Art Nouveau Slab Container with Pressed Design

You will be making a geometric shaped container out of slabs. The slabs will be pressed with pattern tiles that you will carve, let dry and bisque.

It is very important that you do not let your slabs dry out before they are attached together.

  1. Wedge some stoneware and roll out slabs for your pattern tiles, using the thickest sticks and a rolling pin.
  2. Cut out the shape of your pattern tiles, according to your design.
  3. You can begin carving the pattern into them immediately, but a firm to leather hard surface is best. When the clay is soft, use trimming tools and wooden tools. When it is leather hard, use a needle tool and sgraffito tool for sharp detail. Make sure you have several depths of relief. Lines simply incised with a needle tool will not show. Remember that what you carve away, will stick out on your container. Any words will have to be carved backwards.
  4. Let dry in the damp cabinet. Turn over every day. Set out on shelves until bone dry.
  5. Sand lightly and have them bisqued.
  6. After your tiles are bisques, roll out several slabs, 3/8" thick.
  7. Using a ruler, cut out all of the slabs you need for your project, including the bottom. Make sure to hold your needle tool at a 90 degree angle when cutting them out, so the sides are straight. It may be a good idea to let you clay firm up overnight before trying to join them. Make sure they are wrapped in plastic tightly for storage.
  8. Lay your slabs on a board, with dry paper towel between the slabs and the board.
  9. To imprint the designs, lay your pattern tile carving up and lay the moist slab on top of it. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the clay into the pattern tile. Peel the clay away slowly and gently.
  10. When your designs are imprinted, re-trim the edges, pressing makes your tiles expand.
  11. Turn your sides over and bevel the edges (not the top).
  12. Bevel all edges of your bottom slab.
  13. Slip and score and put your pieces together. Be gentle as to not smush the corners.
  14. Add a thin coil of clay to the inside corners and smooth in, to make the joints stronger.
  15. Smooth edges and do touchups.
  16. If you have a lid, add a lip or flange, so it cannot slide off.
  17. Let dry very slowly or the joints will crack. Sand.
  18. Bisque
  19. Glaze - I suggest using lowfire or underglaze. Art Nouveau colors range from naturals and pastels.
  20. Glaze fire.