April, 1911 
10. Chocolate brown, 10 parts white clay, 34 part under- 
glaze golden brown, % part part underglaze black. 
11. Red brown, 10 parts white clay, 1 part underglaze 
golden brown. 
Hancock’s Worcester black is the 
safest to use. 
12. Fawn, 20 parts white clay, 4 
part black oxide of mangan- 
ese. 
Darker tints by increasing the 
manganese. 
This palette is sufficiently large 
for general purposes, and is cap- 
able of considerable extension. 
These slips will agree in shrink- 
age with the red clay previously 
mentioned, but as these red clays 
vary considerably it would, per- 
haps, be best to make the ware 
itself of the same white clay as the 
slips are formed from. 
For your trials of color make 
a tile about eight inches long on 
which paint strokes of all your 
colors, numbering them to corre- 
spond with the formula for 
the same. At the same time it 
will give an added interest if you make a few small pieces, 
either square tiles or vases, of very simple design not more 
ornate than those suggested here. AQ little trouble taken 
now will save a good deal of time later on. The slips for 
painting should be soft enough to be easily worked on the 
palette with the brush. 
Use flat sable brushes for the larger spaces, and 
pointed ones for lines or small spaces. With the end of 
the brush lift up from the palette as much color as you 
can, apply it to the desired spot and smooth it down with 
the tip, not the side, of the brush. If the result is not 
sufficiently thick allow it to set and then apply a second 
coat. The color should be distinctly raised from the sur- 
face. [he brush soon clogs with color and must be fre- 
quently rinsed out in water. One color can be superim- 
posed on another, light on dark or dark on light, and will 
kill, not mix with, the color beneath. A light color on a 
dark one is a good test as to whether you have attained the 
desired strength, and only after the glaze is fired’ can you 
be sure of this. We re- 
peat that the great desid- 
eratum in this slip painting 
is that the color must be 
thick enough to form a clay 
body of itself and be evenly 
applied, whether in one 
mass or in a number of 
successive coats. 
If you desire to cover 
first the whole piece with 
a ground, this can be done 
in several ways. The best 
and quickest is by dipping. 
A sufficient quantity of the 
desired color must be pre- 
pared so that the whole 
piece can be immersed in it. 
To do this successfully is 
rather a delicate operation, but with a little practice can 
soon be successfully accomplished. The manner of hand- 
ling depends much on the shape. If by putting one hand in- 
side and spreading out the fingers you can easily lift it 
up and down, it is a simple matter to immerse it in the 
colored slip. Let the immersion and withdrawal be done 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Designs of pottery made at home 
Some simple designs for jars and vases 
143 
as quickly as possible, being careful not to allow any of 
the slip to get inside the piece, for it may cause the piece 
to collapse. Have ready a plaster bat on which to 
place it and leave it there until it hardens so that by touch- 
ing it you do not disturb the color. 
If it happens that the slip has not 
quite reached the top it is practical 
to take the plaster bat in one 
hand, reverse it, and dip the top in 
the slip, as the color will give suf- 
ficient adhesion to allow the piece 
to be inserted. But this can only be 
done when the bat is small enough 
to be held in the outstretched 
fingers. Wide-mouthed pieces re- 
quire the use of both hands, two 
fingers of each hand being placed 
directly inside, while a little pres- 
sure can be brought to bear against 
the resisting slip by the thumbs and 
little fingers resting on the edge. 
Practice holding the piece until you 
feel you can safely lift it up and 
down before dipping in the slip. 
You can obtain very nice streaks 
or runnings of other colors by 
placing on the ground slip small 
quantities of other colors, which should be floated on 
so as to rest on the top; on withdrawal these colors will 
attach themselves to the piece. Always be sure the slip 
is well stirred or the edge of the piece will be thin. A 
ground can also be put on with a brush or small sponge, 
the latter giving a granulated surface, often very effective. 
In both cases care must be taken to have a good body of 
color all over. ‘There is another way in which a ground 
can be applied as follows: Before casting the ware fill 
the mold with a colored slip, allow it to remain there until 
there is about one-sixteenth of an inch adhering to the 
sides of the mold, empty it out and so soon as it is a little 
dry complete the casting with ordinary clay. The objec- 
tion to this is that unless the mold is very perfectly made, 
the piece may very easily be marred while being trimmed. 
From the simple experiments and trials here indicated 
the way has been paved for more important work. We 
urge the adoption of a conventional rather than a natural 
style of decoration. You may attain distinction in the one, 
it is not possible in the 
other, for pottery is not a 
material to paint on, whilst 
it is pre-eminently suitable 
for decoration. One more 
word: Try to make shapes 
for a purpose. If for 
flowers they should suggest 
almost at sight the particu- 
lar class for which they are 
intended. Jugs should be 
wide enough to allow of 
easy cleaning, should pour 
well, and the handle must 
be so placed as to balance 
perfectly; candlesticks firm 
at the base, the nozzle the 
proper size and _ large 
enough to catch the running 
wax; tobacco jars wide enough to allow the pipe to be 
easily filled, and so on. The useless vase of our grand- 
mothers is no longer tolerated. To-day we demand articles 
of utility which shall also satisfy our aesthetic feelings. 
The illustration shows how well these slip-painted pieces 
adapt themselves to the surroundings of an ordinary room. 
