be filled with dark (under-glaze) paint
(black is best), mixed with a little gum arabic and water. In going
over the lines some of the paint will extend over the edges; this can
be scraped off, when the clay is dry, with the edge of a sharp steel
blade, two or three inches long, held between the fingers and thumb.
A broken knife-blade will do for the purpose. This scraping must be
very lightly and carefully done, to avoid injuring the surface of the
ware. The surface may afterwards be rubbed over with the very finest
sandpaper, when entirely dry.
The finish of this work must not be a full glaze, but the “smear”
glaze, described in the last chapter. A full glaze would fill up the
lines, and so injure the appearance of the work. In order that the
black lines may be effective, the ground of the decoration should be
rather light in color. The best colors for the body of wares to be
decorated in this way are light cream color, or a mixture of cream
color and red clay, producing a light brick-red; or, if they can
be procured, any light colored clays which have been artificially
tinted in the body. A colored ground for this work can be procured by
having the piece of ware dipped in colored slips. The design is then
incised upon the surface, after it has become dry enough, in the same
manner as before. The lines are cut through to the body of the ware
beneath, showing a color contrasting with that upon the surface with
good effect. Work of this kind is also executed upon stoneware. That
of Miss Hannah Barlow will be remembered as an instance of incised
work, in black lines, upon a red or light brown body. Incised work
also appears upon the Lambeth stoneware. It is here used upon grey
stoneware, with raised dots in white, and colored with blue glaze.
Incised decorations can also be executed upon earthenware in this
way. White ware may be used, and the design drawn upon it in the
“green” state. The piece may then be finished with colored glaze,
which sinks into the depressions formed by the lines, and so gives
them a darker color than the rest of the surface. Carved work can
also be introduced with good effect as an accessory to incised work,
and a few words as to this kind of decoration will now be in place.
CARVING IN CLAY.
This work can be made very beautiful and effective by those familiar
with the use of carving tools. The tools used should be short-handled
carving tools, and the ware should be in the “green” state and as
for incised work, neither too wet nor too dry. Dry enough for clean
cutting with the tools, and yet not so dry as to be brittle. When in
just the right state, clay forms a fine substance for carving. As
it dries very rapidly, means should be used to keep it sufficiently
moist until the work is finished.
The outline can be drawn upon the clay with a sharp-pointed modeling
tool, and the carving can be executed with gouges, chisels, and
parting tools of the various shapes and sizes necessary. Veining can
be done with a pointed modeling tool, and dots can be readily incised
by pressure on the surface. Raised dots can be made with softer clay
which has been dipped up in a quill of the required size, which is
then pressed upon the surface at the place where the dot is desired.
Carved work can be finished by the use of sand paper, a camel’s
hair brush, and water, or a sponge; but these should not be used
very freely, as they will injure the sharpness and cleanness of the
cutting, which it is desirable to preserve. Carving looks best when
finished with a “smear” glaze.
Another variety of carved work can be produced upon a vase which has
been previously dipped in colored “slip.” The design is then cut
through the covering to the ground beneath, which should be of a
contrasting color.
Another method by which many varied and beautiful effects can be
produced is that of incising lines, and cutting or pressing designs
into the soft clay, which are then filled with various colored slips.
The lines or other designs should be deeply cut, moistened with water
and filled with the colored clays, which should be pressed into the
depressions and allowed to dry. When dry, the surface can be scraped
in a similar manner to that made use of in finishing incised work. It
should be noted that in this latter work the body of the clay should
be in a softer state than would be necessary for other carved or
incised work.
Carving in clay, as well as modeling and incising can be glazed with
the colored majolica glazes with excellent effect.