How to create Inlaid Colour

Coloured clay slip can be applied to a clay surface using a rubber slip-trailer (I use an icing bag with a nozzle as I find I can exert more control with it). Slip shrinks as it dries, so I scrape the surface with a kidney to reveal a crisp, sharp design.

Here are 2 pictures of 6 bowls formed inside my plaster dish-mould, at first covered with a blanket of coloured slip, then with a further added slip decoration of spots, dashes or curves.

Ceramic colour inlays
3 colour inlay bowls

Here are a group of vases, small pots and a “Living Cell” egg – all with a semi-porcelain clay base.

various colour inlay ceramic items

I thought it would be interesting to make designs from torn, rolled, cut strips, stars, or other shapes inlaid into a blanket of clay already positioned in the bowls. Here are two ‘Seaside Bowls’ with the inlay pressed into yellow sanded clay – like the beach!

Sea Plates with colour inlay