How to Decorate Pottery With Slurry

Clay slurry can be used to add designs to pottery.

Use clay slurry to decorate your dried pottery pieces before firing them in the kiln. Clay slurry, a thick form of clay slip, consists of dried clay pieces that are soaked in water and reduced to a creamy, but gritty liquid. Ceramic artists and potters use this clay slurry to attach pieces of dried pottery and decorate it. Making and using the clay slurry are both simple processes that can add detail and interest to your pottery pieces.

Things You'll Need

• Dried clay pieces
• Plastic bucket and lid
• Bleach
• Paint stirrer
• Paintbrush
• Squeezable condiment bottle
• Partially dried pottery
• Clay sculpting tools

Instructions

Making Slurry

1. Toss any dried bits and pieces of clay that you are not using into a bucket. Use broken, unfinished pottery or pottery that you have made mistakes with during construction.

2. Fill the bucket with water, just enough to cover the pieces of clay.

3. Place a lid onto the bucket and stir the mixture every couple of days. If the mixture begins to smell musty, it has started to mold. Add a few drops of bleach to the bucket to freshen it and kill the mold. The mixture is ready to use when it is even in consistency. It should be about the consistency of a milkshake.

Drip Decorating With Slurry

1. Fill an empty squeezable condiment bottle with slurry and replace the cap.

2. Squeeze the bottle over the pottery piece to drip slurry onto the pottery. Drip in a pattern or simply drip the edges of a bowl or mug to create raised edges and drip patterns down the sides.

3. Allow the slurry to dry completely before firing your item in the kiln.

Carved Slurry

1. Apply a thick layer of slurry over your entire pottery piece with a paintbrush and allow it to dry.

2. Carve into the dried clay with clay sculpting tools. The slurry will chip away easily and the pottery itself will remain intact.

3. Brush away any dust from carving the slurry with a dry paintbrush before firing your pottery in a kiln.

References

• Green Verdugo: How to Make Clay Slip