| Clay slab construction is fun and easy since there | | | | allowed to dry until leather hard or when a light |
| are just so many possibilities of things you can | | | | touch on the surface of the clay no longer leaves |
| make with slabs of clay. With just a slab roller or | | | | an imprint. Flat objects, such as tiles, can now be |
| a rolling pin and your imagination you can create | | | | bisque fired and then painted with glaze or with |
| great projects from tiles to fountains to furniture, | | | | glaze pencils or chalks and then overglazes. |
| not to mention pots and boxes. By using slump or | | | | Three-dimensional projects such as jewelry |
| hump molds you can make complete sets of | | | | boxes, square or rectangular vases, and model |
| identical bowls and dishes Slabs of clay take | | | | buildings or furniture are built up by joining slabs |
| textures well, so by pressing or rolling objects into | | | | together. First score the edges to be joined and |
| the surface of the clay slab or by pressing the | | | | then glue them together with slip before bisque |
| slab into a texture mold, you open the door to all | | | | firing. The basic clay slab can also be shaped by |
| kinds of possibilities for decorative surface | | | | hand while still pliable to create masks, pinching up |
| effects. Rolling slabs out with a slab roller is much | | | | the nose and chin and pushing in eye sockets, |
| quicker and easier than using a rolling pin and | | | | then defining cheek bones, brow, and mouth until |
| allows you to maintain identical thickness for | | | | the form takes the desired expression. Details |
| plates, dinnerware, and other projects which | | | | such as lips and eyebrows can be shaped from |
| require exact measurements. First the clay is | | | | coils of clay and glued in place with slip. |
| placed between two strips of canvas, then it is | | | | To make dishes, bowls, and other dinnerware it is |
| fed into the roller by cranking the two rolls. The | | | | easiest to use slump or hump molds. Hump molds |
| thickness of the slab is easily adjusted with no | | | | can be obtained in a wide variety of shapes and |
| boards or shims; the roll opening and the handle | | | | depths. The slab is placed over the hump mold |
| are locked into place, and the knurled rolls grip the | | | | and pressed gently into it until it acquires the |
| canvas and pull the slab through quite easily. Slabs | | | | shape of the mold. After it has dried to |
| which are wet can be moved on the lower | | | | leather-hard, it is trimmed to its final shape with a |
| canvas. | | | | fetting knife and pried from the mold. Remember |
| Once the slab is removed from the roller it can | | | | that all ceramics which will come in contact with |
| be textured with a texture mold or by placing | | | | food must be glazed with non-toxic lead-free |
| lace, leaves, seashells, or other found objects on | | | | glazes. These are just a few suggestions for the |
| the top surface and gently pressing the texture | | | | infinite variety of ceramics projects which start |
| into the slab by hand or with a rolling pin. Shapes | | | | by rolling out a simple slab of clay. |
| can be cut out with a fetting knife and then | | | | |